Emperor downward—I even suspected my kurumaya in Kyoto of the practice.
Here is a translation of some fairly typical lines to accompany an arrangement of Pine and Plum blossoms from a woman to her husband; but it must not be forgotten that, circumscribed by convention as their verses are, an original composition must be sent if any is:—
“Oh! sturdy Pine tree spray,
Take to my lord
This loving word,
And let the pearly flowers of the Plum
In fragrance say
From whom, love-weighted, they have come,
This New Year’s Day.”
Poetry is deeply inwoven with this graceful art. Indeed, that is always the most alluring part of the study of anything in Japan—every subject opens up others, even though, as in this case, the one art is long enough for a life’s work. And as sincerity is the touchstone of any real art, so it is of this—sincerity of feeling, of faithful labour, of loving study. “We cannot touch another’s heart with anything less than our own,” and, however humble the means of presentation of an art may be, informed and performed with truth and love it is art. I do not care if it is only an iron fire shovel, or a child’s wooden pail; if it is made with thought and joy in the work, it is a beautiful thing.
