Santōka Alarm
日本語EN

washed the radish grows whiter still

araeba daikon iyoiyo shiroshi

1937–1938 · Late years at Gochū-an
Sōmokutō · Persimmon Leaves (Kaki no ha)

Notes

Wash the radish pulled from the field with water, and it grows whiter still. For such a simple verse, it conveys even the cold feel of the water and the pure-white skin of the daikon. A winter morning's kitchen work becomes, just as it is, a poem — a reminder of the pleasure of working with one's hands.

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