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| Wednesday, 19 January 2005 |
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Focus on books Tsunami and the creative awareness by Prof Sunanda Mahendra Quite a number of stories and poems have been written by various writers on the subject of tsunami with special emphasis on the creation of an awareness of the impending disaster. Lafcadio Hearn was one such writer who settled down in Japan in order to study the various aspects of Japanese culture and creative activities. Hearn was born in 1850 on the Greek island of Santa Maura. His mother was Greek and his father was a doctor in the British Army. He was taken to England where he spent his boyhood. During this time he lost the sight of one eye in an accident. But this did not keep young Hearn from his love of reading and writing. He came to America and wrote interesting and unusual articles for newspapers. He then went to Japan to teach English in Japanese schools. He got married there and became a Japanese citizen. This story entitled "The burning of the rice fields" is one of the most notable contributions made by him to help people aware of the disaster caused through tsunami. Many years ago, in Japan, there lived an old wise farmer named Hamaguchi. The people honoured him for his wisdom. Hamaguchi was not only wise but also rich and his farm stood on the hillside of the seashore. Down by the shore and scattered up the hill were the houses of his neighbours. Around his own house the land was flat and all around the land was his rice fields. Time of harvest It was the time of harvest .Hundreds of rice stacks dotted Hamaguchi's fields. There had been a fine crop and tonight down in the village everyone was having a good time. Hamaguchi sat outside his house and looked down into the village. He would have liked to join the merrymakers, but he was too tired for the day had been too hot. So he stayed at home with his little grandson named Tada. They could see the flags and the paper lanterns that hung, fluttering across the streets of the village, and see the people gathering for the dance. The low sun lighted up the moving bits of colour. It was still very hot, though a strong breeze had begun to blow in from the sea. Suddenly the hillside shook, just a little as if a wave were rolling slowly under it. The house crackled and rocked gently for a moment. Then all became still once again. "An earthquake" thought Hamaguchi, "but not very near the worst of it is far away". The wise old man was not frightened, for he had felt the earthquake many a time before. Yet he looked anxiously toward the village. Then suddenly, he rose to his feet and looked out at the sea. The sea was very dark and it seemed to be running away from the land. Soon all the village had noticed how the water was roling out, and the people hurried down to the beach. Not one of them had ever seen a thing like this before. For a moment, on the hillside Hamaguchi stood and looked. Then he called "Come on here Tada quick very quick and light me a torch", Tada the grandson ran into the house picked up one of the pine torches that stood ready for use on stormy nights. Tada lighted it and ran back to his grandfather. The grandfather grabbed the torch and hurried to the rice fields. Tada ran with him,wondering what he was going to do. When they reached the first row of rice stacks the grandfather Hamaguchi ran along the row touching the torch to each as he passed. The rice was dry and the fire caught quickly and the sea breeze blowing stronger drove the flames ahead. Row after row the stacks caught fire and soon flames and smoke towered up against the sky. Tada ran after his grandfather crying, "Grandfather why? why?" Tada thought his grandfather gone mad, and that he was burning the rice stacks that was their food and all their wealth. But grandfather Hamaguchi went from stack to stack till he reached the end of the field. Then he threw down his torch and waited. Strangest sight The bell ringer on the hill top temple saw the flames and set the big bell booming. The people in the beach down below turned and began to climb the hill. If Hamaguchi's rice fields were afire, not the strangest sight of the shore should keep them from helping him. First up the hill came some of the young men who wanted to fight the fire at once.But Hamaguchi stood in front of the fields and held out his hands to stop them. "Let it burn lads" he commanded, "Let it burn" The whole village was coming. Men and women,boys and girls, young and the old, mothers with children were climbing the hill to help. Even the oldest came slowly and others tried to help them climb the hill. Still Hamaguchi stood in front of his burning fields, and waited. Meanwhile the sun went down. The people who flocked in crowds questioned Tada as to what had happened. Was the grandfather gone mad? Why wouldn't the grandfather allow them to fight the fire. "I don't know" sobbed Tada for he was really frightened "All I know is that my grandfather set fire to the rice on purpose. I saw him do it" "Yes" cried Hamaguchi "I set fire to the rice. Are all the people here?" The villagers looked about themselves and said "Yes we are all here but we cannot understand ..." "Look" shouted Hamaguchi as aloud as he could ,pointing to the sea. "Look now do you think I have gone mad?" All turned and looked through the dim light over the sea. Far far out where sea and sky seemed to meet, stretched a cloudy line that came nearer and nearer, and broadened out. larger and larger. It was the sea coming back to the shore. It towered like a great wall of rock. It rolled more swiftly than a kite could fly. "The sea" shrieked the people. Hardly had they spoken, when the great waters struck the shore. The noise was louder than any thunder. The hillside shook. A sheet of foam was dashed up to where the people stood. When the sea went back, not a house was left below them on the hillside or along the shore. The village had been swept away. The people stood silent, too frightened to speak, until they heard Hamaguchi the wise old man saying gently: "That was why I set fire to the rice, my house still stands and there is room for many. The temple on the hill stands still....There is shelter there for the rest... Then the people woke ,as if from a dream and understood what the wise old man had done. Hamaguchi had made himself poor to save them. In order to honour him they all bowed their foreheads to the ground before him. **** Back **** |
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