Nazim Hikmet

                                                                                  

CHAT WITH DEAD NEZVAL

Soon after you gone,

weather got cold, snowed.

When it happens like this,

skies and streams cries

for whom just died

But you know, it's spring time,

13th of April, a bright day

Prague  smiles,

even there at the cemetery,

your name is uttered  like a pray,

your photograph with black lace

displayed at the window.

Perhaps weather will get bad again

even May is coming...

Prague, May, you know,

greener, and golden yellow,

once the young girls hit the streets

grief is mobbed as if it cleared from window pans.

and the grief left from you

will disappear like your shadows from sidewalks

of Prague! that is world...in fact

for deaths who loved the life, smart

deaths with good heart,

don't ask mourning for forty days,

neither they say :  " hell , after  I am gone ".

they leave a useful thing, a word ,

a tree, a smile,

and walk away

and they don't share

with alive ones

darkness of their tombs

and alone carry

weight of the stone

since they have not asked anything

from alive ones, they feel they'

never died...

I know you Nevzal,

you are one of them,

good hearted  Praquean

who loved the world, smart

you are one of those deaths...

 They called me from phone,

we must apart, what a pitty

So long brother Nezval,

in our world again

sweetest fruit : lightness...

April 20, 1958

The Burmese Harp (1956 )

Director: Kon Ichikawa
Screenplay: Natto Wada
Soundtrack: Akira Ifukube

"Soil of  Burma is red and so are  it's rocks"

August 1945, last days of the Pacific war, place is the tropical jungles of Burma, a  small group of Japanese soldiers are in retreat, they are  exhausted, and hungry. During their short rest, the platoon captain Inoyue, a choirmaster in civilian life,  trying keep his unit spirit up ask his soldiers to sing, together all sings a nostalgic  "going home " song. One of the soldiers named Mizuskima, is a  self thought Harp player also joins the group. The sound of his Harp releases universalities of hope and despair side by side. Shortly after they arrive a local village there they find out the war is over, Japan is surrendered Inoyue sees no point of continue to fighting and senseless blood shedding, they  surrender their guns and they have been putting in to prison camp. British commander of the camp informs Captain Inoyue that another renegade Japanese platoon continue to fight in a mountain hideout, unaware of the end of war and the surrender of their Governments. Captain Inoyue asks Mizuskima to reach out the platoon and ask them to surrender, Mizuskima accepts the task and head off the mountains. He has been only giving half an hour to convince the captain and his platoon, they reject the  offer and time is quickly run out. British forces attacks the hideout, entire platoon has been decimated, Mizuskima has injured, with a help of a Buddhist monk he survives, he shaves his head and steals the Monk's rope, disguise himself as a monk. On the way back to prisoners camp, Mizuskima sees piles of dead bodies of Japanese  soldiers left un- buried scattered around. Mizuskima, decides to stay in Burma so he can bury the dead soldiers.
"Mizushima is merely human "explain, Director Kon Ichikawa, during the 2005 interview with Criterion
" human beings are actually capable of such goodness" he adds. Ichikawa sees his movie is about  Hope; Hope for Mankind.

"Can't you see that whatever you do is futile.
  Armies of Britain and Japan  can come and fight all they wish,
  Burma is still Burma,
  Burma is the Budha's country "

 Budhist Monk