In pine winds at dawn and dusk striking the bell
Matsukaze ni akekure no kane tsuite
I go in I go in still the blue mountains
Wakeitte mo wakeitte mo aoi yama
In the midst of life and death the snow falls ceaselessly
Seishi no naka no yuki furishikiru
Burning heaven on my head I beg I walk
Enten o itadaite koi aruku
Alone being eaten up by mosquitoes
Hitori de ka ni kuwareteiru
Letting the dragonfly stay on my hat I walk on
Kasa ni tombo o tomarasete aruku
The road being straight lonesome
Massuguna michi de samishii
Wordlessly I put on today’s straw sandals
Damatte kyo no zori haku
Fluttering drunk leaves scatter
Horohoro youte ki no ha chiru
Winter shower I’m still not dead
Shigururu ya shinanaideiru
The shadow in the water I am a traveler
Mizu ni kage aru tabibito de aru
The snow falls falls as I watch the snow
Yuki ga furu furu yuki miteoreba
I’ve received enough to eat the rain starts
Taberu dake wa itadaita ame to nari
It having survived I’m scratching my body
Ikinokotta karada o kaiteiru
The mountain I’ll never see again grows distant
Mata miru koto mo nai yama ga touzakaru
A shrike calls there’s no place to dump my body
Mozu naite mi no sute dokoro nashi
Hopeless I keep walking
Dou shiyou mo nai watashi ga aruiteiru
The Daikan Peak
I go in and the sound of water
Wakeireba mizu no oto
I slip and fall the mountain hushed
Subette koronde yama ga hissori
Maimai’s Residence
Ceaselessly dropping these large leaves
Shikirini ochiru ookii ha kana
Completely withered they are now beans
Sukkari karete mame to natteiru
On my tired leg a dragonfly has lighted
Tsukareta ashi e tombo tomatta
A withered mountain with enough water to drink
Kareyama nomu hodo no mizu wa arite
My monk’s robe so torn grass seeds
Houi konnani yaburete kusa no mi
That cloud dropped the rain I’m getting wet in
Ano kumo ga otoshita ame ni nureteiru
Autumn’s come I sit in the weeds
Aki to natta zassou ni suwaru
Such delicious water overflowing
Konnani umai mizu ga afureteiru
With the sound of water I’ve come down to a village
Mizuoto to issho ni sato e oritekita
Absolutely no cloud I take off my hat
Mattaku kumo ga nai kasa o nugi
Up to the graves in rows the waves rolling in
Haka ga narande soko made nami ga oshiyosete
Drunk I’d been asleep with the crickets
Youte kourogi to neteita
The sound of the rain dripping has also grown old
Amadare no oto mo toshitotta
Holding out its branches a winter tree
Eda o sashinobeteiru fuyuki
No more houses to beg at above the mountain clouds
Mono kou ie mo nakunari yama ni wa kumo
Or I stop begging and am looking at the mountain6
Aruiwa kou koto o yamete yama o miteiru
Even my hat has started to leak I see
Kasa mo moridashita ka
This frosty night’s bed must be somewhere
Shimoyo no nedoko ga dokoka ni aro
Your back in the winter shower you go away I see
Ushiro sugata no shigurete yukuka
Into my iron alms bowl too hail
Teppatsu no naka e mo arare
This the tooth that came out just like that
Horori to nuketa ha de wa aru
Cold clouds hurry
Samui kumo ga isogu
My hometown’s distant tree buds
Furusato wa toukushite ki no me
Thump on my hat was a camellia
Kasa e pottori tsubaki datta
In autumn wind I pick up a stone
Akikaze no ishi o hirou
Along today’s road dandelions have bloomed
Kyou no michi no tampopo saita
Rain falls in my hometown walk barefoot
Ame furu furusato wa hadashi de aruku
To the kitchen moonlight alone
Kuriya made tsukikage no hitori de
Morning glow rain falls I’ll sow daikon
Asayake ame furu daikon makou
Dew in grass seeds, trying to calm down
Kusa no mi no tsuyu no, ochitsukou to suru
From the evening sky I accept one citron
Yuuzora kara yuzu no hitotsu o morau
The moon risen I’m waiting for nothing in particular
Tsuki ga nobotte nani o matsu de mo naku
With this and that to eat one windy day
Arekore taberu mono wa atte kaze no ichinichi
The sound of water truly I’ve calmed down
Mizuoto shinjitsu ochitsukimashita
The sense that someone’s coming the sky cloudy loquat blossoms
Dare ka kisou na sora ga kumotteiru biwa no hana
In the snowy sky I pick the last one
Yukizora no saigo no hitotsu o mogu
Gochu snow falls as a solitary man I make a fire
