山国の雪解しづくは星からも
yamaguni no yukige sizuku ha hoshi karamo
Snow in the mountains
glitter-melting drop
by drop
from the stars, too
海が見えしか凧下りて来ず
umi ga mieshika tako oritekozu
Kite – has it
looked at
the sea, that it
refuses
to come down again ?
卒業の帽子で叩き合ひ訣る
sotugyou no boushi de tatakiahi wakaru
Ｇｒａｄｕａｔｉｏｎ Ｄａｙ…
sｔｕｄｅｎｔｓ whacking each other
farewell with their
caps
鶯の啼き誤ちてより啼かず
uguisu no nakiawamacite yori nakazu
Nightingale
Missed a note while
singing
And stopped singing
太陽に酔ひ下りられぬ雲雀達
taiyou ni yoi orirarenu hibaritachi
High on sunlight
and unable to come
down –
larks and larks and
larks
座礁以後マストそのまま燕来る
zashou igo masuto sonomama tubame kuru
After the wreck
swallows come and
hang around
the upright mast
紅梅や枝々は空奪ひあひ
koubai ya edaedaha
sora ubahiai
Red plum-blossoms …
branches fighting
branches
for a share of sky
壁画とも天井画とも梅仰ぐ
hekiga tomo tennjyoga
tomo ume aogu
Wall fresco, then
ceiling fresco – I look
up
at flowering plum
trees
散るさくら風のことばと日のことば
tiru sakura kaze no
kotoba to hi no kotoba
Falling sakura:
the language of the
wind
the speech of light
落椿われならば急流へ落つ
otitsubaki warenaraba
kyuryu he otsu
Camellias dropping –
if it were me, I’d drop
into some torrent
SUMMER
美しき五月の汗を拭はずに
utsukushiki gogatu no ase wo harawazuni
May-time sweat,
just too beautiful
to wipe away
一夏の汚れ木馬のたてがみに
hitonatsu no midare mokuba no tategamini
In its mane
the grime of one
whole summer –
carousel horse
虹なにかしきりにこぼす海の上
nizi nanika shikirini kobosu umi no ue
A rainbow
intent on pouring
something
onto the ocean
ひとすぢの流るる汗も言葉なり
hitosuji no nagaruru ase mo kotoba nari
Perspiration
running down in one
straight line
is also language
火口湖のアダムに泳ぎ着きしイヴ
kakoouko no adamuni oyogitsukisi ibu
I think I’ve seen
Adam in a crater lake
swimming with Eve
うすものの中より銀の鍵を出す
usumono no nakayori gin no kagi wo dasu
Out of filmy gauze
she materializes
a silvery key
昼寝より覚めてこの世の声を出す
hirune yori samete konoyono koewo dasu
With an earthy sound
I wake from a heavenly
afternoon nap
湖といふ大きな耳に閑古鳥
mizuumi to iu ookina mimi ni kankodori
Cuckoo singing
into a lake, singing
into a big ear
来世には天馬になれよ登山馬
raise niwa tennbani nareyo tozanuma
Hill country cart
horse
hurry up and be
reborn
as Pegasus
かぶとむし一糸は鉄の枷以上
kabutomushi isshi ha tetsu no kase ijyo
Stag beetle
shacked by a single
straud
stronger than steel
AUTUMN
秋風や魚のかたちの骨のこり
akikaze ya sakana no katachi no hone nokori
Autumn wind –
here a set of bones
remain
shaped like a fish
村々のその寺々の秋の暮
muramurano sono teraderano aki no kure
Village on village
temple on temple, on
all
an autumn twilight
刃を入れて拒む手ごたへ青林檎
ha wo irete kobamu tegotae aoringo
Green apple answers
my hand as though
resisting
the entering blade
昼は日を夜は月をあげ大花野
hiru ha hi wo yoru ha tuki wo agete oohanano
By day it lifts
the sun , by night
the moon
a field of flowers
胡桃割る性の目覚めは詩の目覚め
kurumi waru sei no mezame ha shi no mezame
Cracking walnuts –
eyes opening to Eros
opening to poems
叱られし星か流れて海の上
shikarareshi hoshi ga nagarete umi no ue
rebucked and
chastised
a star run away from
home
down to the sea
鱗雲うろこは西に行きつまる
urokogumo uroko ha nishi ni yukidumaru
Mackerel clouds
their scales starting to pile up
toward the west
逃げやすき時と言葉と胡桃の実
nigeyasuki toki to kotoba to kurumi no mi
They slip away
too easily:time,words
kernels of walnuts
山国は山を砦に冬を待つ
yamaguni ha yama wo toride ni fuyu wo matsu
Hill country
fortifying for winter
behind its mountains
宣言か予言か渡り鳥の声
sengen ka yogen ka wataridori no koe
Are their cries
statements or
epiphanies
birds in migration
WINTER
海を出る寒オリオンの一顆づつ
umi wo deru kan orion no ikka dutu
Leaving the ocean
piece by glittering
piece
winter Orion
寒昴知恵のごとくに固まりて
kansubaru chie no gotokuni katamarite
Winter Pleiades
firming up and
hardening
like so much wisdom
枯野ゆく最も遠き灯に惹かれ
kareno yuku mottomo tooki hi ni hikare
Crossing barren
fields
captivated by a light
far far away
一対か一対一か枯野人
ittui ka ittai ichi ka karenobito
Are they companions
or enemies – two
figures
on a barren field
吾子を抱く外套のまま手套のまま
ako wo daku gaitou no mama shutou no mama
In my overcoat
and my gloves too,
never mind –
hugging the baby
みちのくの星入り氷柱われに呉れよ
michinoku no hoshi iri tsurara ware ni kureyo
Send me just one
icicle with stars in
it
from my home up north
スケートの濡れ刃携へ人妻よ
suke-to no nureba tazusae hitoduma yo
Dangling those skates
with the blades shiny
wet, yes
someone’s else
wife
手袋の愛撫さげすむ犬と猫
tebukuro no aibu sagesumu inu to neko
The cat and the dog
both disgusted with a
pat
that’s got
gloves on
鍵束を鳴らすジングルベルに和し
kagitaba wo narasu jinguruberu ni washi
Keeping time
with a bunch of jangling keys:
Jingle Bells
息白くして愛しあふ憎みあふ
iki siroku shite aishiau nikumiau
Loving or hating –
either way – in
wintertime
words come out white
OVERSEAS HAIKUING
In U.S.A
摩天楼より新緑がパセリほど
matenrou yori sinryoku ga paseri hodo
From a skyscraper,
nothing but so much
parsley –
springtime’s new
greens
ピーチパラソルの私室に入れて貰ふ
pi-chi parasoru no shishitsu ni irete morau
Invited into
the privacy of
someone’s
beach umbrella…
In CANADA
湖があり森あり氷河とどまれる
mizuumi ga ari mori ari shouga todomareru
Glacier
for the present
restrained
by lakes, by forests
太陽をOH!と迎へて老氷河
taiyou wo OH to mukaete rou hyouga
Howling,”OH !”
old man glacier greets
the sun again
In CHINA
春暁の自転車五つ六つ百
shungyou no jitensha itsutsu mutsu hyaku
Morning in spring –
five bicycles, six,
one-hundred
長城のために聳えて夏の嶺
choujyou no tameni sobiete natsu no mine
Towering through
summer
for the Great Wall to
stretch on
mountain on mountain
PDF version
