Tree Philosophy 1-4
by Peter Krebs
There are many facets to the appreciation of a bonsai. The place where the tree is situated, the pot in which it stands, the accent plant, the stone or the scroll that finish the overall picture. Here's an attempt to underline the dignity of a tree with words.
.
Like a crane's dance,
as if it was not rooted,
a noble pine bunjin.
Starting with the knowledge
that a life is not enough,
in designing a bunin
the master strives for the essential
by omitting the marginal. - Peter Krebs
BONSAI MASTERPIECE BY WALTER PALL
Mountain pine (Pinus mugo)
Collected by Wolfgang Käflein in Germany in 1985.
Over 100 years old, height 60 cm.
Pot: Peter Krebs
Photograph: Walter Pall
.
The old pine
as if it had forgotten time
resting in itself.
The pot, red from the high firing, symbolizes a protective garden wall. The old pine stands in it like an old samurai whose Katana has been rendered useless by the patina of time. The weathered wood, only showing traces of life, reaches out bizarrely to the viewer, as if to show him something.
BONSAI MASTERPIECE BY WALTER PALL
Mountain pine (Pinus mugo)
Collected in Italy in 1999. Probably over 200 years old, height 80 cm.
This tree won a Ginkgo Award in 2005.
Pot: Derek Aspinall
Photograph: Walter Pall
.
True grandeur, space in the minuscule
past, present, future
trailing away in the branchlets.
Should I describe this tree
I would have to go a long way, talk about
the scent of spring
the colours of the summer
the cry of the wild goose in autumn
the taste of snowy air in the winter
the feeling of being
in a timeless time. - Peter Krebs
BONSAI MASTERPIECE BY WALTER PALL
Mountain pine (pinus mugo)
Height: 15 cm
Pot: Peter Krebs
Photograph: Walter Pall
.
Where they still can be found
a lovely light falls on the cheerful mind
linden trees in the village centre. - Peter Krebs
BONSAI MASTERPIECE BY WALTER PALL
Large-leaf linden (Tilia platyphyllos)
Height: 80 cm, collected in Germany
Pot: Derek Aspinall
Photograph: Walter Pall
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Translation: Stefan Ulrich
Republished with permission of the author.