Gochu yuki furu hitori to shite hi o taku
A warm day, still have things to eat
Nukui hi no, mada taberu mono wa aru
Through the moonlight’s center I come back
Tsukikage no mannaka o modoru
I’m in the quietness of snow falling on snow
Yuki e yuki furu shizukesa ni oru
Snow falls one by one they go
Yuki furu hitori hitori yuku
Moonlit night, so your gift was rice
Tsukiyo, temiyage wa kome dattaka
Camellias open there’s a grave
Tsubaki hiraite haka ga aru
The noise a bird that’s come to eat nuts in the morning perhaps
Oto wa asa kara ki no mi o tabeni kita tori ka
I pull and pull yet I pull the grass’s attachment
Nuite mo nuite mo kusa no shuuchaku o nuku
Today I pick bog rhubarb I eat bog rhubarb
Kyou wa fuki o tsumi fuki o tabe
Sparrows dance yeah dandelions scatter yeah
Suzume odoru ya tampopo chiru ya
A butterfly from back to front fluttering
Tefu tefu ura kara omote e hira hira
Today also all day no one came fireflies
Kyou mo ichinichi dare mo konakatta hotaru
Dragonfly trying to light on my stark naked body are you
Suppadaka e tombo tomarou to suruka
Rustling stirring a non-chirping insect has come
Kasari kosori oto sasete nakanu mushi ga kita
Pine winds cool a man eats a horse eats
Matsukaze suzushiku hito mo tabe uma mo tabe
Which is what everything’s abloom
Nani ga nani yara minna saiteiru
I walk and buttercups I sit and buttercups
Arukeba kimpouge suwareba kimpouge
With the drips from the young leaves the drips from my hat
Wakaba no shizuku de kasa no shizuku de
The temple’s bamboo shoots have become bamboo
O-tera no takenoko take ni natta
Alone I listen a woodpecker
Hitori kiiteiru kitsutsuki
I’m waiting the cherries are ripening
Matteiru sakurambo ureteiru
In the mountain’s embrace I become naked
Yama futokoro no hadaka to nari
On the mountain all day ants too are walking
Yama no ichinichi ari mo aruiteiru
Clouds hurry and turn it into a good moon
Kumo ga isoide yoi tsuki ni suru
Always alone and red dragonflies
Itsumo hitori de akatombo
It moved was a bagworm
Ugoite minomushi datta yo
Grass grows thick that’s a place for burning the dead
Kusa shigeru soko wa shinin o yaku tokoro
Morning dew sopping I go where I want
Asatsuyu shittori ikitai hou e iku
Burning heaven with no place to hide the water flows toward me
Enten kakusu tokoro naku mizu no nagarete kuru
The evening shower has washed the eggplants I pick ‘em
Yuudachi ga aratte itta nasu o mogu
Crickets there’s just enough rice for tomorrow
Kourogi yo asu no kome dake wa aru
I reach figs their ripeness
Te ga todoku ichijiku no urezama
Memories the tides rise at the hometown ferry
Omoide wa shio michitekuru furusato no watashiba
I see the sun off beyond the mountains and eat my meal
Yama no anata e o-hi-sama o miokuri gohan ni suru
Noon too quiet flies know the fly-swatter
Hiru mo shizukana hae ga haetataki o shitteiru
The misery of no longer being able to get drunk the crickets chirp
Yoenakunatta mijimesa wa korogi ga naku
Was so good the evening shower the sounds of water here and there
Honni yokatta yuudachi no mizuoto ga soko koko
Finally the mail came and now only ripe persimmons drop
Yatto yuubin ga kite sorekara jukushi no ochiru dake
Each time a fruit ripens and drops I pick it up
Urete wa ochiru mi o hirou
After seeing someone off I return alone through the quagmire
Hito o miokuri hitori de kaeru nukarumi
Moonlit night, I wash all the rice I have
Tsukiyo, aru dake no kome o togu
The sky’s depth dead leaves sunk in the water
Sora no fukasa wa ochiba shizundeiru mizu
With the moonlight from behind me I cross the water
Ushiro kara tsuki no kage suru mizu o wataru
Broken with a snap bamboo among bamboo
Pokiri to orete take ga take no naka
The moon goes behind it and there’s the thicket’s shadow
Tsuki ga ura e mawareba yabukage
This year too this its last night sleet starts
Kotoshi mo kon'ya giri no mizore to natta
Here like this I place myself winter night
Koko ni koushite watashi oiteiru fuyuyo
I get sick and a blue heron comes near
Yameba aosagi ga sokora made
I’m eating sake the mountain’s withered
Sake o tabeteiru yama wa kareteiru
