"The Burmese Harp" "Many months has passed since the end of the war, but from those days, many sad stories linger in our hearts." "The story I'm going to tell you... happened to our squad." "In July 1945 ...the situation of Japanese army in Burma became tragic." "Our squad was constantly retreating;" "futher and futher." "We were desperately trying to cross the mountains and get to Thailand." "You are not singing?" "It's the song made for the occasion." "Mizushima, play the harp." "So we sang." "Captain was a young musician after music school... he taught eagerly his soldiers singing." "With his songs we were able to fight sadness and fatigue." "The pride of our squad was the harp... built in imitation of a Burmese harp." "Private Mizushima was masterful in playing that harp." "He played it beautifully, we were proud of him." "Kobayashi, help me." "Private Mizushima goes to check the area." "Thank you." "I will give you a sign playing the harp, as usually." "If I notice an enemy patrol, I will play the melody of peril." "If the road is safe, I will play the melody of journey." "Mizushima looks better in Burmese outfit than in soldier's uniform." "He looks like he was Burmese." "Maybe you would like to stay in Burma." "They would welcome you with open arms." "Me, Burmese..." "Burma is a good country." "Mizushima is late." "Maybe... we could send another one, captain?" "Is it harp?" "Mizushima is playing!" "You don't know?" "It's the one meaning we can pass safely." "I can not trust even my own ears." "Or perheps sergeant is not musical?" " What is this outfit?" " You were playing cards?" "I stumbled upon some bandits." "Bandits?" "What have they taken from you?" "What can man take from a soldier!" " A skirt!" "So they took it all right." " And that's why you're covered with leaves." "I got them from bandits." "One of them pointed a gun at me and told, to change my skirt for those leaves." "You were lucky!" "Mizushima, the skirt suited you, but you look even better in this." "If you had bracelets on your neck you would look like cannibal." "This skirt isn't so bad, it's got ventilation." "We were severly lacking food." "The parachuters of the enemy destroyed everything they could find in villages." "We had nothing to eat." "We were searching carefully not to overlook anything." " Where is the village leader?" " It's me." "Can you see Himalaya from here?" "Himalaya?" "No, we know it only from legends." "One says..." ""Himalaya is the place where human souls dwell"." "I would like to see it at least once in my life." " Mizushima, you are playing more and more last days?" " No." "Maybe you will stay here, in Burma, you will play the harp?" " You like that country, don't you?" " I want to go back to Japan." "To Japan?" "Thank you kindly." "We will sing for you, to express our gratitiude." "We are singing number two." "All right?" "Something's wrong?" " Don't move." " In the square, there is wagon packed with explosives." "It's a trap." "These are English soldiers?" "They're taking positions behind the trees." "They must not know, we spotted them." "Sing!" "Clap your hands!" "Laugh!" "Maybe they won't shoot us, it will be dark soon." "We will cheat them." "Sing once more." "Clap your hands!" "And what with the wagon?" "If they shoot at it, we will be blown into pieces." "They will kill us all." "Lets hope we survive..." " What's this?" "It's not the enemy!" " They scared us." "That evening we found out, that the fighting had stopped three days earlier." "We threw the guns out." " Ready for assembly." " At ease." "We surrended." "Not only us..." "Our country surrended." "I don't know what to think about it..." "I don't know what would happen to us also where they will take us, what they will make us do..." "I don't know if we even survive." "Japan was bombed..." "People died..." "They died in flames, they ran from cities." "Now they starve." "Japan has surrended, and we are prisoners of war... thousend miles from home." "We have no choice, but to wait what happens." "We can't fight the decrees of fate." "We must accept them with diginty and live our lifes." "We fought together; now, we will take up the challenge mounted by fate." "In the place we are being sent to, we may find death." "But not all of us!" "If we manage to get to Japan,... and we will certainly try,... we shall help to rebuild our homeland." "That's all I watnted to say to you and myself." "What's this Mudon like?" " They're moving us to camp in Mudon." " That's good!" "What's so good about it?" "What if they gather us there, and kill?" " What's Mudon like?" " How should I know, why are you asking me?" " Where is Mizushima?" " Here." "Captain wants to see you." "There is a mountain British are attacking three days." "Japanese soldiers have a stand there." "They won't surrender." "I asked English officers to let one of us," "Climb