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 山頭火の俳句集

 

種田 山頭火 (Taneda Santōka, 1882-1940)

 

Haiku of Taneda Santōka
translated into English, French, German, Spanish
organized by Romaji, in alphabetical order

 



 

afururu asayu no shizukesa ni hitaru (1930)
morning bath / soaking in the stillness / of hot water brimming over (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

agattari sagattari onaji kotoba kurikaeshite nagai nagai hi (1939)
Elevator Girl
going up going down / saying the same words over and over / the long long day (Tr. by Burton Watson)

aitai ga aenai oba no ie ga aoba-gakure

I want to meet her but I can't-- / My aunt's house is hidden in the green leaves. (Tr. by John Stevens)


akai shito shite itsu made tabi o tsuzukeru koto ka

Red urine-- / How long will I be able / To continue this journey? (Tr. by John Stevens)
Pissing blood - / how long will I be able / to carry on? (Tr. by Okami)
Roter Urin – wie lange werde ich diese Reise fortsetzen können? (Übers. Jochen Hahn-Klimroth)

akatsuki no yu ga watakushi hitori atatamete kuru

Daybreak: alone, I warm myself / In the waters of the hot spring. (Tr. by John Stevens)

明けてくる鎌をとぐ
akete kuru kama o togu (SMT) (1932)
dawn coming on / honing the sickle (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Day is breaking; / I whet a sickle. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

aki atsui teppatsu de okome ga ippai

Autumn heat-- / My begging bowl / Is full of rice. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

aki kaze aruite mo aruite mo (1939)
autumn wind / for all my walking-- / for all my walking-- (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

秋風行きたい方へ行けるところまで
akikaze ikitai hou e ikeru tokoro made

Autumn wind, whichever way I want to go as far as I can go (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


秋風の腹立ててゐるかまきりで
akikaze no hara tatete iru kamakiri de
In the autumn wind - / It's an angry praying mantis. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In an autumn wind, an angry praying mantis this (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
 
秋風の石を拾ふ
akikaze no ishi o hirou
Autumn wind - Picking up a stone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In autumn wind / I pick up a pebble. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
In autumn wind I pick up a stone (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

秋もをはりの蠅となりはひあるく
aki mo owari no hae to nari haiaruku

Autumn’s end-turned-fly crawls about (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

aki no yo no doko ka de shamisen hiite iru (1932)
in the autumn night / somewhere / playing a samisen (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

aki no yo ya inu kara morattari neko ni ataetari
Autumn night-- / I received it from the dog / And gave it to the cat. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

秋ただにふかうなるけふも旅ゆく
aki tada fukou naru keru fuyu mo tabi yuku
Autumn deepens - / Today also, / Travelling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

秋となつた雑草にすわる
aki to natta zassō ni suwaru

It's fall-- / I sit in the wild grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The grasses / That have become autumn,-- / Sitting down in them. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
It has become autumn - / I sit in the weeds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Autumn is come; / Sitting on the weeds. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Autumn’s come I sit in the weeds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

aki wa ichihayaku yama no haze o some (1930)
autumn / already reddening / the leaves of the mountain sumac (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

akizora haruka ni ureshigaru. Santōka

Santōka sent this telegram to his teacher, Seisensui, on his fiftieth birthday.

The autumn sky-- / Far away / I share your joy. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

秋空ただよふ雲の一人となる
aki-zora tadayou kumo no hitori to naru
Autumn sky - / Floating clouds, / Becoming alone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
A floating cloud / In the empty sky / Alone am I

 

雨だれの音も年とつた
amadare no oto mo toshi totta

Even the sound of the raindrops / Has grown older. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The sound of the rain-drops also / Has grown older. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Sound of raindrops, / You're getting old, too. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The sound of the rain dripping has also grown old (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The sound of raindrops, / I have become old. (Tr. by James Abrams)

The sound / of the raindrops / also grown older (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
Le bruit des gouttes de pluie aussi / A vieilli (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)
Selbst der Klang der Regentropfen ist gealtert (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)


天の川ま夜中の酔ひどれは踊る
ama no kawa mayonaka no yoidore wa odoru
The Milky Way, / At midnight - / A drunkard dances. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Beneath the River of Heaven / The drunkard dances all night. (Tr. by John Stevens)


雨ふるふるさとははだしであるく
ame furu furusato wa hadashi de aruku (SMT) (1932)

