The Pinnacle of Silence - Views on Life and Death Reached by Literary Giants

「この世の中と云うものは心の持ち方一つで苦しい世の中にもなり、楽しい世の中にもなるものである。」
“This world can become a painful one or a joyful one depending entirely on one’s state of mind.”
—— Kamo no Chomei, translated by Sato Haruo - Modern Translation of Hojoki

【Commentary】
It may be your mind’s eye, not the environment, that determines the color of the world. This modern translation by Sato Haruo elucidates the state of “mind-only” (Yuishin) that Chomei reached, using words easily understood by modern people. No matter how luxurious a mansion one lives in, if the heart is not satisfied, it is the same as a prison; conversely, even in a humble hut, if the heart is at peace, it can be a paradise. Silence is likely not something given by the outside world, but something that wells up from within like a spring. Deepening one’s view of life and death is the very act of building an unshakable silence within one’s own heart, undisturbed by external clamor.

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「一期のたのしみは、うたゝねの枕の上にきはまり、生涯の望は、をりをりの美景にのこれり。」
“The greatest pleasure of a lifetime culminates on the pillow of a nap, and the desires of a lifetime remain in the occasional beautiful scenery.”
—— Kamo no Chomei - Hojoki

【Commentary】
Does not the greatest pleasure in life lie within the slumber of a nap? Having cast everything aside to live in seclusion in his ten-foot square hut, what Chomei arrived at was the richness of doing nothing and the quiet joy of admiring the natural beauty of the four seasons. A state where honor and wealth are relinquished, satisfied only by the peace “on the pillow” and the “beautiful scenery” seen from the window. This could be called the pinnacle of life for a human facing death. This beautiful couplet quietly tells us that it is not a dynamic life burning with ambition, but a passive life surrendering to silence, that comforts the soul most deeply.

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「露が先に地に落ちるか、花が先に萎んでしまうか、どちらにしても所詮は落ち、萎むべきものである。」
“Whether the dew falls to the ground first or the flower withers first, in either case, they are destined to fall and wither.”
—— Kamo no Chomei, translated by Sato Haruo - Modern Translation of Hojoki

【Commentary】
Is the end of life merely a difference of whether the dew vanishes first or the flower scatters first? Sato Haruo revives the famous metaphor of “the morning glory and the dew” in simple and rhythmic modern language. By likening the cold fact that both humans and their dwellings are destined to perish to a beautiful natural phenomenon, a quiet resignation drifts through the air rather than tragedy. Gazing at the “nothingness” that will visit sooner or later paradoxically highlights the brilliance of the present moment. It is because of this lucid view of life and death that the quiet daily life permeates our hearts as something irreplaceable.

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「身を知り世を知れらば、願はずまじらはず、たゞしづかなるをのぞみとし、うれへなきをたのしみとす。」
“Knowing myself and knowing the world, I have no ambitions and do not mingle; I simply desire tranquility and take pleasure in the absence of grief.”
—— Kamo no Chomei - Hojoki

【Commentary】
True happiness may lie in desiring nothing. Having realized his own standing and the reality of the world, the path Chomei finally chose was a way of life that did not mingle with others, held no ambitions, and simply loved “silence” and “lack of grief.” This is not a passive escape, but an active peace of mind attainable only by those completely freed from worldly values. Living not for someone else, but solely for one’s own heart. This affirmation of dignified solitude blows through the hearts of modern people tired of complex human relationships like a cool breeze, teaching us that silence is the ultimate luxury.

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「執着するものがあるから死に切れないということは、執着するものがあるから死ねるということである。」
“To say that one cannot fully die because there are things one is attached to, means that one can die precisely because there are things one is attached to.”
—— Miki Kiyoshi - Notes on Life (On Death)

【Commentary】
What if preparation for death is not about casting everything away, but rather about loving something deeply? The author presents a paradox contrary to general belief: that being strongly attached to something is the key to welcoming a peaceful death. It argues that only those who have something they truly love, a place to return to, can proceed without getting lost on the unknown journey of death. This is a powerful declaration of a view on life and death that affirms attachment to life in order to obtain the silence of death. This passage seems to teach us that thinking about death is inextricably linked to thinking about how we should live.

