Selected haiku

Haiku translations: a collaboration between Emiko Miyashita, Claudia Brefeld and Eva Moering

"Here the idea and background of this project can be found.

Selection and commenting on
HIDEO Someya, HIA director

蔵書印の父の名赤く夜長し

zōshoin no / chichi no na akaku / yoru nagashi

The Name of the Father
red in ownership stamp –
long night

高橋紀美子 TAKAHASHI Kimiko

Season word (autumn) = long night

It's a long, quiet autumn night, suitable for reading. The books on the shelves are the ones that the late father enjoyed reading. People in the olden days treated the books with great care. And in the colophon, the “XX Collection” vermilion seal ink still vividly reveals the existence of the father. In the stillness of the autumn night, the author recalls how much her father loved the order of things and how carefully he treated each book.

豆めしや佃路地裏赤子泣き

mamemeshi ya / tsukuda rojiura / akago naki

green pea rice –
a side street in Tsukuda*
a baby is crying

三好万記子 MIYOSHI Makiko

Season word (summer) = green pea rice

*Tsukuda is located on Tokyo Bay surrounded by tall buildings. It still has the nostalgic vibe of downtown.

In Tsukudajima there is a narrow alley where cars can hardly get through. It is an original location of Showa-era Tokyo. On a summer evening, every house is bustling with the preparation of dinner. The smell of cooked green pea rice comes from a house nearby. Green pea rice is typical for early summer. A baby is crying, but now it's time to prepare dinner.

的皪と風に応へる蓮の花

tekireki to / kaze ni kotaeru / hasu no hana

glittering
lotus flowers
meet the wind

草刈幸風 KUSAKARI Kofu

Season word (summer) = lotus flower

A sprawling scenery like the Shinobazu pond comes to mind. Bright red and white lotus flowers grow from the large leaves, which receive a lot of sunlight in summer. The colors of the flowers shine brightly, and together with the green leaves they gently flutter in the wind. The breeze of the blooming flowers between the lotus leaves soothes the heart.

縁側を一人占めして帰省かな

engawa o / hitorijime shite / kisei kana

I have the engawa*
all to myself –
summer homecoming

渡辺通子 WATANABE Michiko

Season Word (Summer) = Homecoming

*Engawa is a wooden floor exterior corridor that usually runs along the other side of a traditional Japanese house with sliding glass doors.

It's been a while since the author left home. She remembers the days when she roamed freely at home. Even if it is a temporary homecoming, she is now free of attachments. On the porch (engawa) she can indulge in the chill of the board and enjoy the cool breeze without hesitation by stretching out her legs. What a moment of luxurious bliss!

まみえたることなき人の墓洗ふ

mamietaru / kotonaki hito no / haka arau

I wash the grave
the one i never
got to know

田中由子 TANAKA Yoshiko

Season word (autumn) = the washing of the tombstones

Japanese people go to their ancestors' graves, wash the gravestone and lay flowers at the Bon festival.

After a long absence, the author visited the grave of her ancestors, washed the gravestone, and offered flowers and incense. Near her family's grave is the grave of a person whose name she heard and knows, but never met . Coming at the right time, she washed that tomb too and offered flowers and incense. Afterwards she felt refreshed. She thought her ancestors would be happy too.

And here are five more haiku - selected by Emiko Miyashita

車椅子孫に押されて花巡る

kurumaisu / mago ni osarete / hana meguru

in a wheelchair
being pushed by my grandson. . .
Visiting the cherry blossoms

北端辰昭 KITABATA Tatsuaki

紙屑と見えて舞い立つ秋の蝶

kamikuzu to / rent maitatsu / aki no chō

looking like old paper
ascending . . .
an autumn butterfly

福田ひさし FUKUDA Hisashi

さかなつり彩るバケツ夏来る

sakanatsuri / ayadoru baketsu / natsu kitaru

fishing . . .
colored the bucket of the anglers
the summer begins

清水暁子 SHIMIZU Akiko

知床や匂ひ立つほど昆布干す

shiretoko ya / nioitatsu hodo / konbu hosu

so much dried seaweed
and his smell was everywhere –
Shiretoko*

眞鍋郁子 MANABE Ikuko

Season word (summer) = drying seaweed

*Shiretoko is a peninsula of Hokkaido

夕焼や週に一度の子の電話

yūyake ya / shū ni ichido no / ko no denwa

beautiful sunset. . .
once a week calls me
my child on

山戸暁子 YAMATO Akiko

Season word (summer) = sunset