Rain falls; / I walk in my home town, / Barefoot. (Tr. by John Stevens)
raining / in my home town / walking barefoot (Tr. by Burton Watson)
My hometown, / In falling rain - / Walking barefoot. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
It's raining in my hometown; / I'm walking barefoot. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Rain falls in my hometown walk barefoot (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The old home / in the rain ... / I walk barefooted. (Tr. by Kametaro)
Sous la pluie / pieds nus / dans mon village natal. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Barfuß laufe ich durch den Regen meiner Heimat (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

ame no nikai no onna no hitori kuchibue o fuku (1931)
woman upstairs in the rain / whistles / to herself (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

あめのとりらはたべるものがない

ame no torira wa taberu mono ga nai

Birds in the rain-- / They have nothing to eat. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Los pájaros de la lluvia… / Ellos sí que no tienen / nada que comer (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

雨をためてバケツ一杯の今日は事足る
ame o tamete baketsu ippai no kyō wa kototaru

The bucket full of rain: / It's enough for today. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Rain - / Catching a bucketful, / Enough for today. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Le seau / rempli d'eau de pluie / Assez pour aujourd'hui (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

ame o ukete oke ippai no utsukushii mizu
The rain-filled bucket / Brimming with beautiful water. (Tr. by John Stevens)


あなたを待つてゐる火のよう燃える
anata o matte iru hi no yō moeru
awaiting you / the fire burns well (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)


あの雲がおとした雨にぬれてゐる
ano kumo ga otoshita ame ni nurete iru (SMT) (1930)

The rain from that cloud / Made me wet. (Tr. by John Stevens)
rain dumped / from that cloud / getting wet in it (Tr. by Burton Watson)
I am wet / By the rain / From that cloud. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Those clouds threw a rain shower; / I'm wet through. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
That cloud dropped the rain I’m getting wet in (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
This cloud there / let the rain down / that soaked me (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Soaked in the / rain that cloud there / has let fall (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Trempé par la pluie / qui tombe / de ce nuage-là. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

anshu wa orusu no mokugyo o tataku
The hermit is away; / In his absence / I strike his mokugyo. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

anta to ko-shite kisha ga itta ri kitari suru kemuri

In your company going this way and that . . . the smoke of train. (Tr. by Kametaro)

 

ao-ao to take no ko no kawa nuide hikaru (1934)
sheath stripped away / bamboo shoot shines / green green (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

青葉の奥へなほ徑があつて墓
aoba no oku e nao komichi ga atte haka (1935)
narrow path / deep into green leaves / a grave (Tr. by Burton Watson)
In the depths of the green leaves the path still then a grave (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

青葉わけゆく良寛さまも行かしたろ
aoba wake yuku Ryōkan-sama mo ikashitaro

I enter the green forest / Thinking of Ryōkan, / Who also passed this way. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

洗へば大根いよいよ白し
araeba daikon iyoiyo shiroshi

Wash ’em and daikon grow even more white (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
washed / the daikon absolutely white (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

 

あらしのあとのしづけさの蝿で
arashi no ato no shizukesa no hae de

In the stillness / After the storm-- flies. (Tr. by John Stevens)
dans l’accalmie / après la tempête / les mouches (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Nach dem Sturm: nur die Stille summender Fliegen! (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

araumi e ashi nagedashite tabi no atosaki

Thrusting my feet / Into the rough sea-- / My life as a traveler. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Legs stretched toward the rough sea before and after the journey (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

arau to sono mama kawara no ishi ni hosu

After washing up / I dry myself / On a nearby rock. (Tr. by John Stevens)

あれこれ食べるものはあつて風の一日

arekore taberu mono wa atte kaze no ichinichi

There's something to eat, / This and that-- / Windy all day. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
With this and that to eat one windy day (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


あるだけの酒を食べ風を聞き

aru dake no sake o tabe kaze o kiki (1935)
finish the last / of the sake / hear the wind (Tr. by Burton Watson)
finir / le saké / entendre / le vent (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

あるがまま雑草として芽をふく
aru ga mama zassō to shite me o fuku

As they are, / The weeds / Sprout new buds. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Just as they are weeds sprout (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
In its natural state / as a weed, / it shoots forth its buds. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

あるひは乞ふことをやめ山を観てゐる
aruiwa kou koto o yame yama o mite iru (SMT) (1930)

Sometimes I stop begging / And gaze at the mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
at times / I stop begging / looking at mountains (Tr. by Burton Watson)
On certain days - / Resting from my begging, / Gazing at the mountains. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Or I stop begging and am looking at the mountain (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Some days sometimes / I don't beg / and gaze at the mountains (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Après une sieste, / Où que je regarde : des montagnes. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