The brightness of snow everywhere the quietness
Yuki no akarusa ga ie ippai no shizukesa
Camellias fall the water flows
Tsubaki no ochiru mizu no nagareru
I wake snow falls, not that I’m lonely
Nezame yuki furu, sabishigaru dewa nai ga
The owl in the owl’s way I in my way can’t sleep
Fukurou wa fukurou de watashi wa watashi de nemurenai
The moon goes behind it still the tree shadow
Tsuki ga ura e mawattemo kokage
The bagworm too dripping spring has come yes
Minomushi mo shizuku suru haru ga kita zo na
Grasses and trees alive I’m back they luxuriate
Kusa ya ki ya ikite modotte shigetteiru
Ill alone a morning turns into evening green leaves
Yamite hitori no asa ga yuube to nariyuku aoba
The persimmon’s young leaves glitter in the sky I’m yet not dead
Kaki no wakaba no kagayaku sora o shinazuni iru
Bees butterflies grasses so many blooming
Hachi ga tefucho ga kusa ga nambo demo saite
Always chained the dog has no choice but to bark
Itsumo tsunagarete hoeru hoka nai inu desu
Sprouting growing blooming happiness
Haete nobite saiteiru koufuku
Their shadows distinct the young leaves
Kage mo hakkiri to wakaba
Suddenly out of a hole a lizard is it
Hyoito ana kara tokage ka yo
Peckers and pussies overflowing hot water
Chimpoko mo ososo mo waite afureru yu
Alone hushed a bamboo shoot grows to become bamboo
Hitori hissori takenoko take ni naru
A mountain peers from behind a mountain the rainy season’s over
Yama kara yama ga nozoite tsuyubare
With something to eat something to drink in the weeds rain
Taberu mono wa atte you mono mo atte zassou no ame
Under burning heaven an endless line of ants
Enten no hate mo naku ari no gyouretsu
The spider spreads his net I affirm myself
Kumo wa ami haru watashi wa watashi o kouteisuru
Ready to die any moment grass blooms bears seeds
Itsu de mo shineru kusa ga saitari minottari
The sun at its most intense one leaf falls
Hizakari ochiru ha no ichimai
A cool wind passes so do bees so do dragonflies
Kaze ga suzushiku fukinukeru node hachi mo tombo mo
Drink hometown’s water bathe in the water
Furusato no mizu o nomi mizu o abi
Make this the place to die grasses luxuriate luxuriate15
Koko o shini basho to shite kusa no shigeri ni shigeri
In an autumn wind, an angry praying mantis this
Akikaze no, haratateteiru kamakiri de
Burdened with a heavy load he’s blind
Omoni o oute mekura de aru
The road where we parted straight
Wakaretekita michi ga massugu
Wake from a nap whichever way I look mountains
Hirune samete dochira o mite mo yama
A good inn mountains everywhere and a sake store in front
Yoi yado de dochira mo yama de mae wa sakaya de
I sit and there’s a wind autumn weeds
Suwareba kaze ga aru aki no zassou
I decide to sleep here grass seeds spill
Koko de neru to suru kusa no mi no koboreru
Bush clover and pampas grass are today’s road
Hagi ga susuki ga kyou no michi
Leaves fall fall into my alms bowl too
Ki no ha furu furu hachinoko e mo
I walk and grass seeds I sit and grass seeds
Arukeba kusa no mi suwareba kusa no mi
Now, which way shall I go the wind blows
Sate, dochira e iko kaze ga fuku
There’s only this road spring snow falls
Kono michi shika nai haru no yuki furu
Because the mountain’s quiet I take off my hat
Yama shizuka nareba kasa o nugu
The two or three left become ripe persimmons clouds come and go
Nokosareta futatsu mittsu ga jukushi to naru kumo no yukiki
No one comes cayenne peppers turn red
Dare mo konai tougarashi akou naru
I take ill and the pickled plums’ red
Yameba umeboshi no akasa
No matter how I think it’s all the same I step on dead leaves and walk on
Nambo kangaete mo onnaji koto no ochiba fumi aruku
I lie down I get up leaves fall
Netari okitari ochiba suru
Wide awake and feeling the moon right above
Hokkari samete maue no tsuki o kanjiteiru
Withering grass I sit on its beauty
Kareyuku kusa no utsukushisa ni suwaru
I live withdrawn and a wren
Hissori kuraseba misosazai
Dangling the snow falling on a bagworm
Burari to sagatte yuki furu minomushi
Just as they are weeds sprout
Aru ga mama zassou to shite me o fuku
From the mountain white flowers to my desk
Yama kara shiroi hana o tsukue ni
