Sunday, November 8, 2015

The Noh Play 'Kiyotsune' in Parabola Magazine (Winter 2015-16 issue)




My retelling of the Noh play 'Kiyotsune' has recently been published in the winter 2015-16 issue of Parabola Magazine (http://parabola.org/ ), with sumi-paintings by Kumiko Lawrence.
Most of us have experienced death in some form, the loss of a friend or loved one. If you could have just one more hour with that person, what would you do? What would you say? In this play, the spirit of a samurai warrior, drawn by his widow’s intense suffering, returns to offer her solace. They talk of loss, of anger, of fate and free will and the importance of forgetting. 
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A sleeping ocean bird sinks in tears of rain that fill the salty sea. A cloud floating. Water flowing, returning to its earthly home; the heart gropes blindly but in vain.
Her sight grows dim, her heart faint. Through the night she weeps, yearning only for his return, even in dreams. Then she hears his voice: “Dear one, I have come for you.” The ghost of her husband appears by her pillow. 
Only a dream, but still she is grateful...

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