the mountain and persuade the defenders to surrender." "I want not even one soldier more to die in vain." "That is the mountain." "Will you go?" "It would take half a day." "I will." "I don't know how to persuade them, but I will come up with something." "Thank you." "They are sending us to the south, to Mudon." "You will join us, as soon as you accomplish your mission." "It is quite far away and you wouldn't make it there alone." "British will give you escort." "Right after I'm finished, I will go to Mudon." "They agreed, but you must hurry." "You have only 30 minutes." "What happened?" "They stopped shooting!" "Stop, he's Japanese!" "Japanese?" " How did you make it?" " How did you get here?" "I bring a message from the British." "Where is the commander?" "Captain!" "It's good you are here." "In this situation we need every soldier." "Private Mizushima from captain's Inouye squad." "I came as a messenger." "Messenger?" "The Japanese army has surrendered." "The resistance is pointless." "I have to convince you to surrender." "Silence!" "What are you talking about?" "If we surrendered now we would betrayed, those who died in the battle." "We are not cowards like you!" "What good will it be if you all die?" "You must live and work." "That's the only way to help our country." "Our country?" "Don't be insolent!" "We won"t help our country by escaping!" "If anyone from us surrendered, the rest would die of shame." "Japanese army in China has not surrendered." "We won't lose the war!" "Such a coward as you can not be Japanese." "Leave us!" "I won't leave." "I won't leave till you abandon your suicidal thoughts." "If you don't leave, you will die!" "And you wuldn't like to, would you?" "Such death won't serve the country." "It's stupid!" "What are you talking?" "!" "What's that?" "What do you need this harp for?" "I send information by playing the harp." "You are responsible for those men's lifes." "Will you take responsibility for their pointless death... will you tell about it their families, the emperor?" "Well!" "I shall ask them for their opinion." "Time is nearly up, get ready for fire." "How is it?" "Really." "It is, like I said..." "It's a pity, we haven't got the time, to talk things over calmly." "There are only three minutes left." "We will fight to the end, that is our decision." "I will talk to English, ask them to postpone the attack." "He is so afraid to die!" " What kind of a soldier are you!" " Coward." "I'm not a coward." " You like being prisoner!" "Get away!" " Traitor." "Coward!" "All right." "I have no time for discussions." "Don't do this!" "We won't surrender!" "I have a strickt order:" "no-one is to die." "How quiet it is." "We're glad the granny has come." "Despite the rain!" "It is about money, isn't it, granny?" "I don't like this Hindu." "He started shooting, he scared me." "Must be a new guard, he doesn't know me yet." "Granny, will you trade these fruits for a broom?" "This is a broom?" "Made of palm leaves." "You are able." "Ok, deal." "Granny, I made this flute yesterday, of bamboo, it sounds nicely." " Will you give me bananas for it?" " All right." "I have bought this monkey from you lately." "I don't need it anymore." "I can't." "This monkey is very naughty." "I can't take it back." "These are new socks." "Will you give me some fruits for it?" "Tasty, isn't it?" "Like a salty lobster." " Granny, have you asked about what we want to know?" " Och!" "You forgot again?" "We can not get this information by ourselves, only you can help us!" "Come down." "Please... don't forget this time, try to learn something." "The wounded soldiers in hospital in this camp..." "Are they remains of platoon from Mountain Sankaku?" "And if so, did the Japanese messenger came to them during the fight." "What happened to him, please, try to ask." "In two days I'm going to hospital to trade." "I'll ask for sure." " We will pay you as soon as we can." " Don't forget, ask, please." " You mustn't forget." "I know, thank you!" "Good bye!" "She is a good woman, but you can't count on her." "What happened to Mizushima?" "It has been 10 days." "I should have gone there myself." " Don't give it food now!" " I suppose monkey is hungry." "It's my rice!" "I left it for tomorrow." "Yesterday and day before that it was me who gave it food." "Go to sleep, do not talk so much." "We can be released soon, think about it." "You should be gratefull, that you're here." "?" "Hey, you!" "Get out!" "Do not come here." "They are singing with us." "They come here every day, they must have learned something." "You are not very keen on singing, aren't you, sergeant?" "I'm the worst in our squad." " And you are proud of it?" " I don't know..." "The monk is here again." "He always gets something, it's hard to find better place." "Assembly!" " What happened?" " Move along." " There are people who are like two peas