Six Tanka by Kinoshita Shunsuke (木下竣介)

being alive
a little longer
than I
my clone goes
to the sea today

* * *

when they’re born
I will name my children
whatever names
are most popular
that year

* * *

I am marrying someone
who has carried the burden
of not fitting in with the times,
and the ceremony will be
before the first snowfall

* * *

I’ve often dreamed
that I owned a pet dolphin

but even after
I let the dolphin die
my dreams were very long

* * *

so many
memories are slaughtered
by needs

get me up
in five minutes

* * *

if you come
of course
I’ll be happy
and if you don’t come
I’ll still be happy

ぼくよりも少しだけ長く生きてゆくぼくのクローンが今日、海へ行く

いつか産む僕の子どもの名前にはその年いちばんよくある名前を

時代にそくしていない苦しみを抱えたひとと結婚する、雪が降る前に式をあげる

いるかを飼う夢をよく見た　いつだって死なせた後からが長い夢だった

こんなにもたくさんの思い出を屠殺する必要がある　あと五分たったら起こして

もし君が来たならもちろん嬉しいし来なかったならそれも嬉しい

Note: Poems originally published in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (January 2015).

Six Tanka by Sato Manatsu (佐藤真夏)

a drop of water
softly broke
on my fingertip
into my band-aid
loneliness soaked

so that it can
disappear entirely
from this world
inside your breast
the new moon sleeps

the feeling
of touching
a cold window
in the middle of the night
kiss and cry (repeat)

when it’s time to go
my sense of security
is thrown into confusion
this is what we wanted
our ending given shape

just so you’ll
forgive me
I hold up my hands
in the flames of war
I hear a music box

that morning
was fragile like the flame
of a candle
tightly holding on
recklessly flickering

水滴をそっとつぶした指先のバンドエイドに染み込む孤独

この世から消えてしまったかのようにあなたの胸で眠る新月

真夜中の冷たい窓に触れている気がしたキスアンドクライ（リピート）

行くときの安心感にうろたえるふたりが求めた終りの形

許されるためだけに手を上げている戦火の中で聴くオルゴール

それはろうそくの火に似た脆い朝でした抱きしめるはずみでゆれて

NOTE: All poems originally appeared in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (January 2015).