Tag: Akutagawa Ryūnosuke 芥川龍之介

  • 4

    Nasal mucus; on the very tip of the nose, sunset afterglow still lingers

    水洟や鼻の先だけ暮れ残る

    mizubana ya hana no saki dake kurenokoru

    (Akutagawa Ryūnosuke 芥川龍之介)

    *

    The verb kurenokoru refers to something being lit by the afterglow that lingers in the sky for a while after the sun has set. In the poem, the redness of the runny nose is likened to this kind of faint, indirect light.