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Within every traditional Japanese haiku is a 'kigo'--a word associating the poem with a particular season. Mado Kara Mieru is an adaptation of five such haiku in rondo form; corresponding to spring, summer, autumn, winter and the return of spring. Each refrain is sung by a vocalist in a different stage of life--a child for spring, a young woman for summer, a middle-aged man for autumn, and an elderly man for winter. Following an extended instrumental 'transfiguration,' the return of the child's voice at the end signifies the return of spring, thus completing the cycle of life, death and rebirth as reflected through the changing of the seasons.
Lyrics:
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| SPRING: mado kara mieru kagayaku ume ichirin ichirin hodo no sono atatakasa
SUMMER:
AUTUMN:
yomei
WINTER:
SPRING: |
through the window I see one shining plum blossom that warmth of one blossom
my remaining days
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