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「夜明前から念仏の声がしきりにしてゐた。ここでは誰かが、絶えず死んで行くらしかつた。」
“From before dawn, the sound of chanting was incessant. It seemed that here, someone was constantly dying.”
—— Hara Tamiki - Summer Flowers

【Commentary】
A space where only the voice of prayer resonates holds a silence closer to resignation than salvation. The chanting repeated in the darkness announces that death is no longer a special event but has become part of a ceaseless daily routine. Here, individual dramas of death are abstracted, and only the fact that “someone is dying” is carved out like a rhythm. That voice echoing in the twilight before dawn feels like a sad yet tranquil basso continuo in an extreme situation where the world of the living and the world of the dead have lost their boundaries and blended into one.

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「愚劣なものに対する、やりきれない憤りが、この時我々を無言で結びつけてゐるやうであつた。」
“An unbearable indignation against something foolish seemed to bind us together in silence at this moment.”
—— Hara Tamiki - Summer Flowers

【Commentary】
A disastrous scene where even exchanging words seems meaningless connects people in silence. To a soldier muttering “It would be better to be dead,” the author has no words to return. However, that silence is not empty; it is filled with a shared indignation against the unreasonable violence of war. The view of life and death in extreme conditions transcends individual philosophy and sublimates into a heavy, quiet sense of solidarity among those sharing a living hell. Perhaps losing words is the most eloquent form of resistance.

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「ともにそこにあるのは一の法則のみ」
“All that exists there together is but a single law.”
—— Miyazawa Kenji - During Illness

【Commentary】
What on earth awaits beyond death? The poet, stricken by illness and facing his own death, pursues the fundamental question of what “I” am. He considers that the body is merely a combination of atoms such as bone, blood, and flesh, and that upon death, these return to the vacuum. At that moment, the consciousness that constituted the individual “I” also vanishes, leaving only a single law that permeates the universe remaining quietly. This verse can be said to condense Kenji’s grand view of life and death, capturing death not as a personal end but as a quiet process of dissolving into a larger cycle of existence. There seems to be no fear or despair, only a clear resignation and cosmic peace spreading out.

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「さらばいざ死よとり行け」
“Farewell then, come take me, Death.”
—— Miyazawa Kenji - During Illness

【Commentary】
Attachment to life creates suffering, while acceptance of death brings peace. As his condition worsens and he realizes his time of death is near, the poet quietly faces his destiny. He thinks that the pleasures he could not obtain in this world should be healthily obtained by someone more beautiful than himself, and he feels from the bottom of his heart that this is a “joyful” thing. This line is a gracious call directed at death itself, at the end of such altruistic contemplation. It expresses a tranquil state of mind at the moment when the resolve to offer up one’s own life is set, with no more resistance or fear. This attitude of being liberated from attachment to life and quietly welcoming death can be said to be one arrival point of Kenji’s view on life and death, reached after much suffering. One can feel the dignified silence and strength possessed only by those who have accepted everything.

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「わたくしから見えるのはやっぱりきれいな青ぞらとすきとほった風ばかりです」
“All I can see, after all, is the beautiful blue sky and the transparent wind.”
—— Miyazawa Kenji - During Illness

【Commentary】
What do people see when they realize the end of their life? On a sickbed so critical that he can no longer speak and hemoptysis does not stop, the poet prepares for death. While surmising that visitors must see his wretched figure, the world reflected in his eyes has not changed a bit. These words convey a clear state of mind, as if he has transcended physical pain and the fear of death, leaving only pure sensation. In the silence where the soul seems to have half-left the body, the beauty of the world as it is feels all the more vivid. This can be said to be an expression of Kenji’s lucid view of life and death, affirming the beauty of the world even in the face of death. The reader is bound to be moved by this supremely quiet and beautiful landscape of the spirit that opens up at the pinnacle of suffering.

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「まどろみ過ぐる百年は醒めての時といづかたぞ」
“Where is the difference between a hundred years passed in slumber and the time spent awake?”
—— Miyazawa Kenji - During Illness

【Commentary】
Even a long life seems like a fleeting dream once one wakes up. Amidst prolonged illness and high fever, the poet’s consciousness drifts between reality and dreams. He quietly gazes at this day, not knowing when his life will end. This verse likely captures the transformation of the sense of time in such an extreme state. What is the difference between a time like a hundred years passed in slumber and a moment of being awake, once one has awakened? Even the distinction between life and death, long time and short time, ceases to make sense. This gaze, which relativizes even the time of a lifetime, shows Kenji’s deep view of life and death, where the quiet resignation of one facing death blends with philosophical contemplation staring at the root of existence. It is a phrase that makes one feel a mysterious silence, as if the flow of the river of time slows down and eventually stands still.

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(Editorial Cooperation: Ishita Haruna, Sassa Momona)

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