little Taku’s
first calligraphy this year
a giant oval
拓チャンの書初め大いなる楕円
fig trees
gods or buddha
never saw them
無花果や神も仏も見たことなし
moonlit pillar
if you want to bloom
be my guest
月の夜の柱よ咲きたいならどうぞ
under cherry blossoms
I do not wait to see
if they fall
桜の下散るか散るまで待てません
she is prettier
than I am
the tubifex worm
私より彼女が綺麗糸みみず
All poems originally appeared in Japanese at the Gendai Haiku Association Database (http://www.haiku-data.jp/).
When I Die, Then That’s Goodbye
Lyrics: Mariko Goto
When I die, stop the clock
and wind it back to when we were together
Sometimes we fought, sometimes we laughed
I still think about those days we spent together
When I die, turn off the light
so I won’t see you crying,
“It’s cruel being left behind”
so I won’t see you crying alone
The evening sun flickers red on the face of the water
A lonely cat’s corpse–“Found it,” I laughed–and
the light came shining down
When I die, will someone please
swap out that one string on my red guitar?
It’s a good guitar with a few quirks
Could someone swap out that string for me?
The light came shining down
When I die, forget about me
It’s okay if you hold hands with someone I don’t know
but just remember me a little bit
Just remember the day I died
When I die and many years have passed,
I know you’ll forget about me
but just remember me a little bit
Just remember the day I died
The evening sun flickers red on the face of the water
A lonely cat’s corpse reminds me of someone
The light came shining down
When I die . . .
NOTES: Mariko Goto, famous for her work with the Japanese punk rock band Midori, started out as vocalist and guitarist of Usagi (Rabbit). Thanks to Andrew White for pointing me in the direction of Usagi’s album. Great find. Original Japanese lyrics below.
『死んだらそれでサヨウナラ』
詩・曲 後藤まり子
僕が死んだら時計をとめて
君と2人で過ごした時に戻そう
たまにケンカをして笑いあっていた
2人で過ごした日々を今も覚えてる
僕が死んだら明かりを消して
君の泣く姿を見ずにおこう
「残されるのはツライから」と
1人で泣く君の姿を見ずにおこう
夕方の赤は 水面に揺れる揺れる
寂しげな猫の死骸 「見つけた」 笑う そして
キラキラと光って落ちてった
僕が死んだら赤いギターの
弦は一体誰が変えてくれるのか
ちょっと癖のあるいいヤツだから
誰かあいつをかわいがってやってくれ
キラキラと光って落ちてった
僕が死んだら早く忘れて
僕の知らない誰かと手をとりあえばいい でも
ちょっとくらいは覚えててよ
僕の死んだ日くらいは覚えててよ
僕が死んで何年か過ぎたら
君は僕の事を忘れてしまうだろう でも
ちょっとくらいは覚えててよ
僕が死んだ日くらいは覚えててよ
夕方の赤は 水面に揺れる揺れる
寂しげな猫の死骸 誰かに似ている それは
キラキラと光って落ちてった
僕が死んだら．．．。
in the light
of the cold moon the darkness
of distant stars
寒月のひかりにとほき星の闇 松村蒼石
NOTE: Original Japanese-language poem taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Web site: http://www.haiku-data.jp/
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).
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).
this injury
lets me take a break
from swimming lessons
fireflies
seated
demolition workers
I take a look
behind the crematorium
ladybugs
because of the rain
my true intentions
are not revealed
coffee
mixed only with
amaryllis
spending all day
with the goldfish
thin dust
the palm of my hand
I leave open
for the fireflies
summer moon
from somewhere
the screech of fish
水泳の授業を休むための傷
夏蝶や坐る解体作業員
火葬場の裏見てきたる天道虫
夕立のせいで本音が出てこない
珈琲に付き合うだけのアマリリス
終日を金魚と過ごす薄埃
てのひらを蛍のためにあけておく
夏の月どこかで魚の軋む音
NOTES: Poems originally published in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (January 2015).
夏蝶, literally “summer butterfly,” seems to be a name that is pronounced “Hotaru,” which is the word for “firefly” (usually written 蛍). I am not sure how Miki meant this to be translated, but I decided to go with “fireflies” because of the pronunciation. It could also be translated: “Hotaru / seated / demolition worker” or, perhaps, “summer butterflies / seated / demolition workers.” My guess is that “hotaru” means “fireflies” in this case, indicating the summer (being the seasonal word, or 季語, in the haiku).
people, people, people,
peeling off the thin skin
of autumn
frozen crane
there are nights spent waiting
on one leg
I blinked
and for a moment entered
the cosmos
here’s a box
I wish I could make it overflow
with roses
I forget everything
standing beneath
the cherry blossoms
人、人、人、秋のうす皮を剥き合う
凍鶴の片足で待つ夜があり
まばたき宇宙が少し入った
箱がある薔薇で溢れさせたい
すべて忘れて桜の下にいる
NOTES: Poems originally published in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (January 2015).
eating
the lonely parts
of my insides
in this life
we dig the graves
of all we love
this pain
from stepping on
an ammonite
my heart
has become a mermaid
that can’t return to sea
I do not regret
gambling with my life
it stokes the fire
hands reaching
grasping for eternity
is this hell?
内臓のさみしい部分食べている
この生に愛した数の墓を掘る
この痛みアンモナイトを踏んでから
本心は海に帰れぬ人魚なり
一命を賭けて悔いなし火を掲ぐ
差し出す手握るは無間地獄かな
NOTES: These poems were originally published in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (Jan. 2015).
Now I’m limping along
The outskirts of town
On a black railroad, printed with a misalignment
The lights in the children’s hospital are dim
Before the portrait appears in the middle of the night
Somewhere the rails are rusted
I miss the dry clouds of dust
In the orange color of eternity
Countless crows come to me
Before the portrait laughs in the middle of the night
Passing by a small candy store
A glass wind pierces my cheeks
From someone’s house, the sound of a girl’s piano
Looking up at the stars is terrifying
The portrait stares at me in the middle of the night
僕は今片足をひきずって
街のはずれを歩いている
印刷ずれした黒い鉄路
小児科医院の灯りは暗い
真夜中の似顔絵描きが現われないうちに
どこかで鉄が錆びている
乾いた砂ぼこりが懐かしい
永遠のだいだい色の中に
何匹もカラスがやってくる
真夜中の似顔絵描きが笑わないうちに
駄菓子屋が今を越えて
ガラスの風ほほにつき刺さるよ
誰かの家少女のピアノの音
星を見るのは怖すぎるよ
真夜中の似顔絵描きが僕を見ている
the scent of snow
I try to lose myself to it
just a little
雪の香へ自分を少し拔けてみる
we take turns
carrying the cold lantern
back home
一人ずつ灯台の冷え持ちかえる
NOTES: As ever, thank you, Grady, for saving me from my own bad translations. Once you point out the errors, they seem so ridiculously obvious.
Entry No. 1 