Salaryman Senryu: Best of 2007
Dai-Ichi Life Insurance company has selected the best Salaryman Senryu poems of 2007! A senryu is a Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in form, but slightly different, as Wikipedia explains:
However, senryu- tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryu- are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are serious. Senryu- do not need to include a kigo, or season word, like haiku.
The poems poke some cynical fun at the life of Japanese salarymen. Here are the top 3:
How good it is to be a dog: even when trapped on a cliff, someone saves you.
-Alluding to the the stray dog rescued from a Tokushima cliff in November.
The only warmth in my life is a toilet seat.
-Alluding to the harsh realities of life and Japan’s heated toilet seats.
My brain age can already receive a pension.
-Alluding the the popular Nintendo DS brain-training game.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
[Note: My translations are far from perfect. If you've got a correction, feel free to post it in the comments.]
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I really liked the 3rd version
These senryus are so funny to me.
It is like a short comedy where a person makes fun of himself and his situation.
Was something lost in translation? I can not estimate James’ translation because I don’t have good enough sense of English to do that.
(The first one alludes to the dog rescued and also the harsh reality of a salaryman where he won’t be saved when he is cornered, Is that sense conveyed?)
Maybe the sense of humor somehow different from culture to culture?
(Is that why my joke does not work in English? (^_-)）
Japan probe is
the only time
I enjoy lol. (^_-)