The Ripple
2007
A Japanese correspondent asked if I would write some music to his poetry. Following is the English version of the poem, which I assisted in translating.
The Ripple
Something drops upon the surface of the water;
the sound of its falling extends into silence.
Beautiful concentric circles ripple outward.My thoughts, reflecting,
Does it extend unmeasured?
Does it diffuse helplessly?Anyway, if I notice,
there is a surface of water
(indistinct from the former)
in front of me.— Taihei Nebuka
The original poem is as follows:
『波紋』
何かがこの水面に落ちてくる
ぽちゃんという音が静寂に響き渡り
綺麗な同心円状の波紋が広がっていく
それを眺めるこの僕の心は
果てしなく広がっていくのか？
どうしようもなく拡散するのか？
いずれにせよ気がつけば
前と変わらぬ水面のまま
The earth even our own marvelous galaxy is too small a stage on which to display the glory of God.