Into the sky young bamboo with no troubling thoughts
Sora e wakatake no nayami mo nashi
Around me all grasses every one blooming
Mi no mawari kusa darake minna saiteru
I roll on my back and there’s the blue sky
Korori nekorobeba aozora
Seeking what I go through the wind
Nani o motomeru kaze no naka yuku
In the depths of the green leaves the path still then a grave
Aoba no oku e nao michi ga atte haka
The moon before you know it brightens and katydids
Tsuki ga itsushika akarukunareba kirigirisu
Butterflies entangling in the shadow in the sun
Tefutefu motsuretsutsu kagehinata
Once you die, weeds rain falls
Shindeshimaeba, zassou ame furu
Before death a cool breeze
Shi o mae ni suzushii kaze
Even while wind chimes tinkle death sneaks up
Fuurin no naru sae shi no shinobiyoru
Have no thoughts to leave the evening’s sweet potato leaves aflutter
Omoi oku koto wa nai yuube no imo no ha hirahira
The wound healing turning autumnal the wind blows
Kizu ga ieyuku aki meita kaze to natte kaze fuku
I walk and cuckoos I hurry and cuckoos
Arukeba kakkou isogeba kakkuu
Heart empty the rough waves rolling in rolling out
Kokoro munashiku aranami no yosete wa kaeshi
Crouched on a dune today I still can’t see Sado
Sakyuu ni uzukumari kyou mo Sado wa mienai
Legs stretched toward the rough sea before and after the journey
Araumi e ashi nagedashite tabi no atosaki
Having come this far I drink water and leave
Koko made o koshi mizu nonde saru
A butterfly aflutter has gone over the roof tiles
Tefutefu hirahira iraka o koeta
Sobering a wind sadly blows through me
Yoizame no kaze no kanashiku fukinukeru
My heart calms down and the sound of the water
Kokoro ochitsukeba mizu no oto
I follow the bright and dark sides of a wind
Kaze no meian o tadoru
From the moon flutters down a persimmon leaf
Tsuki kara hirari to kaki no ha
Waiting for what day by day dead leaves grow deep
Nani o matsu hi ni hi ni ochiba fukounaru
Drying up the water’s clarity
Karetekuru mizu no sumi yo
Wash 'em and daikon grow even more white
Araeba daikon iyoiyo shiroshi
With a shadow too desultorily late night I’m eating
Kage mo bosoboso yofuke no watashi ga tabeteiru
I know the footfalls stepping on the fallen leaves coming closer
Ochiba fumikuru sono ashioto wa shitteiru
After all being alone’s lonesome the withered grass19
Yappari hitori wa samishii karekusa
Leaves fallen all the more intimate my neighbor’s light
Ochiba shite sarani shitashiku otonari no hi no
Out of the wind caw caw crows
Kaze no naka kara kaakaa karasu
The leaves fallen no more leaves to fall the sun
Ha no ochite ochiru ha wa nai taiyou
Snow falls I have things to eat snow falls
Yuki furu taberu mono wa atte yuki furu
Moon’s brightness I wonder where they’re bombing
Tsuki no akarusa wa doko o bakugeki shiteiru koto ka
Snow falling on snow battle is about to begin they say
Yuki e yuki furu tatakai wa kore kara da to iu
The town’s festive you’ve returned as bones have you
Machi wa omatsuri o-hone to natte kaeraretaka
Horse too requisitioned grandpa grandma
Uma mo mesarete ojiisan obasan
Legs and arms left in China you are back to Japan
Ashi wa te wa Shina ni nokoshite futatabi Nihon ni
Wordlessly playing a single bird in the blossoms
Damatte asubu tori no ichiwa ga hana no naka
The spring wind’s bagworm has taken a sudden peek
Harukaze no minomushi hyoito nozoita
Taking a sudden peek the bagworm doesn’t cry
Hyoito nozoite minomushi wa nakanai
The green of the grass I return barefoot
Kusa no aosa yo hadashi de modoru
In rows bamboo shoots turning into bamboo
Narande takenoko take ni naritsutsu
In the wind I walk blaming myself
Kaze no naka onore o semetsutsu aruku
Winter shower all the rice I got cooked good
Shigururu ya aru dake no gohan yo taketa
Death held tight the cayenne pepper scarlet
Shi o hishi to tougarashi makka na
Death’s stillness is the clear sky a leafless tree
Shi no shizukesa wa harete ha no nai ki
There in front of death I put the moon
Soko ni tsuki o shi no mae ni oku
I open the window the spring filling the window
Mado akete mado ippai no haru
Stillness, bamboo shoots have all turned into bamboo
