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Fish Song -gyo ka-
(1932-1940)
a white letter
arriving tomorrow
spring comes
a thin glass also
waiting to be polished
shiroi tegami ga
todoite asu wa
haru to naru
usui garasu mo
migaite matoo
decorating
a display window
painted flowers
which will die out
with the pastel colors
kazarareru
shoo uindoo no
hanabana wa
doose kiechau
pasuterude kaku
as far as the pier
apricot petals come
scattering
all the boats
painted white
hatoba made
anzu no hana ga
chitte kite
fune toiu fune wa
shiroku nurarenu
coming to a hill
I unfurl my white arms
to become a sail
the vigorous wind is
the song of a sea robber
oka ni kite
ryoo ude ni shiroi
ho wo hareba
kaze wa sakanna
kaizoku no uta
left in the field
even black gloves
rise up
the fingers turn yellow
as they let the flowers out
no ni suteta
kuroi tebukuro mo
okiagari
yubi yubi ni ki na
hana sakase dasu
evening mist
like a lock of curly hair
loosening
not a thicket of scotch broom
nor a horse can hold it back
yuugiri wa
kaaru no yooni
hogure kite
enishida no yabu mo
uma mo kanawanu
remote spring
sinking to the lake bottom
to myself
a celebration of the flute
playing as I meet myself
tooi haru
umi ni shizumishi
mizukara ni
matsuri no fue wo
fuite ai ni yuku
cut off from spring
on a white trajectory
he jumped
and seemed to wave a hand
but finally never came home
haru wo kiri
shiroi dandoo ni
tobinotte
te nado futtaga
Btsui ni kaeranu
violence
like this is beautiful
living in the world
all day long I sing
my nursery songs
booryoku no
kaku utsukushiki
yo ni sumi te
hinemosu utau
waga komori uta
a bullet was fired
in the center of his forehead
yet his face
still moving as it haunts
this eerie summer!
nuka no manaka ni
tama wo uketaru
omokage no
tachii ni tsuki te
natsu no odoro ya
long dead
the bones of a beast still
decaying tonight
I am nearly choked as
cherry blossoms are falling
taoretaru
kemono no hone no
kuchiru yo mo
ikizumaru bakari
hana chiri tsuzuku
as if the truth
with a calm look and manner
we must pretend
when compelled to impale
a butterfly on a pin
makotoshiyaka ni
shizukanaru sama mo
yosooeyo
shiirarureba hari ni
choo mo sasu
an apple farm
with so much more grace
singing my song
I've crossed a hill
of cactus to come here
ringo bata yori
motto yasashii
uta wo utai
saboten no oka mo
koete kishi nari
breast-feeding
a gesture of something
beast-like
pitiful to think tenderly
that it is called a child
chichi nomasu
shigusa no nanzo
kemono meki
kanashikari keri
ko to iu mono wa
my skull
streaming in a crack
water exists
in the bottom of a lake
sleeping for a long time
waga zugai no
hibi wo nagaruru
mizu ga ari
sude ni kotei ni
inete hisashiki
spring dusk
my surroundings
grow dim
without turning on a light
they remain as they are
haru kururu
waga imawari ya
oboro nite
akari wa tsuezu
kurete yukashimu
Poem's Whereabouts
-uta no yukue-
(1948-1952)
Turkish blue
becomes mountains
after four o'clock
quite frankly
it makes me hungry
toruko ao to
naritaru yama no
yoji sugini
geni sunao naru
shokuyoku arinu
a white hare
from a snow-covered mountain
when it came out
it was killed
with eyes still open
shiroki usagi
yuki no yama yori
idete kite
korosare tareba
me wo hiraki ori
tree roots
darkly and gently
tangle together
thinking of the relationship
I get confused
jumoku no
ne to ne ga kuraku
yasashiku
karami au kanren wo
omoi ite konmei su
a black lake
where I go to bathe
when I dive in
he follows me
the man who drowned
kuroki umi no
mizu wo abin to
shizumu toki
ware ni tsuki kuru
suishinin hitori
moonlight white
a liquid poison from the sky
since pouring
it on the water
the lake has gone insane
gekko shiroki
dokueki wo sora yori
sosogite yori
mizu wa kyooki to
narite hashiri ki
a river under a ship
or a ship on a river
one's destiny
never stops flowing
metamorphosing
kawa ka fune ka
izure onore ga
mi no goo no
nagare mo
yamanu metamorufoozu
pressed by
the breast of a water bird
secretly
it begins to swell
into a sparkle of water
mizudori no
mune ni osarete
hisoyakani
moriagaru toki
mizu wa kagayoo
a frog in spring
yet still slender
floats on the water
its thin webbed foot
opens and extends
haru no kaeru no
mada hossori to
mizu ni uki
usuki mizukaki mo
ake hiroge tari
A Hermetically Sealed Village -mippei buraku-
(1953-1959)
man and horse
not crossing the view
the bridge
is purely and simply
making a connection
hito mo uma mo
wataranu toki no
hashi no kei
makoto junsui ni
hashi kakari iru
tree sap running
in the spring night
quick with life
unleashed from the chain
a dog and a boy
jueki noboru
haru no yo ni shite
iki iki to
kusari wo kiri shi
inu to shoonen
"Don't resemble me,
just don't do that."
