20210805

Eric Hoffman


Translations of Haiku by Ozaki Hōsai


大空 from Taikū (The Big Sky) ________________________________________
Further haiku from 1924-25 (Suma Temple, Hyōgo) 火ばしがそろはぬ儘の一冬なりけり hiba shi ga soro wanu mama no ichi fuyunarikeri Mismatched tongs—this will be a long winter 草履が片つ方つくられたばこにする zōri ga katatsukata tsukura re tabako ni suru One straw sandal made—cigarette rolled and smoked to celebrate its completion 島の女のはだしにはだしでよりそう shima no on'na no hadashi ni hadashi de yorisō Island woman—I move my bare foot closer to her bare foot わが顔ぶらさげてあやまりにゆく waga kao burasagete ayamari ni yuku Head hung low—I walk despondently and regret everything 秋風のお堂で顔が一つ akikaze no o-dō de kao ga hitotsu Walking the halls filled with autumn wind, a solitary figure 菊の乱れは月が出てゐる夜中 kiku no midare wa tsuki ga dete wiru yonaka Chrysanthemums strewn—midnight moon 黒眼鏡かけた女が石に休んで居るばかり kuro megane kaketa on'na ga ishi ni yasunde iru bakari A woman wearing dark glasses rests upon a stone, nothing more 釘に濡手拭かけて凍てる日である kugi ni nure tenugui kakete iteru hidearu Hot rag hung from a cold nail お堂しめて居る雀がたんともどつてくる o dō shimete iru suzume ga tan tomo dotsute kuru I close the temple hall—hundreds of sparrows return 蟻が出ぬやうになつた蟻の穴 ari ga denu yōni natta ari no ana Ant hole—nothing comes, nothing goes 降る雨庭に流をつくり侘び居る furu ame niwa ni ryū o tsukuri wabi iru Rainfall, garden stream—desolation 雑草花つける強い夕風 zassō hana tsukeru tsuyoi yufu Flowers overtaken by weeds—strong evening wind しぐれますと尼僧にあいさつされて居る shigure masu to nisō ni aisatsu sarete iru Late autumn rain—the nun will see me as I am 人殺しありし夜の水の流るるさま hitogoroshi arishi yoru no mizu no nagareruru-sama A murder tonight—and yet the water continues to flow 水たまりが光るひよろりと夕風 mizutamari ga hikaru hi yorori to yufu Water puddle ripples—slight evening wind 針に糸を通しあへず青空を見る hari ni ito o tōshiaezu aozora o miru Stubborn needle cannot thread—I turn my gaze to the blue sky 軍馬たくさんつながれ裸の木ばかり gunba takusan tsunaga re hadaka no ki bakari The trees are bare, the army horses tethered 片目の人に見つめられて居た katame no hito ni mitsume rarete ita Stared at by a one-eyed man 冬帽かぶつてだまりこくつて居る fuyubōshi kabutte damari kokutsute iru I wear a winter hat—there’s nothing left to say 公園冬の小径いづこへともなくある kōen fuyu no shōkei idzu ko e to mo naku aru In winter this path goes nowhere 写真とつて歩く少し風ある風景 shashin to tsute aruku sukoshi kaze aru fūkei Winter landscape—I take photographs and wander around 児をおぶつてお嫁さんの顔見に出る ko o o butsute o yomesan no kaomi ni deru Child on my back, I walk outside to greet the bride 葱がよく出来てとつぷり暮れた家ある negi ga yoku dekite totsu puri kureta ie aru Onions grow large and the house deepens its evening roots 病人がよく寝て居る柱時計を巻く byōnin ga yoku nete iru hashiradokei o maku The sick man sleeps—I wind the clock that hangs from the pillar かへす傘又かりてかへる夕べの同じ道である ja hesu kasa mata karite ka heru yūbe no onaji michidearu Evening—I walk the same road with the same borrowed umbrella 赤ン坊のなきごゑがする小さい庭を掃いてる akanbō no naki go wegasuru chīsai niwa o hai teru Sweeping the small garden, I hear a baby’s cries 大松暮れてくるはだしを洗ふ頃となる daimatsu kurete kuru hadashi o arai fu koro to naru Evening, the tall pine darkens—my bare feet need washing 雀のあたたかさを握るはなしてやる suzume no atatakasa o nigiru hanashite yaru Sparrow held—feel its warmth, let it go 灰の中から針一つ拾ひ出し話す人もなく hai no naka kara hari hitotsu Jitsu hi dashi hanasu hito mo naku With no one to talk to—I retrieve a needle from the ashes 曇り日の落葉掃ききれぬ一人である kumori-bi no rakuyō haki kirenu hitoridearu I need help sweeping the dead leaves—cloudy, windy day 門をしめる大きな音さしてお寺が寝る mon o shimeru ōkina oto sashite otera ga neru Gate closes, creaks noisily—the