Kokoro 心

A tuthree weeks ago, I was blathering on about ancient Greek customs and norms: with a xenia here, a pompḗ there and aretê in the middle. One of the delights of other languages is that words are diced differently there, so it's hard to get an exact synonym (with all appropriate baggage and nuance) for any word in foreign. A lot of mileage is wrung out of how hiraeth and saudades are untranslatable. But pick a word, any word, and you'll be missing some aspect of meaning when translating it to another tongue.

So there I was, two days on the trot, hangin' out at the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Garden in Tramore. The first day, we were in Tramore with a surprising couple of care-free hours. We polished up our Annual pass [a snip at €70 /yr IF you plan to treat the place as your oasis of calm and live close enough to go a tuthree times with a friend] and headed out into into a brisk sunshiny autumn morning.  The garden hangs on the side of hill, so it is a challenge for those with a wheelchair or COPD. But for the rest of us, it is lovely: curling paths, well-placed benches, dappled shade.

The next day we were back to witness the Japanese ambassador to Ireland Marayama Norio 丸山範雄 laying the foundation stone for the new visitor centre at the Garden. ahem That didn't happen, probably because the new building scheduled had slumped like the ever-building National Children's Hospital. But Ambassador Maruyama [seen L with his bodyguard] did share some waggishly optimistic words about the future utility of the Kokoro Centre. This was complemented by some, mercifully short, speeches by The Minister, The Mayor and The Chair of the Board for the Garden. Two previous Irish Ambassadors to Japan, one rather frail, were also in evidence. The average age of the invited guests was about 65; which is a pity because it is subsequent generations who will be using and supporting the gardens for lifetime of the Kokoro Centre . . . if it ever gets off its foundations.

Everyone, even the monoglots, essayed to translate Kokoro into English. Nobody thought to cut to the chase and quote Lafcadio Hearn The papers composing this volume treat of the inner rather than of the outer life of Japan, for which reason they have been grouped under the title Kokoro. Written with the 心 character, this word signifies also mind, in the emotional sense; spirit; courage; resolve; sentiment, affection; and inner meaning — just as we say in English, “the heart of things.”

After speeches, canapés! Calling Logistics Manager! Someone decided to lay out the sushi and petit fours on a dazzling white cloth on a table on a balcony overlooking the garden. Which is fine in theory. Not so much if access to the balcony is along a narrow dead-end walkway past the jacks. But if that's what it is, then somebody needs to hoosh people (and their frames, sticks, entitlement and deafness) along, past the table, and out again to enjoy the garden. Not clogging up the access to provender . . . and the jacks [toot toot incontinence alert].

My first encounter with my doughty and dependable pal Rissoles [multiprev] was at a Home Ed gathering in Glendalough. It was agreed that a group photo would be A Good Thing but everyone continued to mill ineffectually about, gnawing rice cakes, and not controlling their kids. Rissoles (I believe it was the first time his family had been to such an event) stood up on a chair, called for silence and directed the milling herd to go East, the photographer to go West and let's just get this done!  And it was so. Y'gotta love him.