あるけばかつこういそげばかつこう
arukeba kakkou isogeba kakkuu
I walk and cuckoos I hurry and cuckoos (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
When I walk, / cuckoos, / when I run, / cuckoos. (Tr. by James Abrams)
marchant : le coucou – courant : le coucou (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

あるけばきんぽうげすわればきんぽうげ
arukeba kinpohge suwareba kinpohge
arukeba kimpouge suwareba kimpouge

When I walk, I see buttercups; / When I sit, I see buttercups. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
I walk and buttercups I sit and buttercups (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
As I walk, buttercups, / as I sit, buttercups. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

あるけば草の実すわれば草の実
arukeba kusa no mi suwareba kusa no mi

When I walk, weed seeds; / When I sit, weed seeds. (Tr. by John Stevens)

I walk and grass seeds I sit and grass seeds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
walking: grasses in seed. / sitting: grasses in seed. (Tr. by Scott Watson)
When I walk, / fruit-bearing grasses, / when I sit, / fruit-bearing grasses. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

arukitai dake aruite zudabukuro fukureta yūzuki

Only wishing to walk, / I walk with my full sack-- / The evening moon. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

歩きつづける彼岸花咲つづける
arukitsuzukeru higanbana sakitsuzukeru (SMT) (1927–1928)
Walking on and on / Among the endless / Blooming higan flowers. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I go on walking / higan lilies / go on blooming (Tr. by Burton Watson)
*Higanbana (equinox flower), also called manjushage, is a wild lily that blooms around the autumn equinox.
et comme le lycoris* continue de fleurir / je continue de marcher (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
* la fameuse fleur d'équinoxe.

 

aruku hoka nai aki no ame furitsunoru
All I can do is / walk the autumn rain / falls furiously (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Marcher et encore marcher / la pluie d’automne / redouble. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

asagiri no akai posuto ga tatte iru (1931)
red mailbox / standing / in the morning mist (Tr. by Burton Watson)


asa hayaku shigururu hi o taite iru
In the early morning / a cold rain falls / I light the fire (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Tôt ce matin / il pleut / j’allume le feu. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

朝からの騒音へ長い橋かかる
asa kara no sōon e nagai hashi kakaru

tapage matinal / interminable / le pont à traverser (Tr. par André Vendevenne)


asa kara shigurete kaki no ha no utsukushisa wa
Light rain since morning / the beauty of / the persimmon leaves (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sous l’averse depuis le matin, / les feuilles de kaki / quelle beauté. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

asa no hikari e maite oite tabidatsu
I sow the seeds / In the morning sunlight / Before departing on a journey. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

朝凪の島を二つおく
asanagi no shima o futatsu oku

mer d'huile / au matin deux îles / posées là (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

朝露しつとり行きたい方へ行く
asatsuyu shittori ikitai hōe yuku (SMT) (1933)
Asa tsuyu shittori ikitai hō e iku.

Wet with morning dew, / I go in the direction I want. (Tr. by John Stevens)
soppy with morning dew / I go off / any direction I please (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Wet with morning dew, / I take a wayward course. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Morning dew sopping I go where I want (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The ground moist with morning dew, / I go where I want. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Mouillé de rosée / matinale je vais / par où je veux (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

asa wa yoi kana ochita ha mo ochinu ha mo (1932)
mornings are good! / leaves fallen / leaves yet to fall (Tr. by Burton Watson)


朝燒雨ふる大根まかう
asayake ame furu daikon makō

In the early morning rain, / I sow the daikon seeds. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Glory of the morning sky / Heralds the coming of rain; / Must sow the seeds of radish. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Morning glow rain falls I’ll sow daikon (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Over a red sunrise / a rain is falling, / I will plant radishes. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

朝焼のうつくしさおわかれする
asayake no utsukushisa owakare suru
In sunrise beauty, / Saying farewell. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

朝焼夕焼食べるものがない
asa-yake yū-yake taberu mono ga nai (SMT) (1939)

Sunrise, sunset; / Nothing to eat. (Tr. by John Stevens)
red of dawn sky / red of sunset sky / nothing to eat (Tr. by Burton Watson)

El alba / El ocaso / Nada que comer (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

asayu konkon afururu mannaka no watakushi (1940)
morning bath / hot water full and spilling over / me in the middle of it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Dôgo Spa
The morning bath / water swiftly overflows / me in it (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

Aux bains de Dōgo
Dans le bain qui déborde en bouillonant / le matin / je me trouve. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

asayu noyoroshisa mokumoku to shite jumban o matsu

The fresh morning bath: / Silently we wait in line. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The pleasantness of a morning bath, / quietly waiting my turn in the steam. (Tr. by James Abrams)

