“Staff of Life”

Poems in Chijôtengoku, Issue 54
November 25, 1953

　 　 　 　 　
　 昔から　大百姓と尊まる　農民救ふ今にぞありける
361 　

Since antiquity
The peasants have been
Treasured, but now
Is the time to
Save the farmers.

 S6-390B; page 3.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　 肥料要らず　　虫さへ湧かぬ有難さ　豊けき稔りに涙する田人ら
362 　 Thankful not to need
Fertilizers nor fear for
Pests, farmers cry in
Happiness at the abundant
Harvests they receive.		 S6-390C; page 3.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　

肥毒迷信　打砕かれて豊葦原　瑞穂の国に立ちかへりける
363 　 The superstition of the efficacy of
Fertilizers will be broken and
This country will truly change into the
Luxuriant Reed-Moor,
The Land of Fresh Rice-ears. 		 S6-391A; page 3.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　

肥毒もて　穢れに穢れし日の本の　国土浄むる業ぞ尊き
364 　 Precious indeed is
The act of purifying
The land of the origin of
The sun that has been so
Sullied by poisonous fertilizers. 		S6-391B; page 4.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　

肥料捲き　汗の甲斐とてなかりける　枯穂の水田眺む農夫等
365 　 After spreading fertilizers,
The farmers look on as
The ears of rice in their
Paddies wither away,
Erasing the worth of their sweat. 		S6-391C; page 4.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　

神が造りし　土の神秘さ人間の　作りし科学になど分れめや
366 　 How can the mystery
Of the soil created by God
Be understood through
Something such as the science
Created by human beings? 		S6-391D; page 4.
　 　 　 　 　
　 　 一切は　学もて解けるものもあり　解けぬものあること知れよかし
367 Know that in our
Universe, human
Learning can solve
Some problems
And others, it cannot.		 S6-391E; page 4. 
 
　 　 大自然　征服せんと誇りける　人いつしかに征服されけり
368 　 Human beings brag that
They have conquered
Mother Nature, but the time
Will come when they them-
Selves have been subjugated. 		 S6-392A; page 4.　
 
哀れなる　盲の眼開かんと　神智の光放つ吾はも
369 Pitiful indeed are the
Eyes of the blind that will
Not open even to the
Light of the wisdom of God
That I am releasing.		 S6-392A-B [SS693J]; page 4. 
 
人の世の　諸の苦しみ究むれば　無智が因なることを知りけり
370 When we pursue
All the sufferings
In the world, we learn
They originate
In ignorance. 		 S6-392B; page 5.
 
牢獄を　己が作りて己が身を　抛げ込む愚かな人の多かり
371 So many are the foolish
People who make
Their own prisons
And throw
Themselves into them!		 S6-392C; page 5.
 
　己が手に　幸福の網断ち切りて　地獄に堕つる人のはかなさ
372　

How empty are those
Who with their own
Hands cut the lines to
Happiness and
Fall into hell. 

S6-392D, page 5; previous translations, Prayers and Gosanka, page 50B; Prayers and Poems, page 50B; and Book of Gosanka, page 75, #299.
Prayers and Gosanka
 		Ah, how pitiful / Those who, of their own accord, / Cut the ties of joy, / Happiness, and choose instead / To take the road to ruin.
 
Prayers and Poems
 		Ah, how pitiful / Those who, of their own accord, / Cut the ties of happiness / And choose instead / To take the road to ruin.
 
Book of Gosanka
 		With hands of oneself, / One foolishly cuts the rope / That is happiness, / And plunges into dark Hell; / Pitiful is such a one.
 
 
　地獄への　道も天国への道も　選ぶがままのこと世なりける
373　

It is a world
Where you may choose
For yourself whether to take
The path to heaven,
Or the way to hell. 

S6-392E; page 5.
 
　国民の　命を繋ぐ糧さへも　足らぬは智慧の足らぬが故なる
374　

The people lack
Foodstuffs to
Support their lives
Because they
Lack wisdom.  

S6-393A; page 5.
 
　人間を　造りし神は人間を　養う糧を造らざらめや
375　

How can God
Not provide sustenance
To nourish the
The human beings
He created? 

