recently, I’ve been reading a lot of haiku by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō. I’ve been inspired to write some of my own, in English and in Japanese.
usually I’ll write the Japanese version first, then translate it into English, attempting to keep the same syllable count and the same general meaning.
all the haiku I’ve written are inspired by the recent experiences I’ve had, the things I’ve seen and the emotions I’ve felt.
some of them might therefore seem cryptic or nonsensical, but that’s the nature of haiku. (or at least that’s what I tell myself.)
my Japanese is also, well, rather basic. it usually takes me an hour to find the right words (and grammar) for a single haiku, and 40 seconds to write the English version. maybe one day…
anyway, here are some of my favorites. scroll to the right to see them.
while the sun shines, the
dandelions will scatter—
a little magpie.
晴れながら蒲公英散らむ小鵲。
O Mount Ararat—
the carefree airy ballet
of myriad swifts.
アララトや軽き翼のアマツバメ。
dazzling white on green!
the apricots have blossomed
while the sky’s in tears.
白き木や杏花咲きけり雨の音。
verdant canopies—
wishing I felt like working,
I taste Katharsis.
春なれど働く気せずカタルシス。
mountains everywhere—
let’s plunge into the rough sea
that surrounds this world.
山々やこの世を囲む荒海へ。
in the haze of morn,
a thinly veiled Ararat;
the swifts flutter on.
朧なるアララトへ飛ぶツバメかな。
ah, Mount Ararat
and a warm ray of sunshine
that dries up my tears.
アララトや頬を乾かす日の光。
is the azure sky
but a graveyard for those bright
scintillating stars…
青空は輝く星の墓場かな。
in the light of day
the moon shows its battered face—
a shy cat cries out.
日の本に月の目つきや鳴く子猫。
oh, the kingfisher—
it’s still spring, you idiot,
that’s the wrong kigo.
かわせみやまだ春だバカ季語合わん。
two months have passed since I last updated this page. frankly, I’ve been less inspired to write, but I’ve still managed to pen a few more haiku.
this time there are fewer of them, and they’re also a skosh bit more personal (read: cryptic and nonsensical).
in keeping with this general decline in quality, there’s even one that violates the widely revered 5-7-5 rule. can you spot it? I was so elated when I wrote it that I didn’t even notice until the next day.
in general, you may have noticed that many of my haiku don’t have a kigo. that’s because I don’t know many of them, and I’m not very good at finding them.
regardless, I hope you enjoy them. keep scrolling to see them.
a cat hides her face
behind a wall of flowers;
beyond it—nothing.
花に猫顔隠れけり風も無し。
last night I dreamt of
fish swimming untroubled in
pellucid waters.
夢を見き清き水にて遊ぶ魚。
amidst spring showers,
the soughing of the gale through
swaying mulberries.
五月雨に揺るる桑の木のうねりかな。
a hot summer’s day;
the specter of June rainstorms
grows dearer to me.
夏の日や五月雨もう待ち遠し。
the tiny flowers
on my desk have now withered
in the summer heat.
我が部屋の花は枯れけり夏の昼。