Fukuda Chiyo-ni Haiku Translations 4
Fukuda Chiyo-ni Haiku Translations 4
The next seven autumn moon translations are dedicated to Stephen I. Hsu, who suggested the Chiyo-ni poems to me.
Keywords/Tags: autumn, moon, bright, walk, touch, nature, absence, angst, loneliness, solitude, understanding, distance, nearness
Bright autumnal moon,
but no matter how far I walked,
unreachable.
—Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Bright autumnal moon,
but no matter how far I walked,
distant beyond my grasp.
—Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Here, “grasp” in both the sense of touch and understanding.
Walking, walking
toward the bright autumn moon,
never the nearer.
—Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I walk and walk
toward the autumn moon,
yet it remains distant.
—Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
"meigetsu ya": "bright moon" or "harvest moon"
"ittemo ittemo": "however far I walked," or "no matter how much I walk"
"yoso no sora": "distant sky," "unknown sky," or "another's sky"
***
The bright autumn moon
even for those we keenly miss
shines just as full.
The bright autumn moon
even for those far from us
shines just as full.
The bright autumn moon
even for those far from us
seems just as close.
meigetsu ya: "bright moon" or "harvest moon"
rusu no hito ni mo: "for those far away"
maru nagara: "while round" or perhaps "remains round/full"
Copyright © Michael Burch | Year Posted 2025
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