S6-393B, page 5; reprinted in Okada Mokichi Zenshû Shikahen as 人間を　造りし神は人間を　養ふ糧を造らざらめや NINGEN O, TSUKURISHI KAMI WA NINGEN O / YASHINAU KATE O TSUKURAZARAME YA.
Gender neutral alternate translation
How can God / Not provide sustenance / To nourish the / Divinely-created / Human beings?
 
　限りなき　神の恵は吾をして　田人の無智を教ゆなりけり
376　

The unlimited
Munificence of God
Through me
Is shown to the
Ignorant tillers of soil. 

S6-393C; page 6.
 
　小さなる 学理をもちて大いなる 自然の理計り得らめや
377　

How can the
Limitless principles of
Nature be comprehended
With the limited
Principles of human learning?

S6-393D, page 6; previous translations in Prayers and Gosanka, page 82C, Prayers and Poems, page 82C, Sounds of the Dawn, Volume II, pages 69 & 233, #159, and Book of Gosanka, page 58, #231; previous translations based on Japanese text: 小さなる 学理をもちて大いなる 自然の理計られ得めや CHIISA NARU, GAKURI O MOCHITE ÔI NARU / SHIZEN NO KOTOWARI HAKARARE EME YA.
 
PG, PP, SDII translation
How can we measure, / Even start to understand / The Law of Nature, / So great, with our own minute / Mental theories on life?
 
BG translation
Man cannot e’er know, / Having only theories / That are atom small, / Nature’s great phenomena, / That are too deep to fathom.
 
 
　いと浅き　科学をもちていと深き　土の神秘を探る愚かさ
378　

How foolish to try to dig
Into the deep mystery of
The soil using the
Shallow tool that is
Material science!

S6-393E; page 6.
 
　地に悩む　哀れ儚き人草を　生かすは神の恵みなりける
379　

God’s blessings are
What nourishes the
Pitiful, capricious
People who
Abuse the soil.

S6-394A; page 6.
 
　宗教も　科学も真の文明の　出ずるがまでの仮のものなる
380　

Religion and
Science are both only
Temporary expedients
Until the true
Civilization arrives.

S6-394B; page 6.
 
　あな危ふ　あやめも分かぬ闇の世を　さまよい迷う仔羊の群
381　

The flocks of lambs
Wandering lost in
The dark world,
Not realizing the
Danger or the mistakes. 

S6-394C; page 6.
 
　人智もて　作りし一切に魂を　入れて命を与う吾かも
382　

It is I, Mokichi Okada,
Who puts spirit that
Gives life to all which has
Been created through
Human wisdom.  

S6-394D; page 7.
 
　永遠に　栄ゆる道は吾が説く　教えより外なしと覚れよ
383　

To flourish eternally,
Know that there
Is no other way
Than the teachings
I propound. 

S6-394E, page 7; reprinted in Okada Mokichi Zenshû Shikahen as 永遠に　栄ゆる道は吾が説く　教へより外なしと覚れよ TOKOTOWA NI, SAKAYURU MICHI WA WARE GA TOKU / OSHIE YORI HOKA NASHI TO SATORE YO.
 
　肥毒もて飢餓道作る哀れなる田人の盲開く吾はも
384　

I open the eyes of the
Pitiful blind tillers
Of the soil who prepare
The path to famine by
Using poisonous fertilizers. 

S6-395-A [SS694L]; page 7.
 
　大救主　出でずばやがて滅びなん　世ぞ救うなり神の力に
385　

The world will ultimately
Perish without the appearance
Of the Great Messiah:
It is the Power of God
That saves the world.

S6-395A; page 7.
 
　肥料中毒の 因はといへば百姓の 心に巣喰ふ迷信なりける
386　

The source of
Dependence on fertilizers
Is the false belief that
Lurks in the hearts of
Those who till the soil. 

S6-395B; page 7.
 
　吾が今　メシヤとなりて果て知らぬ　地獄の悩み打ち切らんとすも
387　

I, Mokichi Okada, now
Have become the Messiah
To bring an end to
The sufferings of hell
That know no limit.

S6-395C; page 7.