A Number of Haiku

鞦韆は漕ぐべし愛は奪ふべし

–三橋鷹女

A swing should
be swung and love should
be taken

–Mitsuhashi Takajo

象の居た辺りを歩くしぐれ傘

–野木桃花

Walking by elephants
light rain
umbrella

–Nogi Touka

シュガーのようにうっすらと雪アベマリア

–河村正浩

Just like sugar
a sprinkling of snow
Ave Maria

–Kawamura Masahiro

蟻よバラを登りつめても陽が遠い

–篠原鳳作

I.

The ant —
Though it climbs to the top of the rose
The sun is still far away

II.

Observe the ant —
It may reach the top of the rose
But it’s no closer to the sun

–Shinohara Housaku

口のなかで木が枯れるおと折れるおと

–中野茂

Inside my mouth
The sound of trees withering
The sound of breaking

–Nakano Shigeru

NOTES: Poems used by kind permission from the Gendai Haiku Association.