Eric Hoffman
Translations of Haiku, 1923-1924, by Ozaki Hōsai, 尾崎 放哉
大空
from Taikū
(The Big Sky)
1923 (Ch’angchun)
途に児等は泣くどの家にも灯火
to ni ko-tō wa nakudo no ie ni mo tomoshibi
Outside, children crying— in the houses lanterns lit
風の中走り来て手の中のあつい銭
kaze no naka hashiri kite te no naka no atsui zeni
Refuge from wind and rain—warm coins in clenched fists
何もかも死に尽したる野面にて我が足音
nanimokamo shini tsukushitaru nodzura nite waga ashioto
Withered field—footsteps accumulate
氷穿ちては釣の糸深々と下ろす
kōri ugachite wa tsuri no ito fukabuka to orosu
Hole carved in ice—fishing line disappears
氷れる路に頭を下げて引かるる馬よ
kōri reru michi ni atama o sagete hikaruru uma yo
Horse led down a frozen road—head hung low
田ずそ親しく氷解水流れそめたり
tazu so shitashiku hyōkai mizunagare some tari
At stream’s edge, melted ice begins to flow
長雨あまる小窓で杏落つるばかり
nagaame amaru komado de anzu o tsuru bakari
Small window, massive storm—apricots fall
昼火事の煙遠くへ冬木つらなる
hirukaji no kemuri tōku e fuyuki tsuranaru
The smoke from afternoon fires keeps the woods at a distance
焼跡はるかなる橋を淋しく見通し
yakeato harukanaru hashi o samishiku mitōshi
A favorite bridge has burned down—I will miss it
春日の中に泥厚く塗りて家つくる
kasuga no naka ni doro atsuku nurite ie tsukuru
April sun—villagers assemble a house from clay
いたくも狂へる馬で一面の大霜
itaku mo kyō heru uma de ichimen no ōjimo
A horse, wild from pain, bolts across an icy field
かぎりなく煙吐き散らし風やまぬ煙突
kagirinaku kemuri haki chirashi-fū ya manu entotsu
Chimney smoke stirred by ceaseless wind
母の日ぬくとくさやゑんどう出そめて
haha no hi nukutoku-sa ya wen dō de somete
Mother’s Day—garden peas kindly begin to sprout
夏帽新しく睡蓮に昼の風あり
natsu bō atarashiku suiren ni hiru no kaze ari
A new straw hat—water lilies stirred by warm noon wind
犬が覗いて行く垣根にて何事もない昼
inu ga nozoite iku kakine nite nanigoto mo nai hiru
A dog passes by a broken fence, looks in—dull afternoon
ここに死にかけた病人が居り演習の銃音をきく
koko ni shinikaketa byōnin ga ori enshū no tsutsuoto o kiku
A dying man listens to the report of arms
小供等たくさん連れて海渡る女よ
ko kyō-tō takusan tsurete umi wataru on'na yo
A mother of many children crosses the great ocean
遠く船見付けたる甲板の昼を人無く
tōku fune mitsuketaru kanpan no hiru o hito naku
Mid-afternoon—a distant ship approaches, its deck empty
1923-24 (Ittō-en, Kyoto)
山水ちろろ茶碗真白く洗い去る
sansui chiro ro chawan masshiroku araisaru
Snow-white rice balls rinsed in mountain water
ホツリホツリ闇に浸りて帰り来る人人
hotsurihotsuri yami ni hitarite kaeri kuru hito hito
Returning home, immersed in darkness
落葉掃き居る人の後ろの往来を知らず
ochiba hakioru hito no ushiro no yukiki o shirazu
Man sweeps fallen leaves—just beyond, a road to nowhere
船は皆出てしまひ雪の山山なり
fune wa mina deteshimai yuki no yama yama nari
Ships at sea—the snow-capped mountains remain
つくづく淋しい我が影よ動かして見る
tsukuzuku sabishii waga kage yo ugokashite miru
I move, my shadow moves—loneliness
ねそべつて書いて居る手紙を鶏に覗かれる
asobetsute kaite iru tegami o niwatori ni nozokareru
Lying down, I compose a letter—a chicken spies on me
皆働きに出てしまひ障子あけた儘の家
kai hataraki ni dete shimahi shōji aketa mama no ie
Everyone at work—shōji left open
静かなるかげを動かし客に茶をつぐ
shizuka naru kage o ugokashi kyaku ni cha o tsugu
I pour tea for my guest—so too does my shadow
花あわただしさの古き橋かかれり
hana awatadashisa no furuki hashi kakareri
Ancient stone bridge—flowers fleeting
夕日の中へ力いつぱい馬を追きかける
yūhi no naka e chikara itsu pai-ba o tsui ki kakeru
Evening sun—with what strength remains I chase a horse
落葉へらへら顔をゆがめた笑う事
rakuyō herahera kao o yugameta warau koto
A leaf falls—someone laughs
月夜戻り来て長い手紙を書き出す
tsukiyo kaerikite nagai tegami o kakidasu
At midnight I begin a long letter
草の穂の一匹の蟻にも大空
kusa no hosaki no ippiki no ari ni mo ōsora
Balanced on a blade of grass beneath an infinite sky—an ant
Ozaki Hōsai was the haigo (haikai pen name) of Ozaki Hideo (1885 - 1926), a Japanese poet of the late Meiji and Taishō periods of Japan and a practitioner of the modern free verse haiku movement.
Eric Hoffman is the author of several collections of poetry, most recently This Thin Mean: New Selected Poems (Spuyten Duyvil, 2020) and the editor of the forthcoming John Berryman: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi, 2021).
[More translations of Ozaki Hōsai by Eric Hoffman have appeared in earlier issues of Otoliths.]
