Yamaguchi Seishi Haiku Translations

Yamaguchi Seishi haiku modern English translations Grasses wilt: the braking locomotive grinds to a halt. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Ceaseless chaos— ice floes clash in the Soya straits. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Having crossed the sea, winter winds can never return. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch (The haiku above was written in October 1944 as Kamikaze pilots were flying out to sea.) Banish the snow for the human torpedo now lies exploded. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The sky hangs low over Karafuto, as white as the spawning herring. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Green bottle flies buzzing carrion— did they just materialize? —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Finally the cicadas stopped shrilling— summer gale. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch As grief becomes unbearable someone snaps a nearby branch. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch As grief reaches its breaking point someone snaps a nearby branch. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Trapped in the spider’s web the firefly’s bulb blinks out forever. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Trapped in the spider’s web the firefly’s light is swiftly consumed. —Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Keywords/Tags: Haiku, Translation, Japan, Japanese, Nature, Season, Seasons, Animal, Animals, Grass, Train, Locomotive, Ice, Sea, Winter, Wind, Snow, Autumn, Fall, Grief, Branch, Spider, Firefly, Light, Flies, Fish, Herring, Cicada, Cicadas, Turbulence, Rough Seas, Storms, War, WWII, World War II