葦の穂風の行きたい方へ行く
ashi no hokaze no ikitai hou e iku
The tops of the reeds, / Where the wind wants to go - / Going. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

ashioto ga kite sono mama shimatta ochiba (1935)
footsteps approaching / now they’ve gone away / fallen leaves (Tr. by Burton Watson)


ashi wa te wa Shina ni nokoshite futatabi Nihon ni

Leaving hands and feet / Behind in China, / The soldiers return to Japan. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Legs and arms left in China you are back to Japan (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Laissant mains et jambes / En Chine / Les soldats reviennent au Japon (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

asu mo atatakō arukaseru hoshi ga dete iru (1932)
warm again tomorrow / stars out / promise of good walking (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

asu wa ganjitsu no tsume demo kirō
this morning / i guess i’ll clip the nails / of the new year (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)
i guess i’ll clip / my new year nails / this morning (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)

asu wa kaerō sakura chiru chitte kuru

Tomorrow I will depart; / Cherry blossoms / Falling, falling. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

asu wa kuru to iu ame no fuki o nite oku (1933)

(To a friend)

Tomorrow I'll come. / Cooking wild vegetables / For your visit. (Tr. by John Stevens)
you said you’d come tomorrow / I’m cooking up / the rain-soaked butterbur (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

atarashii hōe ippai no hi ga atatakai

My new robe: / Full of sunlight and warmth. (Tr. by John Stevens)


ate mo naku fumiaruku kusa wa mina karetari (1934)

Aimlessly, / I walk through the withered grass. (Tr. by John Stevens)

all withered-- / grasses I walk over / going nowhere (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The grasses I tread, / Uncertain and fickle, / Are all withered away. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)


ato ni nari saki ni nari ohenrosan no tarekare

Behind, in front, / Who can all these pilgrims be? (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

あざみあざやかなあさのあめあがり
azami azayaka na asa no ame agari
The thistles-- / Bright and fresh, / Just after the morning rain. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The thistles - / How vivid! / After the morning rain. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Thistles-- / Bright in the morning / After the rain. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
after a rain a thistle clear morning (Tr. by Scott Watson)
The thistles - / fresh and sparkling / after morning rain. (Tr. by Okami)

biru to biru no sukima kara miete yama no aosa yo
In the space between the buildings-- / Look at the mountain's greenness! (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

びつしより濡れて代掻く馬は叱られてばかり
bisshori nurete shiro-kaku uma wa shikararete bakari
Soaking wet. / The plow-horse, / Always getting scolded. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Soaked with rain and sweat, / Plough-horse gets many a scolding. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)


biwa no utsukushisa kanojo wa warawanai (1935)
loquats / so beautiful / but she doesn’t smile (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

bochi o tonari ni yoi haru ga kita

A beautiful spring has arrived / Next to the cemetery. (Tr. by John Stevens)


ぼろ着て着ぶくれておめでたい顔で
boro kite kibukurete omedetai kao de

(New Year's Day--self-portrait)

Bundled up in rags, / A face full of New Year's greetings. (Tr. by John Stevens)
In old rags, / Bundled up - / Wearing a foolish face. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Dressed in rags, / bulging in padded winter-clothes, / a face of innocent happiness. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

boro kite suzushii hitori ga aruku (1933)

Wearing rags, / In the coolness / I walk alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)
wearing rags / cool / one man walks along (Tr. by Burton Watson)


boro utte sake kōte samishiku mo aru ka
If I sell my rags / And buy some sakè / Will there still be loneliness? (Tr. by John Stevens)
If I sell my rags / and buy some alcohol - / will there still be loneliness ? (Tr. by Okami)

 

burari to sagatte yuki furu minomushi

Dangling the snow falling on a bagworm (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


ぶらさがつてゐる烏瓜は二つ
burasagatteiru karasu-uri ha futatsu
From a vine - Dangling, Two snake-gourds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)


茶の花のちるばかりちらしておく
cha no hana no chiru bakari chirashite oku
Letting the fall - / As they fall, / The tea flowers. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Tea-blossoms keep falling-- / Let them fall as they do. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

cha no hana ya mi ni chikaku fuyu no kite iru (1932)
tea blossoms / winter coming / nearer me now (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