I paint
a beautiful woman's face
showing a smile of adultery
ware ni niruna
niruna to egaku
sakuchuu no
onna utsukushiki
fugi no egao su
It Burns in the Wind
-kaze mi moyasu-
(1959-1966)
the color of mercury
my hair has become something
to dye red
so it burns in the wind
---carpe diem
suigin iro no
kami to narishikaba
shu ni somete
kaze ni mosan kana
---shakumyoo
Deep Crimson -hitakurenai-
(1967-1974)
in a dream
thin sumi ink
cherry blossoms
perhaps more fragrant
than in reality
usuzumi no
yume no naka naru
sakura bana
aruiwa utsutsu
yorimo nioo wo
vegetable salad
with pale green
I bury
a bird painted on the plate
eyes that do not close
sarada na no
asaki midori wo
mote uzumu
sara no e no tori
me wo toji zareba
a grave figurine
with two eye holes
seems to laugh
my mother's blind eyes
do not laugh
haniwa no me
futatsu ana nashite
waraedomo
haha no miezaru
me wa warawazari
silent
footsteps of a multitude
moving along
underground passages
while I am sleeping
ashi oto wo
motanu gunshuu no
idoo suru
chikadoo ga waga
nemuru shita ni ari
in the distant view
of my sorrow it is still
snowing
I go out with the brim
of my summer hat lowered
kanashimi no
enkei ni ima mo
yuki furu ni
tsuba sagete yuku
waga matsu booshi
the whole body
shaken by cherry blossoms
the spring tree
to which I am drawn
another confused heart
sooshin no
hana wo yurugasu
haru no ki ni
kokoro midashite
ware wa yoriyuku
in what gentle way
has it gone insane
being familiar with
the water it jumps out of
the fish has died
ikani yasashiki
kyooki wo moteba
sumi naruru
mizu yori tobite
uo wa shini ni ki
to a distant field
an ambulance goes
probably
fallen from heaven
for the sake of a swan
tooki no wo
kyuukyuusha yuku
osoraku wa
sora yori ochishi
hakuchoo no tame
.
when a petal
is laid on its back
how heavy
the leg chains on
the zoo elephant
hanabira wo
sono se no ueni
nosetareba
ashi no kusari no
omotaki zoo yo
two thin flat pieces
the arches of my feet
without touching earth
treading only on the wind
as I have wished to do
futahiro no
waga tsuchifumazu
tsuchi wo fumazu
kaze nomi fumite
aritakarishi wo
a husband paralyzed
my old mother blind
on both sides
the evening of life
I enter autumn
mahi no tsuma to
me no mienu haha wo
sa u ni oki
roonen no
aki ni iriyuku
long hospital hall
going to the end of it
emergency exit
the only brightness there
glow of the declining sun
nagaki byooroo wo
yukeba owari wa
hijooguchi
soko ni nomi akaku
nishibi ga saseri
behind people
waiting in line
I ask
those who are ahead
"What exists before us?"
narabi matsu
hito ra no ato ni
tsuki te kiku
saki no hoo ni nani ga
aru no de shooka
if I turn my face
the countenance of the devil
climbing the slope
to the mountain pass
against the light
furi mukaba
gyoosoo wa oni
saka michi wo
nobori tsukushishi
gyakkoo no naka
passing day by day
the place where one has gone
the loneliness
in the summer of other times
an autumn cicada shrills
sugite yuku
hibi no yukue no
sabishisa ya
mukashi no natsu ni
naku hooshizemi
the feet of Death
Which I have seen!
