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/).
They ran away
from a tower
called school
Shortcut
Rapunzels
学校という名の塔から逃げ出したショートカットのラプンツェルたち
Wanting to be a genius
the science kid
built a robot
and named it
after his mother
天才になりたい理系の少年がロボット作り母の名つけた
Melon bread
does not contain
melon juice
Reading a novel
I can’t shed tears
メロンパンメロン果汁は含まない小説読んで涙できない
NOTE: These poems originally appeared in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (2015).
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).
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.
wearing his light kimono
father makes a cup of tea
but I know it’s a dream
帷子の父が茶を点て夢解る
yellow and white
post-it notes december’s
memoranda
黄と白の符箋極月の備忘録
still not here
spring seems to like
taking its time
まだ来ない春は道草好きらしい
dragon god
of the tree kingdom
hot spring’s first swallow
木の国の竜神温泉初燕
refreshingly
I gaze at the mountain range
from Kappa Bridge
爽やかに連峰見えて河童橋
buying a boxwood comb
on Kawaramachi
in the autumn heat
黄楊櫛を買ひ河原町秋暑し
a ceramic angel was sold
freezing wind
antique shop
陶器の天使が売れた 木枯骨董店
on the insectarium worker’s back
the morpho butterfly
begins to disappear
昆虫館員の背で モルフオ蝶消えはじめる
a swaying poplar
on the summer solstice
a closed down factory
夏至の戦ぎのポプラ一本 廃工場
city early fall
clouds gather over
an unmarked grave
都市初秋 無名の墓に 雲あつまる
looks like rain
in a distant house
I can see a woman’s hand
雨意たしか 遠家に女の手が見えて
the mouth of a carnivorous plant
a terrifying autumn
in the greenhouse
食虫植物垂れ 温室のこわい秋
Entry No. 1 