Shizukesa, takenoko minna take ni natta
Living alone and green green is the grass
Hitori sumeba aoao to shite kusa
A hop a single red frog
Tonde ippiki akagaeru
Near my body water comes flowing
Mi no chikaku mizu no nagarete kuru
From somewhere clouds appear autumn clouds
Doko kara tomo naku kumo ga detekite aki no kumo
Autumn wind, whichever way I want to go as far as I can go
Akikaze, ikitai hou e ikeru tokoro made
Since I stopped coming across people the mountain butterflies
Hito ni awanakunarite yori yama no tefutefu
With this body that can die any place spring wind
Doko demo shineru karada de shumpuu
Balmy the butterfly is dead
Uraura chou wa shindeiru
Cherry blossoms at their peak a prison
Sakura mankai ni shite keimusho
Of the house where I was born no trace left fireflies
Umareta ie wa atokata mo nai hotaru
Water’s delicious frog croak
Mizu no umasa o kawazu naku
Letting the moon as far as my bed I decide to sleep
Nedoko made tsuki o ire neru koto ni suru
The darkness of the rice trusty I wash it
Kome no kurosa mo tanomoshiku arau
My bellybutton a pool of sweat
Heso ga ase tameteiru
Walls crumbling from there vine grass
Kabe ga kuzurete soko kara tsurugusa
That’s a pre-death butterfly dance
Sore wa shi no mae no tefutefu no mai
Autumn’s end-turned-fly crawls about
Aki mo owari no hae to nari haiaruku
Moon invisible moonlit water brimming
Tsuki wa mienai tsukiakari no mizu manman
Cawing a crow, flapping a crow, with no place to settle down
Naite karasu no, tonde karasu no, ochitsuku tokoro ga nai
The sound of water today too alone I travel
Mizuoto kyou mo hitori tabi yuku
Mountain’s quietness the white flower
Yama no shizukesa wa shiroi hana
Can’t calm down the futon heavy I sleep
Ochitsukenai futon omotaku neru
Under burning heaven the railway track straight
Enten no reeru massugu
A crow flies away I’ll cross the water
Karasu tondeyuku mizu o wataro
If this were to be my deathplace … / The grass grows deeper and deeper. (Tr. by James Abrams)
A graveyard basks in warmth, / the poor children. (Tr. by James Abrams)
The quietness of death, / clear-skied, leafless tree. (Tr. by James Abrams)
I cannot seem to die, / on the other bank a red flower blooms. (Tr. by James Abrams)
This plant which at any time may die, / blossoms and bears fruit. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Peacefully, possessing the power of death, / grass is withering. (Tr. by James Abrams)
This is the dance of the butterflies / before death. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Every day naked, / butterflies, / dragonflies. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Something missing, / another tooth fallen out, / I heave it into the evening darkness. (Tr. by James Abrams)
The muddied waters flow on, / clearing as they go. (Tr. by James Abrams)
mère et fille s’en viennent / des fleurs de lotus dans les mains (Tr. par Daniel Py)
lavé / le radis noir absolument blanc (Tr. par Daniel Py)
je marche vers les nuages / gonflant leurs muscles (Tr. par Daniel Py)
en bas de la montagne printanière / roule et roule et roule / un caillou (Tr. par Daniel Py)
sur le fil électrique / les oiseaux assis côte à côte / le plein printemps (Tr. par Daniel Py)
la banlieue / devient (un) cimetière / le bruit des vagues (Tr. par Daniel Py)
la lune claire, je rentre (Tr. par Daniel Py)
tout le jour j’ai marché dans le vent (Tr. par Daniel Py)
sans toit – avançant dans l’automne (Tr. par Daniel Py)
les feuilles tombent au fond de l’eau le ciel profond (Tr. par Daniel Py)
air raid sirens / one after another / persimmons are red (Tr. by Scott Watson)
as if someone is coming loquat leaf falling (Tr. by Scott Watson)
wanting something to do grass blades stirring (Tr. by Scott Watson)
intimate / mountain / meadow / bush warbler / cries (Tr. by Scott Watson)
there is only this road spring snow falling (Tr. by Scott Watson)
spring has come water sounds go where they do (Tr. by Scott Watson)
neither waiting / nor not waiting / moonlight weeds (Tr. by Scott Watson)
settled / down / persimmons / ripen / already (Tr. by Scott Watson)
