竹落葉風あるごとく散りにけり　　　　上田雅子
takeochiba kaze aru gotoku chirinikeri    Ueda, Masako

season word: takeochiba/ falling bamboo leaves 

bamboo leaves
have been falling
as if there’s a wind  

Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
無風状態をいうのに「風あるごとく」といった。この比喩、穏やかだが大胆。
The composer described the calm windless scene as if the wind was blowing.
This expression is soft, but bold.

蛇の衣蛇の哀しさ人知れず　　　　　 岩井善子
hebi no kinu hebi no kanashisa hitoshirezu  Iwai, Yoshiko

season word: hebi no kinu/ cast-off snakeskin

cast-off snakeskin,
snake’s sorrow
unknown

Comment by Hasegawa Kai:                     
ようやく「蛇の哀しさ」がわかる年頃になったということだろう。こういう句が詠めるようになりはじめると、俳句は底知れない。
It seems that she has now reached at the age when she can understand the sorrow of snakes. Now that she has become able to compose haiku like this, her haiku will be come bottomless.  

南天の花の浮かんでくる夜明け　　　　村松二本
nanten no hana no ukandekuru yoake  Muramatsu, Nihon

season word: nanten no hana / flowers of heavenly bamboo

in the dawn
emerging flowers of
heavenly bamboo  

Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
白く細かな南天の花。細密画のような。
The flowers of heavenly bamboo are white and fine. This haiku is like a miniature.

ねこの世の自由自在や籐寝椅子　　　長井亜紀
neko no yo no jiyūjizai ya tōneisu　　　Nagai, Aki

    　　　　　 season word: tōneisu/ rattan sofa

completely in control
in the world of the cat —
the rattan sofa

 
Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
猫のしなやかな身のこなしが見える。
We can see the cat’s graceful way of moving.

なかなかに六月無礼とはいかず　　　　広岡育子
nakanaka ni rokugatsu burei towa ikazu   Hiraoka, Ikuko

   　　　　　　 season word: rokugatsu / June

hardly
it can be said to be
“June rudeness"

 
Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
旧暦七月の暑さの盛り、肌を出しても仕方ないというのが「六月無礼」。クールビズなどよりはるかにいい言葉。
“June rudeness” means that being so hot in June, or July according to the lunar calendar, people could be allowed to wear informal clothing and show more skin. It is much nicer expression than the currently used “cool biz”.

番犬の律儀に吠ゆる暑さかな　　　　　　三木紀幸
banken no richigi ni hoyuru atsusa kana    Noriyuki, Miki

season word: atsusa / summer heat
   

the watchdog
barks loyally —
summer heat

Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
夏の盛りは律儀など美徳のようでいて悪徳。
At the height of summer, loyalty is a vice rather than a virtue.

頃合ひを見に来る小鳥さくらんぼ　　　　田中ただし
koroai o minikuru kotori sakuranbo      Tanaka, Tadashi

　　　　　　 　　season word: sakuranbo / cherries　
　

small birds come to see
if the time is right —
cherries

Comment by Hasegawa Kai:
小鳥の気持ちがよくわかる。
We can understand very well how the birds feel.