Best Chiyo Ni Poems
Haiku Translations II
Illuminated by the harvest moon
smoke is caught creeping
across the water...
Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fanning its tail flamboyantly
with every excuse of a breeze,
the peacock!
Masaoki Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Waves row through the mists
of the endless sea.
Masaoki Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
I hurl a firefly into the darkness
and sense the enormity of night.
—Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
As girls gather rice sprouts
reflections of the rain ripple
on the backs of their hats.
—Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Unaware it protects
the hilltop paddies,
the scarecrow seems useless to itself.
—Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Ebb-tide:
everything we stoop to collect
slips through our fingers ...
—Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fading memories
of summer holidays:
the closet’s last floral skirt...
—Michael R. Burch
Scandalous tides,
removing bikinis!
—Michael R. Burch
Haughty moon,
when did I ever trouble you,
insomnia’s co-conspirator!
—Michael R. Burch
Ascendance Transcendence
by Michael R. Burch
Breaching the summit
I reach
the horizon’s last rays.
Moore or Less
by Michael R. Burch
for Richard Moore
Less is more —
in a dress, I suppose,
and in intimate clothes
like crotchless hose.
But now Moore is less
due to death’s subtraction
and I must confess:
I hate such redaction!
no foothold
by michael r. burch
there is no hope;
therefore i became invulnerable to love.
now even god cannot move me:
nothing to push or shove,
no foothold.
so let me live out my remaining days in clarity,
mine being the only nativity,
my death the final crucifixion
and apocalypse,
as far as the i can see ...
The Red State Reaction
by Michael R. Burch
Where the hell are they hidin’
Sleepy Joe Biden?
And how the hell can the bleep
Do so much, in his SLEEP?
Red State Reject
by Michael R. Burch
I once was a pessimist
but now I’m more optimistic
ever since I discovered my fears
were unsupported by any statistic.
Keywords/Tags: haiku, nature, moon, water, sea, night, rain, dark, memories, tides, insomnia
To the hand that broke
Her, she gave her fragrance too
The plum blossom branch
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"