Thou Shalt Not Die

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:16:47 +0900

Akiko Yosano

“Thou Shalt Not Die”

―― Grieving for my younger brother in the besieging army at Port Arthur

Ah, my brother, I weep for you,
Thou shalt not die,
Being the youngest born,
You received the most of our parents’ love.
Did they place a blade in your hand
And teach you to kill?
Did they raise you to twenty-four
Just to tell you to kill and die?

As the master of an old and proud
Merchant house in the town of Sakai,
Since you are the one to inherit our parents’ name,
Thou shalt not die.
Whether the fortress of Port Arthur falls,
Or whether it does not, what does it matter?
You surely know, such things
Are not the way of a merchant’s house.

Thou shalt not die.
The Emperor himself
Does not go out to battle.
To shed one another’s blood,
To die the death of beasts,
And call such death human glory,
With his great and deep heart,
How could the Emperor possibly desire this?

Ah, my brother, in battle
Thou shalt not die.
Our mother, who lost our father
Last autumn,
In the midst of her sorrow, pitifully
Having her son summoned, she guards our home.
Even in this great reign heard to be peaceful,
Our mother’s white hairs have grown.

Weeping behind the shop curtains
Is your fragile, young bride,
Have you forgotten her, do you think of her?
Parted before being together for even ten months,
Think of the young girl’s heart.
In this world, with only you,
Ah, whom else is she to rely upon?
Thou shalt not die.

About Akiko Yosano

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:08:36 +0900

🔹 Person Overview

Akiko Yosano (1878-1942) was a Japanese poet, author, and thinker who was active from the Meiji through the early Showa periods. She is especially known for her passionate and unique tanka poems, and is a figure who opened new horizons for female independence and expressions of romance in modern Japanese literature.

Real Name: Sho Yosano (maiden name: Otori)
Birthplace: Sakai (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture)
Husband: Tekkan Yosano (tanka poet, poet)
Main Active Period: Late Meiji to Early Showa periods
Characteristics:
- Garnered attention for tanka poems that frankly expressed a woman’s romantic feelings
- Held feminist ideals and promoted female education and independence
- Also demonstrated a pacifist stance criticizing the Russo-Japanese War
- Core member of the literary magazine “Myojo”

🔹 Representative Works, Synopses, and Characteristics

1. “Midaregami” (Tangled Hair) (1901)

Overview: Her debut poetry collection. Published in her early 20s, it delivered a major shock to the Japanese literary world.
Characteristics: Frankly expressed romantic feelings and physical desire from a female perspective.
Famous Poem:

Without even touching the hot blood of my soft skin aren’t you lonely, you who preach the Way?

→ It became a topic of discussion for expressing a view of romance considered bold under the moral values of the time, in a woman’s own words.

2. “Kimi Shinitamou koto nakare” (Thou Shalt Not Die) (1904)

Format: Poem (free verse, not tanka)
Content: An anti-war poem addressed to her younger brother deployed in the Russo-Japanese War.
Excerpt:

Thou shalt not die, As you were born last, Our mother wept bitterly While wringing your sleeves…

Significance: Groundbreaking in that it appealed for anti-war sentiments from the perspective of a woman mourning her brother’s potential death, amidst a strong trend of glorifying war at the time.

🔹 Influence and Evaluation

Conducted socially advanced activities such as women’s liberation, pacifism, and the popularization of education.
Devoted her later years to women’s education and was involved in the establishment of women’s universities (e.g., Bunka Gakuin).
One of the most important female intellectuals and literary figures in pre-war Japan.

🔹 Summary

Item	Content
Name	Akiko Yosano
Fields of Activity	Tanka, poetry, criticism, education
Major Works	“Midaregami”, “Kimi Shinitamou koto nakare”
Characteristics	Expression of romantic freedom, female independence, pacifism
Influence on Modern Times	Pioneer of feminist literature, innovation in modern tanka, anti-war poetry

Akiko Yosano on kenji.blog