These are the poems that appear in the Higurashi light novel and manga and are written by the fictional character, Frederika Bernkastel. Each poem reflects the plot line and internal struggles / story of one of the characters throughout each arc in the Higurashi series. I thought that I would share the beauty of them here as they are a crucial part of understanding Higurashi's plot line.
~ Oniikakushi-hen ~
~~~~
Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if the world does not forgive, I will forgive you.
Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if you do not forgive the world, I will forgive you.
So please tell me.
What will it take for you, to forgive me?
~~~~
Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you ate the forbidden fruit.
Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you listened to the serpent.
You still don't know what is the sin?
Then, that itself is your sin.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Watanagashi-hen ~
~~~~
I cannot quench your thirst
Because even if you yearn for the truth, you refuse to believe in it.
I cannot quench your thirst
Because no such truth exists that you are in anticipation for.
But I still want to quench your thirst.
Because I am the one the that put you into the desert.
~~~~
The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a needle that you lost in the desert?
The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a crow's feather that you lost in the darkness of the night?
The most intricate thing to find in this world is,
Realizing your own erroneous contemplation.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Tatarigoroshi-hen ~
~~~~
The frog in the well was happy.
It wasn't interested what was outside the well.
The frog in the well was happy.
It was recluse to anything that happened outside the well.
And you were happy.
Because you didn't know what occurred outside the well.
~~~~
I was the most unfortunate.
I knew that there was no exit out of this maze.
Then, he was the next unfortunate.
He did not know that there was no exit out of this maze.
But all the rest weren't so unfortunate.
They didn't know that they were in the maze in the first place.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Himatsubishi-hen ~
~~~~
So who is the culprit, you ask?
Finding that out is part of the story, right?
So who is the culprit, you ask?
Do you even know what is the culprit in the first place?
So who is the culprit?
Who is the culprit that's gonna kill me?!
~~~~
What is it that I seek?
Perhaps it is a knight from a far away land.
What is it that I seek?
Perhaps it is a shore that will save me from this eternal swamp.
There is only one thing that I seek.
What I would obtain will either be the kishi (shore), or shiki (my death).
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Message From Frederika Bernkastel ~
~~~~
Message from Frederica Bernkastel
I am who I am; Frederica Bernkastel.
Furude Rika and Frederica are different. Shame on you if you thought so.
My age? I've gotten bored with it, so I've quit counting.
Huh? Are you speculating that the real identity of the Oyashiro-sama is me?
Giggle giggle. You are so insolent.
The Oyashiro-sama is the Oyashiro-sama. You want me to introduce it to you? It's rather shy.
It gets frightened easily so don't scare it, okay? However, it seems that you are the one that's scared.
Giggle giggle giggle...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Meakashi-hen ~
~~~~
The little girl cried when she lost her marbles in the desert.
She searched the desert for one hundred years.
The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the sea rather than the desert.
She searched the depths of the sea for one hundred years.
The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the mountains than the sea.
How long will it take till she begins to doubt whether or not she actually lost them to begin with?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Tsumihoroboshi-hen ~
~~~~
At the first time, I do my best to try again
against the inevitable tragedy.
In the second time, I become disgusted
towards the inevitable tragedy.
The third time, disgust is overwhelmed into painfulness.
But by the seventh time, this all becomes a farce comedy.
~~~~
She wasn't discouraged nor did she cry at her fate.
She was beautiful.
She didn't fawn anyone and fought them all by herself.
She was noble.
She shined brightly, like a divine figure.
I needed someone like her.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Minagoroshi-hen ~
~~~~
Minagoroshi-hen (Prologue)
I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I tried hard to get out from the bottom of the well.
I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I climbed up numerous of times despite falling down over and over again.
But then I realized it.
The higher and higher I climb, the pain increases when I fall down again.
When my interest in the world outside of the well began to equal the amount of pain,
That was when I finally realized the meaning of the story to The Frog Prince.
~~~~
Please tell me what happened in this night.
It's like the cat inside the box.
Please tell me what happened in this night.
You don't know if the cat in the box is dead or alive.
Please tell me what happened in this night.
The cat in the box was dead.
~~~~
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something that is worth struggling for?
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something so attractive enough to fall and try over and over again?
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Let's enjoy taking the pains of finding that out.
If I reach the world that yearn for, it must be a spectacular world.
Even if that world was another pit inside a well.
The key to the new world is the resolve to get out of the well.
Being able to get out or not,
A new world awaits...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Matsuribayashi-hen ~
~~~~
Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to be given that right.
Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to fulfill that right.
I too have a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to work out a compromise for that right.
~~~~
That's because
I'm gonna become much much more happy from now on.
