Ame ni mo Makezu (Strong in the rain)

For the people in Japan, Japanese and non Japanese alike, we all love and pray for you...

Ame ni mo Makezu (Strong in the Rain), original poem by Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933), recited by actor Ken Watanabe a year ago:



Ame ni mo Makezu (Strong in the Rain) sang by Asian artists (including Andy Lau and Jackie Chan) a year ago:



Original poem by Kenji Miyazawa:

Strong in the rain
Strong in the wind
Strong against the summer heat and snow
He is healthy and robust
Free from all desire
He never loses his generous spirit
Nor the quiet smile on his lips

He eats four “go” of unpolished rice
Miso and a few vegetables a day
He does not consider himself
In whatever occurs … his understanding
Comes from observation and experience
And he never loses sight of things

He lives in a little thatched-roof hut
In a field in the shadows of a pine tree grove
If there is a sick child in the east
He goes there to nurse the child

If there’s a tired mother in the west
He goes to her and carries her sheaves
If someone is near death in the south
He goes and says, “Don’t be afraid”

If there are strife and lawsuits in the north
He demands that the people put an end to their pettiness
He weeps at the time of drought
He plods about at a loss during the cold summer

Everybody calls him “Blockhead”
No one sings his praises
Or takes him to heart

That is the kind of person
I want to be


See also:

http://geepan.tumblr.com/post/6262399399/ken-watanabe-reads-one-of-japans-most-famous