in a pod." " He looks like Mizushima." " Mizushima?" "Move along!" "Mizushima!" "Mizushima." "Mizushima." "Rest!" "You are having a picnic?" "Hey!" "Granny, what are you doing here?" "What?" "It's my house." " Your house?" " Yes." "Have you found out anything?" "Yes, I asked as I promised." " What happened to Mizushima?" " Mizushima?" "Yes, it means... what happened to him?" "I will tell you everything as it happened." "Listen." "So those soldiers in hospital..." "Faster!" "It won't be raining much longer." "...they were on the mountain..." "Sankaku or something like it..." "There was a soldier there, who wasn't from that platoon." "He was running there and back and the bullets were flying... so he must be dead." " He got lucky..." " He died in the combat?" "It's the same the monk had." "You met him too?" "This bird is a younger brother of the monk's one." "My husband caught yesterday five parrots in the forrest." "The monk who was passing by... asked about the direction... and my husband gave him one." "We sold three... this one is left." "Wouldn't you sell me this parrot, granny?" "It's so nice." "Thank you for the news." "Take this, granny." "And you take it, please." "If you teach it well, it will learn..." "Burmese and Japanese sentences." "After what the granny said we lost hope." "We didn't find out anything certain about Mizushima." "We couldn't even send his ashes home." "We had no choice but to believe,... that Mizushima died in the combat..." "Fifth day is passing." "Why man cannot understand, that everything he does, he does in vain?" "What will change if English or Japanese soldiers claim this land?" "Or when the war will break out?" "Burma is Burma." "It is the land of Buddha..." "I'm so hungry." " Mudon... is it here?" " I don't know." " Where is south?" " There." "This is Japanese." "It's our soldier." "You are going to the camp in Mudon?" "The corpses of Japanese soldiers are everywhere..." "Many soldiers of enemies armies lie still where they have fallen." "I'm sorry." "You can go to Mudon." "Thank you." "Here." "Every time you are in Mudon, you can use this room." "You seem to be treated harshly by fate?" "Good night." "At last!" "They all will be surprised... by my new outfit." "Why are you playing so early?" "I'm sorry, I play the harp in the streets to collect money." "Why are you playing this particular melody?" "When I play it, British give me money." "Let me." "Teach me how to play like this." "I would get more money." "I will teach you but not here." "Neighbours would complain." "It's a beautiful song." "People in British hospital sing it too." "Another Japanese soldier must have died..." "Aren't you going to the camp?" "It's this way!" "This monk, it was Mizushima." "But then we didn't know that." "I can't return with them." "It's Burmese ruby!" "I can't believe, just on the bank you found such a huge ruby." "The soul of dead soldier must be in this ruby." " What is this?" "This music harp." "Who is playing the harp?" "It's popular tune, captain." "It doesn't matter." "But the technique for play!" "The way of binding the sounds..." "It was composed by Mizushima." "The boy is playing it, the one who was with the monk in the temple." "Come on." "Come on, we will ask the boy who taught him that tune." "Come back!" "Come back to work!" "But tell me, if Mizushima is alive... why doesn't he want to return to our sqaud." "There is no reason." " Impossible." " I can't think of any reason." "Why the boy was playing Mizushima's tune?" "Is this his tune for certain?" "We could make mistake, but not our captain." "He says that the manner of playing resembles Mizushima." "He is a musician." "But Mizushima was killed on Mountain Sankaku, he could not teach the boy." " Maybe he had taught him before death." " He didn't have time." " Who said Mizushima was dead?" " Maybe he is alive?" "Deserters sometimes dress up as monks." "The monk we met on the bridge, maybe it was Mizushima?" " Yes, it must have." " If so, why he left without a word?" " I am sure he understood Japanese." " He looked like Mizushima." "Stop it!" "Captain I know it is hard to admit, but there is no hope anymore." "Mizushima had his mission, he died like a hero." "If we go on doubting his death, we will disturb the peace of his soul." "When he dressed up in burmese outfit, he looked like Burmese." "That's why it appears to us, that every Burmese is Mizushima." "That's why we thought, Mizushima is alive." "And every song played on harp sounds like Mizushima's tune." "It's good that you are worried about your men, but you can not torture yourself." "You have to think about the living." "Leave the dead in peace!" "Maybe you are right." " That's all." " Thank you." "Mizushima,..." "Return with us to Japan." "Mizushima..." "Very well." "Return with us to Japan." "Mizushima..." "Return with us to Japan." "Mizushima..." "It's