Yuhi no mimi

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Yuhi no Mimi (Japanese: 夕日の耳; Yūhi no Mimi) is a Japanese poem written by Katsuichiro Kaizu. It was adapted into a chamber opera by Swiss composer and guitarist Walther Giger. The production featured soprano Maria Glarner and baritone Shigeo Ishino.

[edit] Synopsis

The male narrator recounts a scene from a war (presumably World War II) where a friend of his is lost at sea. He dives in to look for his body in order to give it a proper burial, but all he finds is a seashell. Later, he meets his friend's widow, a woman who has been deaf since childhood. He gives her the seashell, and when she holds it to her ear during sunset, she can hear her lover's voice and is able to speak again.