Comments on: Mono No Aware

By: Mari - diary: March 2006

Mari - diary: March 2006 — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:43:45 +0000

[...] I have read that it is difficult to translate the phrase “Mono no aware” into English. A wiki says it is "the awareness of the transience of things". this blog says it is the “aesthetic empathy of things and feelings”. This site says it is “a sort of sadness”. Yes they are all correct, but I feel they are not enough too. We love cherry blossom so much because they are fugacious; they die just a few days after they bloom. I think the Japanese see the beauty in something dying. [...]

By: haiku

haiku — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 22:13:30 +0000

[...] Wednesday, December 07, 2005 mono no aware . . . a “sensitivity to things” . . . a “serene acceptance of a transient world” [...]

By: Unity - The Official Enya Forum - Amarantine: Sumiregusa

Unity - The Official Enya Forum - Amarantine: Sumiregusa — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 16:59:18 +0000

[...] Not a vote on the quality the track – I haven’t listened to it enough yet. (First impressions – I like it; it’s distinct; it has the verbal and melodic singsong playfulness that “Flora’s Secret” and “Anywhere Is” have that I miss in this album.) This is a note on the translation.In the booklet, the concept “mono no aware” is translated as “the poignancy of things”. That translation has been used, but there’s more to the concept than that – two basic points, in fact. 1) It has to do with the fleetingness of natural beauty and happiness – the bittersweet knowledge that, though something is radiant now, it will soon fade away. The whole world is transient; therefore, it must be enjoyed now, in the moment, for what it is.2) It’s also identified with the ability to enjoy and sympathize with nature without having to resort to language or words – to be in tune with the basic fact of the world stated in 1). (Certain Japanese political figures believed that this ability was uniquely identified with the Japanese people.)A good explanation is here:http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~copeland/patrick.htmlAnd, somewhat, here:http://keywords.oxus.net/archives/2004/08/27/mono-no-aware/Knowing the complete meaning of the term, in my opinion, deepens one’s appreciation for “Sumiregusa”. [...]

By: Metroblogging Tokyo

Metroblogging Tokyo — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

[IMG gun.jpg]I have read that it is difficult to translate the phrase “Mono no aware” into English. A wiki says it is “the awareness of the transience of things”.this blog says it is the “aesthetic empathy of things and feelings”. This site says it is “a sort of sadness”. Yes they are all correct, but I feel they are not enough too. We love cherry blossom so much because they are fugacious; they die just a few days after