The nightmare
by Thomas Page
after Saijo Yaso, translated by David Bowles
“go falling into that hell / a hell of utter darkness / without even flowers”
–Tomino’s Hell
Stirring nightmares make some go
Find meaning in them falling
From places that go into
Interiors that
Suggest greater, darker hell.
Brimstone and broiling chains, a
Damnation sewn to a hell
Found in the minds of
Restless millions. Some utter
Visions of demons, darkness
That cannot be found without
Singeing flames below, even
Devouring flowers.
Author’s note: This poem (Tomino’s Hell) has an urban legend surrounding it. Some people, like the editors of the Creepypasta website (http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Tomino%27s_Hell?comments_page=1), say that reading the original poem out loud in Japanese will put the reader in great danger. This curse is akin to that of the movie The Ring which is a similar story. This “great misfortune” is also coupled with the poem’s dark imagery of a child’s punishment in the afterlife. David Bowles, who translated the version I’m using, has an interesting article on the poem (https://davidbowles.us/poetry/tominos-hell-by-saijo-yaso/) which covers the poem in greater context. I cannot find more information about the origins of the poem and its poet but like many urban legends it may be better for it to be veiled in mystery.
Academy of the Heart And Mind 