Nogi Touka

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Gold and Silver Axes: More Haiku by Nogi Touka (野木桃花)

みづうみに金銀の斧結氷す

In the lake
Axes of gold and silver
Frozen over

元町に小さな画廊春の雪

A small art gallery
In Motomachi
Spring snow

右脳のうつらうつらと春の風邪

My right brain
Drowsily drowsily drifts
A spring cold

家中の布団を干して海が見ゆ

Airing out
All the futons in the house
I watch the ocean

寒椿日ざしにほぐれゆく時間

It is the time when
winter camellias unravel
in the sunlight

NOTES:

Nogi Touka was born in 1946. Her books include 「君は海を見たか」 (Have You Seen the Sea?), 「夏蝶」 (Summer Butterfly), and 「野木桃花の世界」 (The World of Nogi Touka).

All poems taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Database.

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The Homesick Gorilla: Haiku by Nogi Touka (野木桃花)

戦さの世冬の夕暮赫すぎる

In this warring world
The winter sunset
Burns too deeply red

早春の宮城道雄のやうな海

A sea just like
Miyagi Michio
In early spring

望郷のゴリラに五月来たりけり

May has come
to the homesick
gorilla

音楽堂となり図書館若葉雨

A kind of music hall
Library, green leaves,
rain

部屋中の本を砦に十二月

My whole room
A fortress made of books
December

香水や銀座マダムと擦れ違ふ

The smell of perfume
Passing by a madam
In the Ginza district

NOTES:

Nogi Touka was born in 1946. Her books include 「君は海を見たか」 (Have You Seen the Sea?), 「夏蝶」 (Summer Butterfly), and 「野木桃花の世界」 (The World of Nogi Touka).

Miyagi Michio (1894-1956), who is mentioned in one of the haiku, was a famous musician who played the koto.

All poems taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Database.

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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.