Zen Death Haiku Xii
ZEN DEATH HAIKU XII
These are my modern English translations of Japanese Zen Death Haiku.
Both victor and vanquished are dewdrops:
flashes of light
briefly illuminating the void.
—Ouchi Yoaka, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch
The snow melts
the rivers rise
and the village is flooded with children!
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Don't weep, we are all insects!
Lovers, even the stars themselves,
must eventually part.
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Peonies blossom;
the world is full of fibbers.
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Peonies blossom;
the world is full of blooming liars.
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Overdressed for my thatched hut:
a peony blossoms.
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Oh, magnificent peony,
please don't disdain
these poor surroundings!
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Insolent peony!
Demanding I measure your span
with my fan?
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
'This big!'
The child's arms
measured the peony.
—Kobayashi Issa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
The rutting cat
has grown so scrawny
he's nothing but eyes.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Clinging to each other
beneath an umbrella:
spring rain.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Twos become one:
butterflies.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
No rain
and yet the flowers glisten?
Dew.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Buzzings encircle
a meditating monk:
mosquitoes.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
He's lost so much weight
in the summer heat
even the mosquitoes won't bite.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Autumn's here, crickets,
whether you chirp
or not.
—Natsume Soseki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
A windy temple:
coins clatter
in the collection box.
—Shuson Kato, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
After death
six feet under the frost
will be sufficient cover.
—Shuson Kato, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Midwinter thunder
rattles the windowpanes.
—Shuson Kato, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Keywords/Tags: Haiku, Zen, Japan, Japanese, translation, life, death, aging, time, pain, sorrow, lament, age, analogy, angst, animal, anxiety, august, autumn
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