Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
DEVIL KING
The king’s name was first erased from history. He was sent to an island because of a plot against him because he was so intelligent. To appease his anger, the king took refuge in Buddhism. He recited a number of sutras, copied them, and sent them to the capital, but they were not accepted.
The king was shocked and wept bitterly. His nails and hair grew as long as they could, and his appearance became like that of a demon king. Even his attendants stopped coming to him. Only a few well-meaning offerings brought him food.
In the city, those who had wronged him died one after another, and rumors circulated that he was possessed. The king bit off the tip of his tongue and wrote a sutra in his fiery red blood.
On stormy days, he ran along the rough seashore. Many thunderbolts followed in his wake. It is said that he then attempted to cross the sea with the sutra in his mouth.
Now a monk visited the island. He was a monk who had a close relationship with the king. He recited sutras and composed three poems in order to appease the king’s anger and to express his gratitude for the opportunity to meet the king.
One of the poems, which had been written from his mouth, burst into flames and was swallowed up by the snowy night sky. The monk left the city in the middle of nowhere, mourning the death of a man who was born a king, but never became one.
Taro Hokkyo Biography
1963 born in Osaka, Japan
1985 Waseda University
1989 (?) Dropped out of Waseda University due to illness
1998 Rekitei Shinei Award in Japan
2021 Arab Golden Planet Award
2022 Awarded the title of Doctor of Letters from the Arabic-speaking world
2023 My poems were published in Orfew.al magazine in Albania. Also translated into Italian
2024 My poem was published in the Daily Global Nation in Bangladesh
My poems published in Samantaral Bhabna, India