So this is what / he calls his “tea grove” - / one miserable bush! (Tr. by Okami)
The sunshine freshly / reflecting from / my freshly-shaven head. (Tr. by Okami)
I have no home; / autumn gets bleaker. (Tr. by Okami)
Worn and torn daily / and falling in shreds: / my
cloak for travelling. (Tr. by Okami)
Winter rain clouds - / soldiers off to
China / to be blown to bits. (Tr. by Okami)
Marching together / on the ground their feet / will never pound again. (Tr. by Okami)
Leaving hands and feet / behind in China: / Japanese soldiers come home. (Tr. by Okami)
Will the municipality / stage a banner day / for those brought back as bones? (Tr. by Okami)
One pot is enough; / I wash the rice. (Tr. by Okami)
In the calm stillness / after the rainstorm: / flies. (Tr. by Okami)
The leaves fall. / From now on / water will taste better and better. (Tr. by Okami)
Slowly, slowly / falling apart: / my final autumn. (Tr. by Okami)
When I die: / weeds, / falling rain. (Tr. by Okami)
Seul regardant / la lune qui s'enfonce / derrière les montagnes (Tr.
par Gilles Fabre)
Couchant - l'ombre du laboureur / De plus en plus profonde. (Tr. par Gilles
Fabre)
Today again / soaken wet / walking on a strange path (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Today / I pick buttercups / I eat buttercups (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Spring / I walk holding my begging bowl / up to where? (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
From now on / I won’t wear any watch / evening rain (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Autumn rain / mountains more mountains / mountains I don’t know (Tr. by Gilles
Fabre)
Just like this it rains / I am soaken wet / I walk (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
I’ve just been given / something to eat / falling rain (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
My skull freshly shaved / really reflects / the sunlight (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Something’s missing / a tooth fell out / I hurl it into the night (Tr. by
Gilles Fabre)
Heavy rain / the postman / comes from so far (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
I can do nothing but walk / do nothing but return with grass seeds sticking to me (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
My Mama moved among the days
like a dreamwalker in a field;
seemed like what she touched was hers
seemed like what touched her couldn’t hold,
she got us almost through the high grass
then seemed like she turned around and ran
right back in
right back on in
starry night–
biting into a melon
full of seeds
pebbled beach–
how carefully she chooses
her words
parting her pink robe
–daybreak
warm rain
the spring moon returns
to the rusty can
duck pond
making small talk
with strangers
Central Park
the echo of her voice
in every direction
someone’s hat
left on a park bench
quiet afternoon
bumblebee
deeper in the petunia
summer heat
topiary garden
a lantern
in bloom
after the rain
the white lilac
just my height
shutter lag -
just bees
on the blossoms
stepping out
with my holey socks
summer stars
summer heat –
into the shade together
the scorpion and I
lucky bamboo
a single leaf
tipped with sun
longer days
a nameless bug
on my bicycle
old passport
the tug
of my father’s smile
early bird special
rubbing elbows
with a stranger
around and around
learning the names
of one way streets
Christmas party
an old friend empties
my wine glass
small town
my accents starts
a conversation
starlit sky
are you sure
we are alone
windowless classroom
the blank look
same as last term
fund drive
the ivy covered building
has a new name
home alone
she blows a kiss
into a cellphone
just long enough
to leave an impression
dragonfly
autumn colors
we paddle closer
to the mountain
water’s edge
she pulls me
into summer
autumn dusk
enough light
to count the leaves
banana leaf
our small talk
in the rain
winter sun-
through my office window
amaryllis in bloom
starry night
biting into a melon
full of seeds
cold morning
a pair of ducks watching me
watching them
left behind
at the mountain lake
silence
still thinking of her
the sticky threads