pointless..." "It's to dificult." " Maybe you will check once more?" "It can not be done, we did everything we could." "The squad that was attacking Mountain Sankaku has gone back to England." " There are no more wounded Japanese in town." " But that song..." "Three or four notes carried by wind... and they are supposed to mean he is alive." "You must be dreaming." "Friend.." "Mizushima..." "return with us to Japan." "You remember!" "At last you learned it!" "Captain, what good it is?" "What for you taught the bird those words?" "We all liked Mizushima very much,.." "...but it is pointless." "The bird repeats these words all day long." "The morale of the squad worsens." "Everyone is thinking about going home." "Captain, please, forget about it." "During the ceremony at mausoleum we saw a monk with a white box." "It's Japanese custom." "This way we carry the ashes of dead." "It seemed strange to me also, but maybe they know this custom in Burma also?" "The monk had Japanese box." "I want to know who this man is." "When we meet him next time, I will put the parrot on his shoulder." "If it is Mizushima, he should react to the words of bird." "If he says nothing..." "I will believe that it is someone else." "I will give up." "I apologize to you all." "I want you to wait a little while longer." "It is you after all, Mizushima." "Now that I saw... this box, here, in mausoleum, I understood that it is you." "I understood what you had experienced on the Mountain Sankaku." "I don't know what you experienced after it," "I don't know anything." "However, I think, I know what you feel." "You made an important decision." "You suffered a lot." " It's Mizushima!" " It's Mizushima's harp!" "The sound comes from the woods!" "Yes. from the woods!" "No, it's from Buddha's statue." "Mizushima!" "Mizushima!" "Are you there, Mizushima?" " Mizushima!" "Answer!" " Open, if you are there!" "Mizushima, listen!" " I am sergeant Ito." " Do you hear us?" " And I am Kawakami." " It's us, your friends!" " I am Takagi." "Mizushima!" "Come on!" "Back to work, move it!" "Move it!" " Listen, we are going back to Japan!" " What?" "We are released, we go back in three days!" " We go back to Japan!" " Captain said so, he is with the camp leader right know!" "Hurray!" "We are going home!" "Hey, Mizushima, return with us to Japan." "This goddamn Mizushima!" "I am taking him to Japan, no matter what!" "Mizushima, come out!" "And if we put the bird on the monk's shoulder?" "We have only three days left, we don't have time!" "Besides, they will not allow us to walk in the forrest and look for him." "I have an idea!" "Tomorrow we will start singing every day." "Loudly!" "Mizushima will come out for sure!" " Everything should be in order." "These are the orders, captain." "Your soldier are real keen on singing?" " You are not very good at it." " I have a sore throat." " Whose idea was it to sing, in order to find Muzashima?" "Granny is here!" "Congratulations!" "You are going back!" "I am very happy!" "Go back to Japan and live peacefully." "Thank you for your care, granny." "As soon as I get to Japan, I will tell about granny my mother." "It wasn't easy for you, was it?" "This is... a souvenir, granny." "Thank you, thank you..." "To remember..." "This is for you." " It's an amulet." " Thank you." " Please, take it." " Thank you boys." "I was called "Japanese granny"." "When you leave, I will be sad." " Why are you using dialect from Osaka?" " We couldn't fight it off." "The officer who had been here before you taught me that way." "He made a mistake." "Granny, wouldn't you give this parrot to the monk, who walks with its older brother?" "What for?" "He's travelling monk... he would be very grateful to you,... but I don't know where to find him." "Granny, we are leaving tomorrow." "We don't want you to look for him all over Burma." "But if you should meet him, give him this parrot." "Strange request!" "We respect the monk very much." "All right, I will give it to him, don't you worry." "Now you will sit on the monk's shoulder and with your older brother you will serve Buddha." "You promise, granny?" "Yes, I will come ono more time, before you leave." "Thank you and goodbye." " What's the point?" "She agreed so easily." " We don't have any choice." "We can't do anything more." "Maybe we will achieve something this way." " Ready to set off?" " There is nothing to get ready with." " If they let us, we can board the ship just as we stand." " You sound odd." "Sergeant said, that if we sang loud," "Mizushima would come to us." "Fools!" "Captain, you don't want Muzashima to come to us?" "He is here!" "Mizushima is here!" "Mizushima is here!" "Where?" "Outside the camp." " There is boy with him." " He has two parrots on the shoulders." "Mizushima..." "Return with us to Japan." " Granny didn't let us down, it is our parrot." " Look