茶の木にかこまれそこはかとないくらし
cha no ki ni kakomarete soko-haka to nai kurashi
By tea bushes, / Surrounded - / My simple daily life. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Rodeado por arbustos de té, / llevando una existencia anónima (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

chichi ni yōnita koe ga dete kuru tabi wa kanashii (1932)
came out with a voice / just like my father’s-- / trips are sad (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Someone speaks / in a voice like my father, / this trip is filled with sadness. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Someone speaks with a voice / like my father's / sad while travelling (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

ちんぽこもおそそも湯いてあふれる湯
chimpoko mo ososo mo waite afureru yu (1934)

Pricks and pussies, / Boiling together / In the overcrowded bath. (Tr. by John Stevens)
(Scene in the Yuda “Thousand-Persons Hot-Spring Bath”)
cocks and cunts / hot water / full and flowing over (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Peckers and pussies overflowing hot water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The Public Bath
Cocks cunts all / boiling and the bath / water flows over (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
des bites et des chattes / en train de bouillir / affluence au bain public (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Des hommes et des femmes les sexes / tous bouillent ensemble / dans le bain qui déborde. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Schwänze und Muschis, gemeinsam erhitzt im berstend vollen Bad (Übers. Jochen Hahn-Klimroth)

 

てふてふひらひらいらかをこえた
chōchō hirahira iraka o koeta (SMT) (1936)
(At Eihei-ji)
butterfly / fluttering fluttering / up over the temple roof finial (Tr. by Burton Watson)

The butterfly-- / Floating, fluttering / Above the temple roof. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Schmetterling – flatter flatter über Dachziegel hinweg (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)
Der Schmetterling / flattert / ueber den Dachziegel. (Übers. Satoh Kihakusoh)

La mariposa revoloteando / ha pasado por encima / de lo más alto del tejado (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

てふてふちらちら風に乗つた来た
chōchō (tefu-tefu) chira-chira kaze ni notta kita
A fluttering butterfly, / Came riding on the wind. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

daichi hiebie to shite netsu no aru karada o makasu (1930)
I laid out my feverish body / On the frozen earth. (Tr. by John Stevens)

chill chill of earth / I give up / my feverish body to it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

daishō mo watakushi mo inu mo shiguretsutsu
The giant camphor tree, I, / And the dog / Are soaked through. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The giant camphor-tree: / the dog and I / completely soaked. (Tr. by Okami)
c.f.
ōkusu mo watashi mo inu mo shiguretsutsu
Le grand camphrier / le chien et moi / trempés par l’averse. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

だまつてあそぶ鳥の一羽が花のなか
damatte asubu tori no ichiwa ga hana no naka

Wordlessly playing a single bird in the blossoms (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

だまつて今日の草鞋穿く
damatte kyō no waraji haku

Silently, I put on / Today's straw sandals. (Tr. by John Stevens)

In silence / I put on straw sandals for today. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Putting on, / Without a word, / Today's straw-sandals. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Wordlessly I put on today’s straw sandals (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
wordless / i put on my waraji / for today (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)
lips clenched / i put on today’s footwear (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)
En silence, je mets / Mes sandales en paille d'aujourd'hui (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

dandan nite kuru kuse no chichi wa mō inai (1934)

Gradually I take on the vices / Of my dead father. (Tr. by John Stevens)
more and more like him / my father / no longer alive (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Slowly but surely / I adopt the vices / of my dead father. (Tr. by Okami)

 

誰か来さうな空が曇つてゐる枇杷の花
dare ka kisou na sora ga kumotteiru biwa no hana

The sense that someone’s coming the sky cloudy loquat blossoms (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


誰も来ないとうがらし赤うなる
dare mo konai tōgarashi akō naru (SMT) (1934)
No one has come; / The cayenne peppers / Have turned bright red. (Tr. by John Stevens)

no one comes / to see me / peppers turning red (Tr. by Burton Watson)

No one comes cayenne peppers turn red (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Now that no one comes anymore / chillis / have gone red (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

dare ni mo awanai michi ga dekoboko

I haven't met a soul; / The road is bumpy. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

どこでも死ねるからだで春風

dokodemo shineru karada de harukaze
With this body that can die any place spring wind (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Con un cuerpo / dispuesto a morir donde sea / Viento de primavera (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

Con viento de primavera, / el cuerpo puede morir / donde sea (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

No importa dónde / Morir con el cuerpo / Viento de primavera (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

doko ka de atama no naka de karasu ga naku (1932)
somewhere / inside my head / a crow is cawing (Tr. by Burton Watson)

どこからともなく雲が出て来て秋の雲
dokokara tomonaku kumo ga detekite aki no kumo
From nowhere, / Clouds coming out - / Autumn clouds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
From somewhere clouds appear autumn clouds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

