Tomino

Let's visit Tomino no Jigoku (Tomino's Hell, トミノの地獄)... a poem so dangerous that when read the reader will die horribly. Of course, the story goes that the reader could also get badly hurt. Well, which is it? Death is more horrific. Let's hope it's death.

I'll present first in Japanese, and then English:

トミノの地獄
Tomino no Jigoku

姉は血を吐く、妹（いもと）は火吐く、
Ane wa chi wo haku, imoto wa hihaku,

可愛いトミノは 宝玉（たま）を吐く。
kawaii tomino wa tama wo haku.

ひとり地獄に落ちゆくトミノ、
hitori jihoku ni ochiyuku tomino,

地獄くらやみ花も無き。
jigoku kurayami hana mo naki.

鞭で叩くはトミノの姉か、
muchi de tataku wa tomino no aneka,

鞭の朱総（しゅぶさ）が 気にかかる。
muchi no shubusa ga ki ni kakaru.

叩けや叩きやれ叩かずとても、
tatake yatataki yare tataka zutotemo,

無間地獄はひとつみち。
mugen jigoku wa hitotsu michi.

暗い地獄へ案内（あない）をたのむ、
kurai jigoku e anai wo tanomu,

金の羊に、鶯に。
kane no hitsu ni, uguisu ni.

皮の嚢（ふくろ）にやいくらほど入れよ、
kawa no fukuro ni yaikura hodoireyo,

無間地獄の旅支度。
mugen jigoku no tabishitaku.

春が 来て候（そろ）林に谿（たに）に、
haru ga kitesoru hayashi ni tani ni,

暗い地獄谷七曲り。
kurai jigoku tanina namagari.

籠にや鶯、車にや羊、
kagoni yauguisu, kuruma ni yahitsuji,

可愛いトミノの眼にや涙。
kawaii tomino no me niya namida.

啼けよ、鶯、林の雨に
nakeyo, uguisu, hayashi no ame ni

妹恋しと 声かぎり。
imouto koishi to koe ga giri.

啼けば反響（こだま）が地獄にひびき、
nakeba kodama ga jigoku ni hibiki,

狐牡丹の花がさく。
kitsunebotan no hana ga saku.

地獄七山七谿めぐる、
jigoku nanayama nanatani meguru,

可愛いトミノのひとり旅。
kawaii tomino no hitoritabi.

地獄ござらばもて 来てたもれ、
jigoku gozarabamo de kitetamore,

針の御山（おやま）の留針（とめはり）を。
hari no oyama no tomebari wo.

赤い留針だてにはささぬ、
akai tomehari date niwa sasanu,

可愛いトミノのめじるしに。
kawaii tomino no mejirushini.


English translation:

His older sister vomited blood, his younger sister vomited fire,
And the cute Tomino vomited glass beads.
Tomino fell into Hell alone,

Hell is wrapped in darkness and even the flowers don’t bloom.
Is the person with the whip Tomino’s older sister,
The whipping is worrisome.

Hit, hit, without hitting,
Familiar Hell’s one road.
Would you lead him to the dark Hell,

To the sheep of gold, to the bush warbler (nightingale).
I wonder how much he put into the sac of skin
For the preparation of the journey to the infernal Hell.

Spring is coming even in the forest and the steam,
Even in the steam of the dark Hell.
The nightingale in the basket, the sheep in the wagon,

Tears in the eyes of cute Tomino.
Cry, nightingale, toward the raining forest
He shouts that he misses his little sister.

The crying echo reverberates throughout Hell,
The fox peony blooms.
Circling around Hell’s seven mountains and seven streams,

The lonely journey of cute Tomino.
If they’re in Hell bring them to me,
The needle of the graves.

I won’t pierce with the red needle,
In the milestones of little Tomino.


Me again... the poem is mercifully over.

Hopefully the English version loses lots in the translation, because it sucks. Sucks donkeys.

Anyhow, to be safe, you should probably only read this in your head and not out loud... er... so I probably should have mentioned that first. Sorry. My bad.

Tomino is a young, handicapable kid who after writing this creepy poem was punished by his fearful parents by having him locked in their basement... refusing to feed him until he died... which is why his evil kami (spirit) sort of haunts the words of his poem, Tomino's Hell. 

So... urban legend or real life curse? How about someone reads this and in about two weeks time you write back and let me know if you are alive - or if you don't write back, we can assume you are dead and may Tomino have mercy on your tortured soul.