of the severed lotus root
time for breakfast
my cat’s tail
in the headlines
deepening dusk
a canoe comes in
with the fog
winter moon
through the grape trellis
squares of light
first frost
a homeless man appears
in the new development
mountain lake-
basking
in your reflection
another spring
the nameless shoot
still nameless
filigreed moon
the soft edges
of her lingerie
sunrise
we lower
the blinds
new dean
all blackboards
turn white
winfow box —
between flowering pansies
my daughter’s face
17 years
how carelessly she flicks off
the cicada
a scorpion emerges
from a pile of chilies
desert sunset
almost dusk
the raspberry stalk bends
with a purple finch
biology conference room
all eyes
on the stuffed owl
cattails
stalling the sunset
in the marsh
different pace
at the water’s edge
the sandpiper and I
ebb tide
the dark water
carries the moon away
empty beach
a child’s bucket
full of sand
giving sound
to the submerged stone wall
my new kayak
giving sound
to my creaky steps
old plank
glistening
amid dead leaves
broken icicles
insomnia -
the train tracks are silent
all night long
moonless night
the darkness deepest
where the snowy owl was
Wanting to be Tinkerbell
and take you in my arms—
pearly pink flat shoes
After seeing you off this morning,
I glance at my toothpaste tube—
the dent in it is new
Sharing in the sun with you
summer’s first tomato,
skin firm yet delicate
He loved another first—
and so I am cast as
the ‘other-woman type’
“Marry a nice guy, now”
says this guy, with a kiss,
and doesn’t marry me
Each having someone waiting,
you and I talk lightly of baseball,
and part in the afternoon
“Here” you say and hand me the ring
“Thanks” I say and take it
like a piece of candy
Evening—
this man who’s leaving me
earnestly takes my picture
As I weep, another me
marvels at my weeping—
quietly, love draws to an end
Farewell scene:
do cooling passions
flare up a little at the end?
You and I under the full moon
groping for answers—
like a game of blindman’s bluff
Dawn breaks in Tokyo;
at a vending machine in a corner of town,
buying two cans of Coke
As I gaze skyward it floats in my mind—
the name of the girl
who’s probably seeing you off
On a hill west of the capital,
where I came once before,
I wave to the Sunshine Building
Holding a daisy high in the air,
both hands around its neck,
I ask “Who do you love best?”
The ancient maiden Sano no Chigami:
to her was granted
the pain of waiting
Slow-motion walk, alone,
through this land that boasts the gentle word natanezuyu.
rain at rape-blossom time
I boil three chestnuts
to make an autumn for one—
remembering the far-off sea, and you
Voice lowered to a whisper
the pavement fortune-teller confides,
“I see signs of marriage ahead”
Autumn night, wanting a small romance—
parsley on the veranda
turning slightly yellow
On the table
I keep a small coconut palm
for my solitary mornings
Won’t ease my sighing, I know,
but I try slicing
the ham a bit thicker
Early morning,
cyclamen flowers standing erect—
if only I could see with their eyes
Memories—
like a package of mixed vegetables
that mustn’t be defrosted
Unable to follow after someone
leaving on a journey at a whim—
my life goes on as usual
The wonder of it—
a bit of love rests on my palm
after crossing the ocean airmail
Loneliness of being in love
in December—
my heart impervious to “Jingle Bells”
Even dressed up like an antique doll
some of life’s mud
cannot be concealed
To pass a day with nothing to do
I play a solitary game:
‘pretending to wait for someone’
What sad and weeping voice is that?
Turn and see
steam rising from the rice cooker
Nineteen eighty-five, the year I fell in love,
winds to an end—
in my room, just me and my dieffenbachia
“The crocuses are out”
Suddenly I want to write a letter
opening with those words
Looking at a postcard
from a country of primary colors—
like the sequel to a dream
On the terrace, red with sunrise,
the fern puts out new fronds
to mark the coming of spring
On my table, coffee aroma so rich—
to think of living
with nothing but love!
From the collection Salad Anniversary, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