I'm not gonna compromise with just this.
We are gonna take back all of our happiness that we lost.
For me, that's about a hundred year's worth.
For you, a thousand year's worth.
~ Oniikakushi-hen ~
~~~~
Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if the world does not forgive, I will forgive you.
Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if you do not forgive the world, I will forgive you.
So please tell me.
What will it take for you, to forgive me?
~~~~
Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you ate the forbidden fruit.
Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you listened to the serpent.
You still don't know what is the sin?
Then, that itself is your sin.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Watanagashi-hen ~
~~~~
I cannot quench your thirst
Because even if you yearn for the truth, you refuse to believe in it.
I cannot quench your thirst
Because no such truth exists that you are in anticipation for.
But I still want to quench your thirst.
Because I am the one the that put you into the desert.
~~~~
The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a needle that you lost in the desert?
The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a crow's feather that you lost in the darkness of the night?
The most intricate thing to find in this world is,
Realizing your own erroneous contemplation.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Tatarigoroshi-hen ~
~~~~
The frog in the well was happy.
It wasn't interested what was outside the well.
The frog in the well was happy.
It was recluse to anything that happened outside the well.
And you were happy.
Because you didn't know what occurred outside the well.
~~~~
I was the most unfortunate.
I knew that there was no exit out of this maze.
Then, he was the next unfortunate.
He did not know that there was no exit out of this maze.
But all the rest weren't so unfortunate.
They didn't know that they were in the maze in the first place.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Himatsubishi-hen ~
~~~~
So who is the culprit, you ask?
Finding that out is part of the story, right?
So who is the culprit, you ask?
Do you even know what is the culprit in the first place?
So who is the culprit?
Who is the culprit that's gonna kill me?!
~~~~
What is it that I seek?
Perhaps it is a knight from a far away land.
What is it that I seek?
Perhaps it is a shore that will save me from this eternal swamp.
There is only one thing that I seek.
What I would obtain will either be the kishi (shore), or shiki (my death).
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Message From Frederika Bernkastel ~
~~~~
Message from Frederica Bernkastel
I am who I am; Frederica Bernkastel.
Furude Rika and Frederica are different. Shame on you if you thought so.
My age? I've gotten bored with it, so I've quit counting.
Huh? Are you speculating that the real identity of the Oyashiro-sama is me?
Giggle giggle. You are so insolent.
The Oyashiro-sama is the Oyashiro-sama. You want me to introduce it to you? It's rather shy.
It gets frightened easily so don't scare it, okay? However, it seems that you are the one that's scared.
Giggle giggle giggle...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Meakashi-hen ~
~~~~
The little girl cried when she lost her marbles in the desert.
She searched the desert for one hundred years.
The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the sea rather than the desert.
She searched the depths of the sea for one hundred years.
The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the mountains than the sea.
How long will it take till she begins to doubt whether or not she actually lost them to begin with?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Tsumihoroboshi-hen ~
~~~~
At the first time, I do my best to try again
against the inevitable tragedy.
In the second time, I become disgusted
towards the inevitable tragedy.
The third time, disgust is overwhelmed into painfulness.
But by the seventh time, this all becomes a farce comedy.
~~~~
She wasn't discouraged nor did she cry at her fate.
She was beautiful.
She didn't fawn anyone and fought them all by herself.
She was noble.
She shined brightly, like a divine figure.
I needed someone like her.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Minagoroshi-hen ~
~~~~
Minagoroshi-hen (Prologue)
I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I tried hard to get out from the bottom of the well.
I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I climbed up numerous of times despite falling down over and over again.
But then I realized it.
The higher and higher I climb, the pain increases when I fall down again.
When my interest in the world outside of the well began to equal the amount of pain,
That was when I finally realized the meaning of the story to The Frog Prince.
~~~~
Please tell me what happened in this night.
It's like the cat inside the box.
Please tell me what happened in this night.
You don't know if the cat in the box is dead or alive.
Please tell me what happened in this night.
The cat in the box was dead.
~~~~
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something that is worth struggling for?
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something so attractive enough to fall and try over and over again?
What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Let's enjoy taking the pains of finding that out.
If I reach the world that yearn for, it must be a spectacular world.
Even if that world was another pit inside a well.
The key to the new world is the resolve to get out of the well.
Being able to get out or not,
A new world awaits...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
~ Matsuribayashi-hen ~
~~~~
Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to be given that right.
Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to fulfill that right.
I too have a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to work out a compromise for that right.
~~~~
That's because
I'm gonna become much much more happy from now on.
I'm not gonna compromise with just this.
We are gonna take back all of our happiness that we lost.
For me, that's about a hundred year's worth.
For you, a thousand year's worth.
