“Love is in the greenwood; dawn is in the skies; / And Marian is waiting with a glory in her eyes.”

[larryhammer]

The five questions meme is going around again (I think of it as distributed asynchronous interviews in parallel), and I asked for five from asakiyume. If you’d like five questions from me, tap me in a comment.

(1) What is a poem from the Kokinshū that sticks with you even to today?

Despite the many great poems in there that resonate long after the voice is still, this is easy—#2 by Ki no Tsurayuki:

    The water I cupped
in my hands, drenching my sleeves,
    has long been frozen—
today, with the start of spring,
will it melt in the wind?

There’s Reasons I took the title of my translation from it.

(2) What's a novel or story from your own childhood that you really want (or wanted, if you've already done it) to introduce your kid to?

Done: The Monster at the End of This Book, which I read to Eaglet at many bedtimes over the years, till they aged out. It was the first book I read All By Myself.

TBD: Pepper & Salt and The Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle. Fairy tales have always been a non-starter for Eaglet—SF and fantasy and superheroes are golden, but not fairy tales. The only one they’ve ever liked is Pyle’s King Stork with Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations.

(3) If you had to explain the manga Yotsuba to some American parents of elementary school–aged kids who don't know anything much about Japan or manga, how would you explain it?

Hyperactive but sheltered kindergartner misunderstands her world in hilarious ways. Safe to read as she is never mocked for this.

(4) If you had shapeshifting powers, what's a creature that you'd like to be able to shapeshift to be?

Tough one. As tempting as a long-distance flier like an arctic tern or snow goose would be, I’ll go with a Pacific giant octopus, because plastic and because arms.

(5) What's a thought/piece of wisdom/whatever that's sustained you in hard times?

I’ve two:

Life is too important to take it too seriously.

You’ve got this.

---L.

Subject quote from A Song of Sherwood, Alfred Noyes.

Comments

[asakiyume]

I felt a wave of warmth as I read "You've got this"--I'm not going through a hard time right now, but just, the words are that reassuring. And those work for me too, or a version of them. And I'll have to ponder your first one too--but not with too much seriousness ;-)

I went back to your collection (which is the second book on my poetry shelf right now!) to see if you wrote about your choice of that poem as your title poem, but you didn't! At least not in the intro. If you feel like indulging follow-up questions, I'd love to hear more.

The Wonder Clock--yes! Loved that collection. And I remember King Stork; Trina Schart Hymen's illustrations are so gorgeous.

Excellent description of Yotsuba <3

And octopus--because arms! And interesting consciousness, so we're told. I'd enjoy that, too.

[larryhammer]

Follow-ups welcome. And no, I didn't get explicit about where the title comes from, though I do quote that poem in the cover blurb.

I imprinted on Pepper & Salt first -- an old edition inherited from my mother's older siblings (along with a couple first-run Bobbsey Twins books). Reread it many times, before acquiring more Pyle. I've always liked his short fairy tales the most.

[thistleingrey]

The not-mocked part of Yotsuba& is pretty well why Reason glommed onto it, I think, yes. The kid-view aspect was secondary to that.

[larryhammer]

Heh. As someone squicked by humiliation-based humor, I appreciate it.

[sartorias]

That is a lovely poem, my goodness.

Octopus! Yesssss.

[larryhammer]

There's many more just as good in the collection!