どこにも水がない枯田汗してはたらく
doko ni mo mizu ga nai kareta ase shite hataraku
No water anywhere; / Working in the dry rice field / The farmer sweats. (Tr. by John Stevens)
No water but that / trickling from / the farmer in the dry ricefield. (Tr. by Okami)

 

donata ka kakete kudasatta mushiro atatakashi (1930)
warm / the straw matting / someone spread over me (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

どうしようもないわたしが歩いてゐる
dō shiyō mo nai watashi ga aruite iru
There is nothing else I can do; / I walk on and on. (Tr. by John Stevens)

dōshōmo nai watashi ga aruite iru (1930)
no help / for the likes of me / I go on walking (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Hopeless I keep walking (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
I am walking; / It cannot be otherwise. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Me - / Helpless and good for nothing, / Walking. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Walking on and on - / my only course. (Tr. by Okami)
There can be no other way, / I keep walking. (Tr. by James Abrams)
unworthy I am walking (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
unwürdig gehe ich (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

どうすることもできない矛盾を風ふく
dō suru koto mo dekinai mujun o kaze fuku

I can't do anything / (My life of) contradictions / Blown by the wind. (Tr. by John Stevens)
qu’y faire ? / sur mes contradictions / le vent souffle (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

枝をさしのべてゐる冬木
eda o sashinobete iru fuyuki

Stretching out their branches-- / The winter trees. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Holding out its branches a winter tree (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
bras tendus / un arbre / en hiver (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

enten hateshinaki kaze fuku
Endless scorching sun-- / the wind blows (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)

 

炎天かくすところなく水のながれくる
enten kakusu tokoro naku mizu no nagarekuru

No place to hide from the blazing sun; / The water flows by. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Burning heaven with no place to hide / the water flows toward me (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

炎天のはてもなく蟻の行列
enten no hate mo naku ari no gyo-retsu
Under the burning sky - / A procession of ants, / Without end. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Under burning heaven an endless line of ants (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

enten no machi no mannaka namari ni yu

In the boiling sun / (The construction workers) / Heat lead. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

enten no reeru massugu

In the blazing sun: / Railroad tracks, / Perfectly straight. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Under burning heaven the railroad track straight (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Under burning heaven the railway track straight (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Sweltering heat, / train tracks straight into the distance. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

炎天をいただいて乞ひ歩く
enten o itadaite koi aruku (SMT) (1926)
blazing sky above me / walking / begging (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Walking and begging, / thanking the burning sun. (Tr. by endoy)
Burning heaven on my head I beg I walk (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Begging: I accept / The blazing sun. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Begging: I accept / the burning sun. (Tr. by Okami)
Above my head - / The burning summer sky, / Begging and walking. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Under the canopy of scorching heaven / I walk and beg. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Burning heaven on my head I beg I walk (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Taking in the scorching sun, / begging as I go. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Mendiant / j'accepte / le soleil brûlant (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

enzan no yuki mo wakarete shimatta hito mo

The distant snow-covered mountains-- / Completely cut off from the world of men. (Tr. by John Stevens)

fūfugenka mo itsu shika yanda kan no tsuki (1931)
husband-and-wife spat / over now, it seems / cold-season moon (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

更けると涼しい月がビルの間から
fukeru to suzushii tsuki ga biru no aida kara (SMT) (1936)
later on / a cool moon comes up / between the buildings (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The deep, cool moon / Appears between the buildings. (Tr. by John Stevens)

fukete bakuchi utsu koe (1930)

Late at night: / The harsh sound of gambling. (Tr. by John Stevens)
late at night / gamblers’ voices (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ふくろうはふくろうでわたしはわたしでねむれない
fukurō wa fukurō de watashi wa watashi denemurenai (SMT) (1934)
owl in owl’s way / I in mine / can’t get to sleep (Tr. by Burton Watson)
the owl is the owl / whereas I am I and can’t sleep (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
The owl on its part, / I on mine, / Not able to fall asleep. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The owl in the owl’s way I in my way can’t sleep (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The owl can't sleep. / I can't sleep. / Because each reason exists. (Tr. by endoy)

 

