between warehouses
I see the evening moon
over spring mountains
倉のひまより見ゆ春の山夕月が
boarding the boat
there’s a clear view
of the islanders’ graves
舟をのぼれば島人の墓が見えわたり
a profusion of blossoms shedding spring light
れうらんのはなのはるひをふらせる
it’s the first grass to wither
so it bears fruit
いち早く枯れる草なれば実を結ぶ
a lonesome breeze wanders through the wind chime
ふうりんにさびしいかぜがながれゆく
cooling the young leaves
starlight
若葉冷えゆく星の光なり
when the flowers are lonely
butterflies come to visit
淋しき花があれば蝶蝶は寄りて行きけり
the whispering wind
dropping persimmon leaves
moonlit night
風ひそひそ柿の葉落としゆく月夜
swiftly the sun sinks down
to a land beyond the sea
するする陽がしずむ海のかなたの國へ
accumulated power burning
in the bull’s eyes
牛のまなこにあつめたる力燃ゆるなり
walking by the child in a deep sleep
spring night
ふかきねむりにある兒のそばを歩みて春の夜
wide open sea
he’s catching sea bream
I’m catching sea bream, too
わだのはらよりひとも鯛つりわれも鯛つり
cicadas crying
at sunset
the rain shines
しくしくと蝉鳴き暮の雨光る
at the height
of their brilliance the white waves
crash and recede
かがやきのきはみしら波うち返し
faint moon
casting shadows
insects chirp!
かそけき月のかげつくりゆく蟲の音よ
moonlit clouds
in every direction
of the freezing field
月夜の雲ひえびえと野の四方にありし
still growing
on my loneliest days
. . . autumn buds
わが淋しき日にそだちゆく秋芽かな
the hands I offer others
have gotten so dirty
人の前にて伸べし手のかばかりに汚れ
approaching the fire in the stove
it burns as in childhood
かまどの火に寄れば幼き日に燃ゆる
at dawn
snow washing away
in the downpour
あかつきかけて雪消す雨のそそぎ居り
talking and stirring the coals
in the small fire
as night comes on
小さき火に炭起し話し暮れてをり
sunlight sweeping the beautiful guest room a winter fly
日影美しき客間を掃いて冬の蠅
Shurindo Nomura (1893-1918) was the pen name of Morichika Nomura, a promising freeform haiku poet who died at age 24 after contracting the flu during the 1918 pandemic. He was born in present day Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. After his mother died at a young age, he started working at the same place his father worked. While there, he began writing haiku under the influence of his boss, who wrote tanka.
After Hekigoto Kawahigashi returned to Ehime Prefecture (where he was also from), Nomura became interested in his so-called “new trend haiku.” He started studying under Raishikyu Morita at the age of 18. Then he moved to Tokyo and met Seisensui Ogiwara, who encouraged him to join his freeform haiku group/magazine Soun right around the same time Santoka Taneda became a member.
At the age of 20, he was selected as a haiku editor for a newspaper haiku column, founded the haiku association Izayoi Ginsha, and was involved in the establishment of the Matsuyama branch of Soun.
Santoka Taneda admired the young poet, and there is a famous story about him seeking out Nomura’s grave twenty years after his death. The event is detailed in The Life and Zen Haiku Poetry of Santoka Taneda by Sumita Oyama (translated by William Scott Wilson):
“After just three days, Santoka proposed that he at last make the pilgrimage journey of Shikoku. Before this—just after he had arrived in Matsuyama—he said that he wanted to visit the grave of the brilliant writer for So’un, Shurindo Nomura, but the people in Matsuyama had no idea where the grave might be. Masa’ichi Fujioka first looked for it in the Ishitedera temple, but that night they finally discovered it to be in the middle of a newly established public cemetery in Kawaminami. As soon as Santoka found this out, he went immediately to the gravesite, but by the time he reached it, accompanied by Ichijun and Masa’ichi, the night was totally dark. A cold rain had begun to fall. In the midst of all this, they found the gravestone with the light of a match, and Santoka, seemingly filled with old memories, said, “Ah, is this where Shurindo sleeps?” He caressed the top of the small stone with the palm of his hand, and was unable to leave for a while.”
Sources:
Entry No. 1 