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Translations of Haiku, 1923-1924, by Ozaki Hōsai, 尾崎 放哉
大空
from Taikū
(The Big Sky)
1923 (Ch’angchun)
途に児等は泣くどの家にも灯火
to ni ko-tō wa nakudo no ie ni mo tomoshibi
Outside, children crying— in the houses lanterns lit
風の中走り来て手の中のあつい銭
kaze no naka hashiri kite te no naka no atsui zeni
Refuge from wind and rain—warm coins in clenched fists
何もかも死に尽したる野面にて我が足音
nanimokamo shini tsukushitaru nodzura nite waga ashioto
Withered field—footsteps accumulate
氷穿ちては釣の糸深々と下ろす
kōri ugachite wa tsuri no ito fukabuka to orosu
Hole carved in ice—fishing line disappears
氷れる路に頭を下げて引かるる馬よ
kōri reru michi ni atama o sagete hikaruru uma yo
Horse led down a frozen road—head hung low
田ずそ親しく氷解水流れそめたり
tazu so shitashiku hyōkai mizunagare some tari
At stream’s edge, melted ice begins to flow
長雨あまる小窓で杏落つるばかり
nagaame amaru komado de anzu o tsuru bakari
Small window, massive storm—apricots fall
昼火事の煙遠くへ冬木つらなる
hirukaji no kemuri tōku e fuyuki tsuranaru
The smoke from afternoon fires keeps the woods at a distance
焼跡はるかなる橋を淋しく見通し
yakeato harukanaru hashi o samishiku mitōshi
A favorite bridge has burned down—I will miss it
春日の中に泥厚く塗りて家つくる
kasuga no naka ni doro atsuku nurite ie tsukuru
April sun—villagers assemble a house from clay
いたくも狂へる馬で一面の大霜
itaku mo kyō heru uma de ichimen no ōjimo
A horse, wild from pain, bolts across an icy field
かぎりなく煙吐き散らし風やまぬ煙突
kagirinaku kemuri haki chirashi-fū ya manu entotsu
Chimney smoke stirred by ceaseless wind
母の日ぬくとくさやゑんどう出そめて
haha no hi nukutoku-sa ya wen dō de somete
Mother’s Day—garden peas kindly begin to sprout
夏帽新しく睡蓮に昼の風あり
natsu bō atarashiku suiren ni hiru no kaze ari
A new straw hat—water lilies stirred by warm noon wind
犬が覗いて行く垣根にて何事もない昼
inu ga nozoite iku kakine nite nanigoto mo nai hiru
A dog passes by a broken fence, looks in—dull afternoon
ここに死にかけた病人が居り演習の銃音をきく
koko ni shinikaketa byōnin ga ori enshū no tsutsuoto o kiku
A dying man listens to the report of arms
小供等たくさん連れて海渡る女よ
ko kyō-tō takusan tsurete umi wataru on'na yo
A mother of many children crosses the great ocean
遠く船見付けたる甲板の昼を人無く
tōku fune mitsuketaru kanpan no hiru o hito naku
Mid-afternoon—a distant ship approaches, its deck empty
1923-24 (Ittō-en, Kyoto)
山水ちろろ茶碗真白く洗い去る
sansui chiro ro chawan masshiroku araisaru
Snow-white rice balls rinsed in mountain water
ホツリホツリ闇に浸りて帰り来る人人
hotsurihotsuri yami ni hitarite kaeri kuru hito hito
Returning home, immersed in darkness
落葉掃き居る人の後ろの往来を知らず
ochiba hakioru hito no ushiro no yukiki o shirazu
Man sweeps fallen leaves—just beyond, a road to nowhere
船は皆出てしまひ雪の山山なり
fune wa mina deteshimai yuki no yama yama nari
Ships at sea—the snow-capped mountains remain
つくづく淋しい我が影よ動かして見る
tsukuzuku sabishii waga kage yo ugokashite miru
I move, my shadow moves—loneliness
ねそべつて書いて居る手紙を鶏に覗かれる
asobetsute kaite iru tegami o niwatori ni nozokareru
Lying down, I compose a letter—a chicken spies on me
皆働きに出てしまひ障子あけた儘の家
kai hataraki ni dete shimahi shōji aketa mama no ie
Everyone at work—shōji left open
静かなるかげを動かし客に茶をつぐ
shizuka naru kage o ugokashi kyaku ni cha o tsugu
I pour tea for my guest—so too does my shadow
花あわただしさの古き橋かかれり
hana awatadashisa no furuki hashi kakareri
Ancient stone bridge—flowers fleeting
夕日の中へ力いつぱい馬を追きかける
yūhi no naka e chikara itsu pai-ba o tsui ki kakeru
Evening sun—with what strength remains I chase a horse
落葉へらへら顔をゆがめた笑う事
rakuyō herahera kao o yugameta warau koto
A leaf falls—someone laughs
月夜戻り来て長い手紙を書き出す
tsukiyo kaerikite nagai tegami o kakidasu
At midnight I begin a long letter
草の穂の一匹の蟻にも大空
kusa no hosaki no ippiki no ari ni mo ōsora
Balanced on a blade of grass beneath an infinite sky—an ant
Ozaki Hōsai was the haigo (haikai pen name) of Ozaki Hideo (1885 - 1926), a Japanese poet of the late Meiji and Taishō periods of Japan and a practitioner of the modern free verse haiku movement.
Eric Hoffman is the author of several collections of poetry, most recently This Thin Mean: New Selected Poems (Spuyten Duyvil, 2020) and the editor of the forthcoming John Berryman: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi, 2021).
[More translations of Ozaki Hōsai by Eric Hoffman have appeared in earlier issues of Otoliths.]
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