踏みわける萩よすすきよ
fumiwakeru hagi yo susuki yo (SMT) (1927–1928)
Walking through / The bush clover, the pampas grass, / Walking on through them. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
bush clover! / pampas grass! / I’m coming through (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Parting with my steps - / Bush clovers, / Pampas grass. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

lespédèzes ! Fétuques ! / Entre j'ouvre mon chemin (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

fumumai to shita sono kani wa katawa da
Je n’ai pas voulu / Marcher sur le crabe / Il est infirme (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

furikaeranai michi o isogu (1930)
hurry down the road / never look back (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Hurrying along the road, / I can't look back. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

furikaeru tsubaki ga akai (1934)
camellia / I turned to look back at / red (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

風鈴の鳴るさへ死のしのびよる
fūrin no naru sae shi no shinobiyoru

Even while wind chimes tinkle death sneaks up (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Even the ring of the wind chimes, / the approach of death. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

降るままぬれるままで歩く
furu mama nureru mama de aruku

Just as it is-- / It rains, I get wet, I walk. (Tr. by John Stevens)
C'est ainsi - / Il pleut, je suis trempé, je marche. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

c’est ainsi il pleut / je suis trempé / je marche (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

furu mo yokarō ame ga furu (1930)
I don’t care / if it does rain-- it rains (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

furusato no kotoba no naka ni suwaru (1932)
(On a visit to his hometown)
I sit down / in the midst of / my local dialect (Tr. by Burton Watson)
I sit in the midst / Of my native dialect. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

furusato no kotoba to natta machi ni kita

I've come to a village / Where they use / The dialect of my home town. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Je suis dans un village / Où ils parlent / Le dialecte de ma ville natale. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

ふるさとの水をのみ水をあび
furusato no mizu o nomi mizu o abi

Drink hometown’s water bathe in the water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Water of my native village! / I drink it, / I wash with it. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Eau de mon village natal ! / Je la bois, / Je me lave avec cette eau. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

ふるさとの土の底から鉦たたき
furusato-no tsuchi-no-soko-kara kane-tataki
Kanetataki aus dem Grundboden in meiner Heimat (Übers. Satoh Kihakusoh)

 

furusato wa atsukurushii haka dake wa nokotte iru

My home town--sweltering heat, / Nothing left but tombstones. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ふるさとはみかんのはなのにおふとき
furusato wa mikan no hana no niou toki (1932)
old home / when tangerine blossoms / make a good smell (Tr. by Burton Watson)
In meiner Heimat / ist es die Zeit, / wo es die Mandarinenbluten riechen. 

 

ふるさとは遠くして木の芽
furusato wa tōku shite ki-no-me (SMT) (1932)
home / a long way off / budding trees (Tr. by Burton Watson)
My native place / Far away: / The buds on the trees. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Far / from my home village / budding trees (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
My native town / Far, far away-- / Burgeoning trees. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
My hometown’s distant tree buds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
My home is far away, / the sprout of a tree. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Have been far from my hometown, / trees around me are in bud. (Tr. by endoy)

 

futatabi koko de shiraga o soru

Here again, / I shave off my white hair. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

futatabi wa fumumai tsuchi o fumishimete iku

Marching together / On the ground / They will never step on again. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Marching firmly on the / earth their feet will / never tread again (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sur la terre / que plus jamais ne fouleront / ils partent à l’attaque. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

ふたたびはわたらない橋のながいながい風

futatabi wa wataranai hashi no nagai nagai kaze

I'll never be crossing / This bridge again; / The wind blows long and hard. (Tr. by John Stevens)
El largo puente / que nunca volveré a cruzar / Viento de eternidad (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

ふと子のことを百舌鳥が啼く
futo kono koto wo mozu ga naku
Unexpectedly - / Images of my son, / The shrikes's crying. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

futo mezametara namida koborete ita (1933)
(In sickness)
woke up suddenly / tears coming down (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

futon fūwari furusato no yume

Sleeping on a soft futon, / I dream of my native village. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Under the quilt / I sleep / dreaming of my home village (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

futon nagaku yoru mo nagaku nesete itadaite

For once, both the futon and the night / Were long enough: deep sleep. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The quilt is long, / the night too is long, / I have been given this place to sleep. (Tr. by James Abrams)


futo yoizame no kao go aru baketsu no mizu (1935)
suddenly / that hungover face / bucket water (Tr. by Burton Watson)
soudain / ce visage enivré / - l'eau du seau (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

futto kage ga kasumete itta kaze

Soudain une ombre passe / Le vent (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