were flat-footed
and walked
softly
shi no ashi wo
mitari shi kana
henpei ni shite
mono yawarakaku
ayumeri
uncurable
someone leaves the hospital
stretches out his arm
looking like sheepskin
we clasp hands together
iezu shite
taiin suru hito ga
sashi nobeshi
yoohi ni nitaru
te wo nigiru nari
to say good-bye
I must be going along
shut the door
and leave just like that
it can't be done in this world
oitoma wo
itadaki masu to
to wo shimete
dete yuku yooni
yukanu nari sei wa
from the death world
it's brighter than one expects
so luminous
it is a very deep crimson
this life? yes it is
shi no gawa yori
teraseba koto ni
kagayakite
hitakurenai no
sei narazu yamo
how vividly
a dog has accomplished
its disappearance!
I stand looking at
a lost-dog poster
ikani ikiiki to
inu wa shissoo wo
togeshi naran
inu sagasu bira wo
mitsutsu tachi ori
Shall I Cross Over?
-watari ka yukan-
(1977-1985)
fatally wounded
the bird begins to fall
for the dog too
evening twilight
is much too long
utaretaru
tori ga ochi kuru wo
matsu inu to
ware ni yuugure wa
nagasugiru nari
falling in confusion
such beautiful things!
moreover
to be ruined by the wind
blossoms from the tree top
furi midaruru
mono utsukushi ya
amatsusae
kaze ni horoburu
shoojoo no hana
the one
red candle
when lit up
by the surrounding spring
somebody laughs triumphantly
ippon no
akaki roosoku wo
tsuketareba
megurite haru no
mono eragi tari
if we settled here
even if we sat down
sucked in
we'd be dissolved
by this swampy ground
ochitsukaba
koshi wo orosaba
suikomare
yookai saren
shitsugen ga ari
darkening the sky
yet how very calm!
to become
bronze swords in summer
a group of cedar trees
sora kurete
yuku shizumari ya
seidoo no
hoko to naritaru
natsu no sugi mura
my surroundings
have become a void
even when
in a crowd of people
in ten thousand poems
waga meguri
shinkuu to naru
toki no ari
gunshuu no naka
man no uta no naka
millions of windows
ten thousand doors
along the street
but not any place where
we can enter
mado ikuman
doa ikusen no
machi nukete
dokonimo irite
yuku tokoro nashi
uncanny old age
underneath a human being
my cherished mother
becoming mysterious
an utter stranger
oi bukimi
waga hahasoha ga
hito ika no
etai no shirenu
mono to nari yuku
person by person
around me they disappear
finally
I shall be swallowed up
by the darkness
waga meguri
ichinin zutsu no
kiete yuki
ageku wa ware no
kien kurayami
dream like
with whom is mother
having a chat?
sometimes without a voice
she even seems to laugh
maboroshi no
tare to katarite
iru haha ka
toki ni koe naku
warai nado suru
a giraffe stretched
its neck longer and longer
enough to eat
the leaves of heaven
this is my drawing
ware no egaku
jirafu no kubi no
nobinobite
ten no happa wo
taberu zu to naru
the distant sky
comes fluttering
a flash of lightning
dies out a sardine color
farewell to midsummer!
enten ni
hatameki itaru
inabikari
iwashiiro ni kie
saraba manatsu yo
living long with
my mother who cannot tell
day from night
I've lost the sense
of the two sides of myself
yoru mo hiru mo
kubetsu no tsukanu
haha to sumi
mi no ura omote
ushinai ni keru
I do no possess
something called an air bladder
filled with dim light
as a fish carries all its life
inside its body
waga motanu
ukibukuro tou
hokumei wo
uo wa mi no uchi ni
dakite ikitari
a blaze of sun
opens the mountain magnolia
to the human world
a thing which has escaped
waving a banner of spring
hi ni moete
yama kobushi saku
jinkai wo
nogareshi mono ga
furu haru no hata
two chairs
face to face in the vacant room
in the past
called husband and wife
we were in the past!
