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
SEIAN Mizuno, HIA Director
初競や離れぬ仔牛に僅な値
hatsuseri ya / hanarenu koushi ni / wazukana ne
The first auction –
a low price for the calf
that stays with me永井玲子 NAGAI Reiko
Growing up near a facility that traded horses and cattle, I was acutely aware of the impending fate of newborn cows in the slaughterhouse. The preciousness of life and the karmic relationship between man and livestock is particularly represented in “a low price,” implying man's guilt for his role.
天上に国境なし凧踊る
tenjyō ni / kunizakai nashi / tako odoru
No limits
in the sky -
dancing dragons柚子 YUZU
Birds flying effortlessly through the sky are in stark contrast to tourists who are bound by laws and regulations when crossing international borders. Flying kites symbolize peace, but like travelers, they are somewhat limited as they are controlled by a taut rope.
初蝶の渾身といふ高さかな
hatsuchō no / konshin to iu / takasa kana
A butterfly flutters
not so high, but with all my might
the first this spring白根順子 SHIRANE Junko
The joy and wonder at the beginning of spring are symbolized in the haiku by the “first butterfly”. A butterfly emerging from its cocoon in spring is restless and tense. “Not so high, but with all our might” underlines the vulnerability of a newly hatched butterfly and its intimate connection to the people who admire it.
Au-delá du Pacifique
On y va chaser des demons
en retard d'un jour (original)海の向かふ一日遅れの鬼遣ひ
umi no mukou / hitohi okure no/ oniyarai*
Beyond the Pacific
We will hunt demons there
a day late望月吉々 MOCHIZUKI Yoshi-Yoshi
*Oniyarai: https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/january/oniyarai/
Beginning of spring in the Japanese calendar. The link leads to a performance in Kyoto. It takes place all over Japan, and each family performs the mame-maki/tsuina (expelling the oni demons by throwing roasted soybeans at them in front of their house) in a small circle. The haiku likely refers to Tsuina delayed by a day due to the International Date Line.
Every year on the evening of February 3rd (setsubun), Japanese families hold “demon hunting,” an ancient tradition in which dry soybeans are thrown into their homes. These “lucky beans” are supposed to drive away bad luck (the “demon”) from the house and thus attract good luck. Due to the time difference, they may not be able to celebrate on the same day as families living in Japan, but many Japanese families living abroad still enjoy “Demon Chasing.”
wild violets—
in all their vibrance
a touch of melancholy (original)すみれ草／揺らぎ合いながら／一抹の愁い
sumiregusa / yuragiainagara / ichimatsu no urei
Wild violets…
in all its liveliness
a touch of melancholyマックミラー・パトリシア (アメリカ)
MACHMILLER, Patricia J. (USA)
This reminds me of William Wordsworth's “A Violet on a Mossy Stone. Half-hidden from the eye!”, which I greatly appreciated during my school years. The beauty of violets in nature is fleeting, just as our youth fades. People in Eastern and Western cultures have a penchant for these fleeting symbols of tenderness, which are often associated with melancholy.
And here are five more haiku - selected by Emiko Miyashita
A spider thread
on the path—
an invisible bondage. (original)小道の蜘蛛の糸や／見えぬ／束縛
komichi no kumo no ito ya / mienu / sokubaku
A spider thread
on the way -
an invisible bondage.バー・ボルドー （内モンゴル）
Ba, Bold（Inner Mongolia）
柔らかき土の畝々鳥の声
yawarakaki / tsuchi no uneune / tori no koe
Bump after bump
made of soft earth...
the birds are singing桂香 KEIKA
花筏急くも休むも余生かな
hanaikada/ seku mo yasumu mo/ yosei kana
Flower raft* –
free to rush or not
for the rest of life坂田節子 SAKATA Setsuko
*Fallen cherry blossom petals on the surface of the water are called flower floats. A seasonal word for spring.
春風やビルの間にまた更地増え
harukaze ya / biru no ma ni mata / sarachi fue
spring wind –
an increase in vacant lots
between the buildings月城花風 TSUKISHIRO Kafu
寒の雨けふも菓子屋に長き列
kan* no ame / kyō mo kashiya ni / nagaki retsu
winter rain
a long line today too
at the candy store内村恭子 UCHIMURA Kyoko
*Kan (寒) is a 30-day period before the first day of spring (February 4 in the Chinese lunar calendar, which we used before adopting the Gregorian calendar); it is considered the coldest time of the year.