closely, that is not him." "Mizushima had different face." " It must be someone else." " Lets sing." "Mizushima, we are going to Japan tomorrow." "It's good you are back!" "Come to us, Mizushima!" "Mizushima!" "Mizushima!" "Spare a dime, please..." "Mizushima!" " Good morning." " Good morning, granny." "It's for you." " Not for trade." "I don't want anything." " This is all for us?" "Yes, it's a gift." "Well!" "I can't return!" "It learned a strange sentance!" "Throw the parrot out!" "No, my friends, it's the older brother of your parrot!" "The monk took your parrot, but asked me to give you his." "So he said." "Do you understand?" "He asked me also to give it to your captain." "The monk asked me, moreover  it's the last thing, I can do for you." "That's why I came." "We are leaving." "Letter from Mizushima." "We don't have time for reading now." "But if something..." "If Mizushima..." "Captain..." "Mizushima doesn't want to return to Japan." "I think, if we read this letter, it won't change anything." "All presant?" "I will read the letter from Muzashima." "I think I know the reasons behind his decision." "When we were working in masoleum, I found the white box... and then I understood." "Because I still had some doubts, I didn't tell you anything." "I think that after reading this letter all doubts will disappear." ""Captain, friends." "Believe me, I miss you very much... and I would like to return to the squad." "Talk to you, work with you... and sing as you do... be again in my country, so heavly destroyed during the war." "Meet with my family." "And yet I can't return." "I can't leave the bodies of our brothers in arms lying in Burmese plains." "I will walk once more the path, which I took returning from the mountain." "I will pass the bridge, where I met you." "I don't know how to describe what I felt, when I met you but I knew then, that I have to take this journey." "I could not return to the squad." "I couldn't tell you, it was me." "I set off to the north then." ""I can't return"" "I climbed the mountain I crossed the river and as I was travelling I buried bones covered with grass." "Why such tragedies happen in the world?" "Why there is so much suffering?" "I don't have and I will not have answers to those questions." "Man will never find those answers." "He can only act in such a manner, that in this world full of misery... people would find hope." "It takes courge to help other people, to suffer pain and misery..." "to help those, who lost their way... to fight for peace and happines..." "I know so little, I must learn everything." "I asked the monk, who saved my life at the Mountain Sankaku... to become my teacher nad guide." "He agreed." "Do you recall what our captain once said:" "...Go back to Japan and work to rebuild it." "I still hear these words." "But when I saw people's bodies, people who died here I could not return, I had to stay here..." "Stay, to help souls of thousends young soldiers... find their place of everlasting rest." "And maybe after decades... when I suceed in my assignment..." "Then, my friends, maybe I will return to Japan,... or maybe this will never happen..." "I guess, I will spend rest of my life here." "I am now in the monastery, I have been writing this letter whole night." "The parrot you gave me, sits sometimes on my shoulder... repeating:" ""Mizushima, return with us to Japan."" "It surprises me every time." "Today, feeling anxiety in my heart I forgot about strict monastic rule... and I played the harp..." "I played for you, as a farewell..." "I finally accepted my own decision." "I write a letter of farewell." "It's very hard for me to end it..." "I am very gratefull to you all for remembering me." "I am staying in Burma;" "I will walk the country from mighty mountains, always covered with snow, to the shores of the great sea." "And when I feel overwhelmed by loneliness, I will play harp." "I owe to you so much I am unable to express my gratitude with words." "I pray, you are happy..." " Yasuhiko Mizushima."" "When I come home I will lie down in my garden and I will take a nap." "I wonder what happened to my factory?" "And I will be delivering papers on my bike, whistling." "After work I'll watch movie, eat my dinner." "And I don't know what I'll do." "Do you think Mizushima will never come to Japan?" "What do you care, you didn't care so far!" "Leave Mizushima's business to him!" "Every one of us must find a place for himself." "I am a railman..." "It was true, till that moment I haven't been thinking much about Muzashima..." "Even then I wasn't really thinking about him..." "I wondered what his family will say... after reading the letter..." "I was worried about it..." "But I hope... captain will explain it to them." "The earth in Burma is red, the rocks are even more so." "Polish subtitles zaba.mw / johana k." "Translated by Swann"