isu futatsu
muki aite iru
akibeya ni
fusai to ieru
kako arishi kana
Monet's water lilies
old-fashioned blooming
early in the afternoon
pianissimo---very softly
I play the piano
mone no suiren
saku kofuu naru
hirusagari
piano pianisshimo
nite hikeri
summer grass
passing by a field
in rank disarray
shall I cross over to
a deep indigo water
natsukusa no
midari gawashiki
no wo sugite
watari ka yukan
mizu no shin ran
the tenth month
one day at the end
lapsing into a coma
then moving on to death
my mother died
kannazuki
owaru hitohi wo
kuraki nemuri no
naka ni aritsutsu
shi e ikoo seri ( haha shisu)
sorry to part
from this life
enough said
she was too old!
people do not weep
oshimaruru
kore no inochi to
iubeku wa
oi sugi ni keri
hito nakanu nari
a trifling thing
yet with such discouragement
I cannot bear it
I think of a horse
getting up on its four legs
koreshiki no koto ni
kokoro kuzurete
tamaruka to
omou toki uma no
shishi tateri keri
a little child
so called soft-tender
such a life
visits my home
once or twice a year
osanago to
iu yawarakaki
seimei no
wagaya toi kuru
nen ni ichi nido
these two days
everyone is talking about
cherry blossoms
they've waited for all winter
country people pass them by
kono futsuka
dono hito mo sakura
kataru nari
hana machite fuyu wo
koeshi kuni bito
seeing cherry blooms
even a demon's eyes
will be gentle
I of course get
somewhat light-headed
hana miru to
oni mo yasashiki
manako sen
ware wa motoyori
fuwa fuwa to naru
hereafter
and surely then alone
on the easy slope
for my little pleasure
to have a flower branch
koreyori wa
masani hitori no
kudari zaka
sukoshi kimamani
hana isshi mochi
around my body
one by one they die
lingering at dusk
on the palm of my hand
a white bird egg
mino mawari
hitori zutsu yuki
kure nokoru
waga te no ue no
shiroki choo ran
an antelope
jumped over a rock
with its slender
four legs stepping high
above the setting sun
kamoshika wa
iwa wo tobi tari
sono hosoki
shishi mote takaku
yuuhi wo matagi
.
it's a man thing
when I unfold the umbrella
black underneath
its warm darkness
surprises me
otoko mono no
kasa sashi yukeba
kuro no shita no
kuragari nukuki
koto ni odoroku
because I had to
take the detour road
the amber color
that seemed so fortunate
was a cloud I met
ukairo wo
toorishi yue ni
kohaku iro no
shiawase soo na
kumo ni deainu
to light
only one lamp
is enough
in the adjoining room
it is no doubt dark
tenzuru wa
ittoo nomi ni
koto tarite
rinshitsu kuraku
aru wo utagawazu
eating acacia flowers
eating plantain lilies
my stomach
does its business
more brightly
akashia no
hana wo tabe giboshi no
hana wo tabe
waga i akaaka to
nao itonameri
the world globe
turned by a young man
on a snowy night
on the Aegean Sea
I see the sun shining
chikyuugi wo
wakaki ga mawasu
yuki no yo wo
eega kai niwa
hi ga atari in
cherry blossoms
blooming at their best
solitary
blind against the sunlight
the moment seems to pass
sakurabana
saki kiwamareba
seki to shite
hi ni meshiitaru
toki suguru rashi
an old cat
and really very lazy
when I call her
she opens her mouth
but doesn't raise her voice
neko oite
itaku monogusa
yobu ni kotae
kuchi wa hirakedo
koe wo idasanu
combing
my dyed hair
in a clear light
young and coal black
such a night I yearn for!
kushi kezuru
waga somegami wa
hi ni sukite
wakaki nubatama no
yo zo koishi kere
not to choose
having a hometown
or place to die
I am light-hearted
a companion to the wind
shichi izuko to
kimezaru karusa
furusato wo
motazaru mono wa
kaze no tomogara
the man's name
I've forgotten but
not the river's
distant shining
in the summer field
hito no nawo
wasure kawa no na wo
wasurezaru
natsu no wo nukite
tooku hikareri
Autumn Sky Blue
-shuuten ruri-
(1985-1993)
isn't there
a bullet-holed tree
in this woods?