temple goes to sleep 傘にばりばり雨音さして逢いに来た kasa ni baribari amaoto sashite ai ni kita I visit with my niece—let the umbrella resound with rain あるものみな着てしまひ風邪ひいてゐる aru mono mina kite shimahi kaze hīte wiru I wear everything I own—yet still come down with a cold 事実という事話しあつてる柿がころがつてゐる jijitsu to iu koto hanashi atteru kaki ga korogatte iru Persimmons fall—we discuss what is 黒い帯しつかりしめて寒い夜居る kuroi obi shi tsukari shimete samui yoru iru Chilly evening—black sash tied tight 師走の夜のつめたい寝床が一つあるきり shiwasu no yoru no tsumetai nedoko ga hitotsu aru kiri December evening and only one cold bed 大雪となる兎の赤い眼玉である taisetsu to naru usagi no akai manakodamadearu In deep snowfall, a rabbit’s red eyes 榾火に見渡される調度である hotabi ni miwatasa reru chōdodearu Kindling assumes the shape of my furniture 焚えさしに雪少し降り明けて居る e sashi ni yuki sukoshi ori akete iru Snowfall on embers—morning 寒鮒をこごえた手で数へてくれた samu funa o kogoeta te de sū ete kureta Hands frozen, he counts my winter perch 柿の木を売つた銭を陽なたで勘定してる kakinoki o-uritsuta zeni o yōna tade kanjō shi teru The persimmon seller counts his profits 鞠がはずんで見えなくなつて暮れてしまつた mari ga hazunde mienakunatte kurete shimatta Nightfall—a ball bounces, then disappears かたい梨子をかじつて議論してゐる katai nashi o kaji tsute giron shite iru Chewing on an unripened pear—argument 聞こえぬ耳をくつつけて年とつてる kikoenu mimi o kutsu tsukete toshi to tsu teru I grow old, imprisoned by silence たくさんある児がめいめいの本をよんでる takusan aru ko ga meimei no hon o yonderu Large family—each of the children reads from a different book 草刈りに出る裏木戸あいたままある kusakari ni deru ura kido aita mama aru I mow the lawn—backyard gate left open 吸取紙が字を吸ひとらぬやうになつた suitorigami ga ji o suitoranu yōni natta The ink blotter no longer absorbs my writings 漬物桶に塩ふれと母は産んだか tsukemono oke ni shio fure to haha wa unda ka ‘Salt the pickle jars!’—for this I was born? こんな処に玉子を産んでぬくとく拾ふ konna tokoro ni tamago o unde nukutoku jū-fu Egg laid, retrieved—feel its warmth in my palm 吹けばころがる玉子からの玉子 fuke ba korogaru tamago kara no tamago Empty eggshell rolls away in one breath 渓深く入り来てあかるし kei fukaku hairikite a karu shi Climbed down into a deep ravine—birch tree brightens 笑へば泣くやうに見える顔よりほかなかつた warai e ba naku yō ni mieru kao yori hoka naka tsuta Is she laughing or crying? I cannot tell 池を干す水たまりとなれる寒月 ike o hosu mizutamari to nareru kangetsu Pond drained, a puddle is all that remains—cold moon がたぴし戸をあけておそい星空に出る gatapishi to o akete osoi hoshizora ni deru Open the noisy gate and go out among the silent, brilliant stars 馬が一疋走つて行つた日暮れる uma ga ichi-hiki sō tsu te okonattahigureru Dusk—a horse vanishes 池の氷の厚さを児等は知つてる ike no kōri no atsu sa o kotō wa chitsu teru Pond ice—only the children can guess its thickness 片つ方の耳にないしよ話しに来る hentsu hō no mimi ni naishiyo hanashi ni kuru She has come all this way just to whisper a secret in his ear 葬式のきものぬぐばたばたと日がくれる sōshiki no kimononu bi ga kureru The day darkens—I hurry to remove my funeral clothes 汀にたまる霰見て温泉に入る nagisa ni tamaru arare mite onsen ni hairu Entering the hot springs, hail accumulates at the water’s edge 夜中の襖遠くしめられたる yonaka no fusuma tōku shimeraretaru Midnight—in the distance the shōjis close 女に捨てられたうす雪の夜の街燈 onna ni suterareta usu yuki no yoru no machi Light snow on street lamps—a woman has abandoned me なんにもたべるものがない冬の茶店の客となる nannimo taberu mono ga nai fuyu no chamise no kyaku to naru Winter tea shop guest, nothing left to eat 波へ乳の辺まではいつて女よ nami e chichi no atari made hai tsute onnayo The waves lap against her heavy breasts
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 Conversations with John Berryman (University Press of Mississippi, 2021).
 
 
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