Polaitíocht na hEagla / The Politics of Fear

Maynard Dixon      

                               

The Politics of Fear

       

We do not know who or what we are

We huddle in fear

There is no warmth from one another

Nothing but cold fear.

Leaders of the world, have you brought us to this?

Fear begins to smell like a rotting animal

A fox shot between the two eyes

Its tongue hanging out limply, scorched by the sun

                                    

Polaitíocht na hEagla

Táimid gróigthe le chéile agus eagla orainn

Níl teas ar bith ag teacht óna chéile

Fuareagla amháin.

A cheannairí an domhain, an é seo toradh bhur gcuid oibre?

Tagann boladh ainmhí ón eagla, ainmhí atá ag lobhadh

 Sionnach a lámhachadh idir an dá shúil

A theanga ar liobarna, barrdhóite ag an ngrian

tafann na dtonn

A PDF of a new book of photo-haiku herewith, The Barking Waves

This is a broad explanatory note on the project:

A great landscape photographer is aware of the Heraclitean maxim, 'You never step into the same river twice'. What does that mean? It means

that American master photographer Ron Rosenstock has been exploring the mysterious and ever-delightful hinterland of Westport for the past half-century without ever

tiring of it! Today's disease is, 'Been there, done that.' Have you really been there? Have you been anywhere? Without awareness, without mindfulness you've been nowhere. And if you go back, do you think it's going to be the same place? How could it be? Heraclitus says, Panta rhei, all is flux! Even in the space of half an hour, the landscapes of Co. Mayo, so prized by Ron Rosenstock, can change in a second.

A cloud appears that wasn't there before. The light begins to work its magic, to announce the coming of twilight. These ever-changing variations of light and shade create landscapes which bewitch and invite not only the photographer, but the haikuist as well. The haikuist is conscious of a living landscape and when the two artforms come

together, photography and haiku, we can create meditative moments together. The experience, when repeated over and over again, can sharpen and enrich our awareness of the living world and contribute to mindfulness.

I have followed Ron on his photographic tours and odysseys, to Morocco, Scotland, the Faroe Islands - and Mayo! - not as a chronicler. To describe what I see would be tautologous. What the haikuist does is somehow to reflect the spiritual or poetic effect which the photograph has on his consciousness. I view Ron's photographs as

masterpieces. I can return to a photo I haven't looked at in a year and write a completely new haiku to match it. It seems to me that each photograph is mysteriously alive!

Print version from Foyles 

Éilias á chothú ag fiach dubh

Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo (1485 – 1548)

Éilias

Tá an scéal ar eolas agat.

Má tá na gadhair sona

gan chúis -

tá cúis leis!

Tá Éilias, fáidh, sa chomharsanacht!

A leithéid de dhuine!

Mar sin, abair liom.

Conas tá na gadhair na laethanta seo

in Rafah?

An sona dóibh?

ELIJAH

Ye ken the crack.

Whan the dugs'r blithe

fir nae raison -

thair's a raison!

The prophet Elijah is near haun!

Whit a chiel!

So, witter me

hou'r the dugs thae days

in Rafah?

ur thay blithe?

                               

Leagan Béarla na hAlban: John McDonald

  

Ο Ηλίας

Ξέρεις την ιστορία.

Όταν τα σκυλιά είναι χαρούμενα

για κανένα λόγο –

υπάρχει λόγος!

Ο προφήτης Ηλίας είναι στη γειτονιά!

Τι τύπος!

Λοιπόν πες μου

Πώς είναι τα σκυλιά

αυτές τις μέρες στη Ράφα;

Είναι χαρούμενα;

Leagan Gréigise: Dino Siotis

Elijah

You know the story.

When the dogs are happy

for no reason -

there's a reason!

The prophet Elijah is in the neighbourhood!

What a guy!

So, tell me

How are the dogs these days

in Rafah?

Are they happy?

Image: Kazuyuki Ohtsu

A single leaf falls 

then suddenly another

stolen by the breeze.

Rensetsup

1654-1707

titeann duilleog aonair

ansin go tobann

sciobann leoithne ceann eile

jedan list padne

tada odjednom drugi

ukraden lahorom

Croatian: Tomislav Maretić

ஓர் இலை உதிர்கிறது

உடனே இன்னொன்று

காற்று களவாடிச் செல்கிறது

Tamil : Tamilmainthan John Richard

 

Haiku agus grianghraf le Jason Symes

an mise

fheiceann grian na maidine

an mise tusa?

the "i" that sees

the morning sun

 am i you?

.

Photo-Haiku: Kon Markogiannis

abhainn ag rith

sliabh ciúin 

     is ionann iad

ஓடும் நதி

        நிசப்த மலை

                 இரண்டும் ஒன்றே

Tamil: Tamilmainthan John Richard.

haiku

Ron Rosenstock 

     

     struggling to make it . . .

     all alone

     wilderness tree 

     crann ar an iargúil        

    ag streachailt de shíor

    leis féin

  raxin tae mak it . . .

 aw alane

 wulderness tree

                                 

  Béarla na hAlban: John McDonald