the thicket of my memory
becomes darker and darker
kono mori ni
dankon no aru
ki arazuya
kioku no shigemi
kurami tsutsu ari
those shackles
known as family
are gone
when today ends I don't go
to bed until I'm sleepy
kazoku tou
kase naku narishi
mi no kyoo no
owari nite nemuku
narumade inezu
as an old lady
my smile and words
peaceful
however I love
things keen-edged
roojo nite
emi mo kotoba mo
nagi yuku to
iedo kireaji
yokimono aisu
smoothly
dusk comes down
when I see
others growing old
it comes so easily
surusuru to
yuuyami kudari
mite oreba
tanin no oi wa
nameraka ni kuru
dying
the neck of the giraffe
will drop
like a hoisted flag
being lowered
shi no toki wa
jirafu mo kubi wo
otosu beshi
kakageshi hata wo
orosu ga gotoku
though now old
a woman is still a woman
as a breeze
to a summer bamboo screen
come to visit me
oitari tote
onna wa onna
natsu sudare
soyoro to kaze no
gotoku toi mase
transparent blue
a Himalayan poppy flower
came into my dream
for three days afterwards
my heart was filled with love
aoku suku
himaraya no keshi
yume ni kite
ato no mikka wo
kokoro some tari
revolution
is not in this country where
I was born
with moderate wind and rain
shall I live to the end?
kakumei wo
motazaru kuni ni
umare kite
fuuu hodohodo ni
arite owaruka
even when old
isn't there a term
for this charm?
flowers in the beginning
are fine at the end as well
oite nao
en to yobu beki
mono ari ya
hana wa hajime mo
owari mo yoroshi
suspended ceiling
does the end fall with a thud
or like a prison
where water rose up
in a steady approach?
tsuri tenjoo wa
dosa to ochi shi ka
suiroo no
gotokuni jojoni
semari shi mono ka
transparently
wind and fresh water
running
sways young leaves
rustling the light
toomei ni
mizu mo mamizu mo
nagare ite
yururu wakaba no
hikari sara sara
through the field
like a dangerous blue weapon
a river was running
when I came to see it
it was already rusted
no wo nukite
aoki kyoki no
gotoku arishi
kawa kite mireba
sude ni sabi tari
98 *
Hatsue, Sorry, I still feel this one is right. I understood from the beginning that the 'problem' was pollution and floating red leaves on a polluted stream is at once a very gentle act and also an act of rebellion. The poem is most excellent. The third line says: because we are sad and lonely for the missing fish, we float leaves as a sign of mourning and because it feels as if something should be swimming here. If not our fish, then red leaves as warning, as grave markers, as signals of poison. I am happy to have this poem in the collection as it shows one can 'use' tanka to talk about painful modern-life aspects in a gentle, but powerful way.
I have tried to make the first line stronger with the death /pollution but that is also expressed in the previous version. 'The fish cannot stay' implies that they either moved away or maybe died. I liked 'stay' because it implies both 'lived' and 'remained' (something that is hard to do in flowing water). There is also the idea that the fish were washed away. I feel the first version is best but if this one seems better to you, I would reluctantly accept it. I am sorry this poem feels 'wrong' to you. But if you are still unhappy with it, try again to tell me where it does not work for you. \o/
fish no longer live
in this flowing stream
because of loneliness
we set afloat the red
of crimson maple leaves
fish cannot stay
in this flowing stream
because of loneliness
we set afloat the red
of crimson maple leaves
uo sumenu
kawa no nagare no
sabishisa wa
shu no momiji nado
nagashite mo nao
Jane, about the third line, "because of" is different from the original, I
think. uo-fish, sumenu-cannot live, kawa no nagare no-of the flowing
river, sabishisa-loneliness, wa-to indicate the subject, shu no
momiji-crimson maple leaves, nado-not to definite one thing, but say
softly; such as, or the like, nagashite mo nao-even though we set afloat . The loneliness of the flowing stream where fish cannot stay does not
disappear even when we set afloat the red of crimson maple leaves there.
This is the meaning, I think. Please take this tanka again, Jane. Sorry!
At the Imperial Palace in 1997
"a strange man!"
I cannot but say so
smilingly
the Emperor told me
about my dead father
"okashina otoko desu"
to iu hoka wa nashi
tennoo ga
nikoyakani chichi no
na wo iimaseri
.
in the field
with an abundant figure
is one tree
limbs embrace the wind
months and days as well
no no naka ni
sugata yutakeki
ichi ju ari
kaze mo tsukihi mo
eda ni idakite
*While preparing this manuscript for the web, somehow the correspondence with with Hatsue-san was still on this poem in the file. So I have left it for you to read as sample of how we worked. jr 3/16/2010 |
