Translation Poems

found in translation

I prefer the dentists ~ they interpret silence through big open mouths

mimed the ventriloquist during a prostate exam ~ curled up in doubts

imagining his puppets snickering ~ from the gloves inside their snouts 

at last the doctor spoke ~ this one feels mostly shaggy or thereabouts

The Falconer's Prey

If weary my heart should thy secret betray,
Or lay bare to all what within me doth stay—

Till voices from unseen in my song shall rise,
One breath I become thy companion true.

No prey like to thee may the falconer claim,
And if I be lost, none bringeth my name.

Last night no tidings of thee came to me,
Nor

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

W S Rendra translation of 'Hai Ma' or 'Hi Mom'

My English translation of "Hai Ma" by W. S. Rendra, a son to his mother and soulmate.

HAI MA ("HI MOM")
by W. S. Rendra
translation by Michael R. Burch

for Zeelhan Zahraa

Mom,
It's not death that disheartens my heart
but a lifeless life, a life unlived
because life loses its power and nature.
There are nights when I walk these corridors
with nowhere

Ancient Egyptian translation of 'Dialogue of a Misanthrope with his Soul'

Metaphor and simile have been with the human race for thousands of years. This is my English translation of an excerpt from an ancient Egyptian poem estimated to be around 4,000 years old:

Excerpt from "Dialogue of a Misanthrope with his Soul"
(ancient Egyptian poem circa 2000 BC)
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Death lies before me:
like a

Matsuo Basho: English translations of Haku about Summer 1

Matsuo Basho: English translations of haiku about summer, life, sun, sunshine, sunlight, melons, willows, rain, rivers, hats, shade, sad, sadness.

Such coolness
when shouldered:
the summer’s first melon.
—Matsuo Basho, translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A wicker basket
shields the coolness
of the first melon.
—Matsuo Basho, translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Morning dew:
the muddy melon
exudes coolness.
—Matsuo Basho, translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Early summer

Renee Vivien English Translation of her 'Coming Out' poem

Renee Vivien English Translation

Words to My Love
by Renée Vivien
translation by Michael R. Burch

This is Vivien’s “coming out” poem, although the term wasn’t coined until many years after Vivien’s death. The poem was written about forbidden love to a girlfriend and lover. 

Please understand me: an unusual creature,
not so very good, or bad; perhaps a bit

Issa Translations II

These are English translations of Issa haiku about the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Autumn wind ...
She always wanted to pluck
the reddest roses
?Kobayashi Issa translation by Michael R. Burch

Issa wrote the haiku above after the death of his daughter Sato with the note: “Sato, girl, 35th day, at the grave.”

In this world where I was born
every

Lost in Translation

in a strange foreign land 
lone outsider
waiting on the sidelines
stumbles upon friendship
and finds comfort
soul to soul

securing a safety net
experiences the freedom to let loose
to laugh and share the freedom to be free
within confines set by the heart
indelibly forging a lasting memory
to take home and treasure always 



AP: 3rd place 2025

Inspired by the movie 'Lost in

The Alchemist of Love

Tonight from all but you, my love, I part,
And turn to gold my faint and weary heart.

To taste the draught your alchemy bestows,
Through passion’s fire my seeking spirit goes.

The harp and lute enchant the midnight air,
Yet still your words outshine all music there.

You spoke of rain, of thorns along the way,
Through sleepless nights I guard

Raak jy aan my - English translation included

Raak jy aan my

Die more son is ‘n kus op my wang
So sag soos ‘n veer, raak jy aan my
met die son en maak my verlang,

Die straal in die maan lig, streel my oë
So sag en teer, raak jy aan my
dat ek jou sien met ander oë.

Die wind waai en my omhels
So hou jy my

Warning of Krishna-A Translation

Wandering in the woods for years,
Trials and Tribulations without fears,
Scorching heat, thorns and flood flow,
Came the Pandavas with a divine glow.
For days not Fortune lay wrappen,
Wait and Watch the thing to happen.
 
To manifest the clan’s worth,
To show the righteous path on Earth,
To bring Duryodhan into sense,
To prevent Massacre of Vehemence,
Came Hastinapur the Almighty,
The Message

Midnight chimes- Translation

This poem is an English translation of one of the beautiful Bengali poem of PS poet Malabika Ray.


Midnight chimes unveil in cascade,
glances of your shimmering face 
engulfing me in a transient dream...
As if you never went away!
As if I didn't wake up to see you're gone!
As if I no longer felt the shatters of pain

Lao Tzu: English Translations IV

LAO TZU ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS IV

The Roots of Turbulence
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch

Heaviness lies at the root of lightness;
stillness begets turbulence.
Thus the nobleman heads his caravan
keeping a constant eye on his possession-laden wagons.
At night he sleeps secure behind high-walled towers,
undaunted and untroubled.
But how can the ruler of ten thousand chariots
discard the people so

Lao Tzu: English Translations III

LAO TZU ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS III

The Valley Spirit
by Lao Tzu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The valley Spirit never runs dry,
the river to whom all waters run:
the Spirit of our Primal Mother.
Deeply rooting Heaven and Earth,
to most eyes a delicate veil dimly seen,
yet a never-failing Fountainhead.

Adhere to the Feminine
by Lao Tzu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R.

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