冬雨の石階をのぼるサンタマリア
fuyu ame no ishidan o noboru santa maria

I climb up the stone stairs / Covered with winter rain: / Santa Maria. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Winter's rain, I scale the / slick stone steps . . . / Santa Maria. (Tr. by Sean Somers)


fuyu ga kite iru kigire takegire

Winter has set in-- / Pieces of wood, pieces of bamboo. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Winter is come; / Sticks of wood, / Sticks of bamboo. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)


gachagacha gachagacha naku yori hoka nai (1937)
katydid katydid / nothing to do / but cry (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

gekkō amaneku hoshii mama naru mushi noyoru da

Just as I hoped: / Moonlight everywhere, / A night for insects. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

Gochū yuki furu hitori toshite hi o taku

Snow falls--in my hut / I kindle a fire for one. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Snow is falling / All around Gochu hermitage; / I build a fire as a lonely self. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Gochu snow falls as a solitary man I make a fire (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

gohan ga atte hon ga atte soshite tabako mo atte
I've rice, / Books, / And tobacco. (Tr. by John Stevens)


ごろりと草にふんどしかわいた
gorori to kusa ni fundoshi kawaita
Like a log in the grass - / As my fundoshi dried. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Lying in the grass / I dry my fundoshi. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

蜂がてふてふが草がなんぼでも咲いて
hachi ga tefucho ga kusa ga nambo demo saite

Bees butterflies grasses so many blooming (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

hadaka de hanashi ga hazumimasu

Naked (in the bath house)-- / The conversation / Grows more lively. (Tr. by John Stevens)
In public baths
Naked / the discussion gets / heated (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
[At the bath]
Naked, / talk jumps back and forth. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

蝿を打ち蚊を打ち我を打ち
hae o uchi ka o uchi ware o uchi

Slapping at the flies, / Slapping at the mosquitoes / Slapping at myself. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Swatting flies, / Swatting mosquitoes, / Swatting myself. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I slap flies / I slap mosquitos / I slap myself (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
je frappe les mouches / je frappe les moustiques / je me frappe moi-même (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

生えて伸びて咲いてゐる幸福
haete nobite saiteiru koufuku

Sprouting growing blooming happiness (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

萩がすすきがけふのみち
hagi ga susuki ga kyou no michi

Bush clover and pampas grass are today’s road (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

墓がならんでそこまで波がおしよせて
haka ga narande soko made nami ga oshiyosete

Up to the graves in rows the waves rolling in (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Up to / the rows of graves / the waves break (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

haku hodo ni chiru hodo ni aki fukaku

Sweeping, falling, / Sweeping, falling: / Late autumn. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

hana ga ha ni naru tōkyō yo sayōnara (1940)
the blossoms / have become leaves so / tokyo, i leave (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)
hey, tokyo / your blossoms are leaves: / good-bye! (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)

 

ha no ochite ochiru ha wa nai taiyou
The leaves fallen / no more leaves to fall / the sun (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Les feuilles sont tombées / Plus de feuille à tomber / Soleil (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

hara ippai mizu nonde kite neru

A stomach full of water; / I sleep soundly. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

haretari futtari aota ni natta

Rain and shine-- / The fields have turned / Into green paddies. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

張りかへた障子のなかの一人
harikaeta shōji no naka no hitori (SMT) (1929)
inside the newly mended / paper panels / alone (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Within this room, / Of freshly papered shoji, / Alone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

haru ga kita watakushi no kuriya yutaka ni too

Spring is here / Even my kitchen / Will be well stocked. (Tr. by John Stevens)


春風の鉢の子一つ
harukaze no hachinoko hitotsu
shumpa no hachi no ko hitotsu

In the spring wind, / One small begging bowl. (Tr. by John Stevens)
One bowl for mendicancy is put, / while blowing the spring breeze softly. (Tr. by endoy)
Spring wind - / One begging bowl. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In the spring breeze / One begging-bowl is there. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Dans le vent printanier, / Un petit bol de mendiant. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
Im Frühlingswind eine einzelne Bettelschale … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

春風の蓑虫ひよいとのぞいた
harukaze no minomushi hyoito nozoita
In the spring wind, / A dangling caterpillar, / Peeps outside. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The spring wind’s bagworm has taken a sudden peek (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

harukaze no nara no ha no sukkari ochita (1935)
oak leaves / all blown down / in the spring wind (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

春の山からころころ石ころ
haru no yama kara korokoro ishikoro (1939)
from the spring mountain / loose stones / clattering down (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Aus den Bergen im Frühling –der Laut kullernder Steine (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

春の雪ふる女はまことうつくしい
haru no yuki furu onna wa makoto utsukushii (SMT) (1936)

In spring snow / Women are so beautiful. (Tr. by John Stevens)
spring snow falling / woman / so very beautiful (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

harusame no yoake no mizuoto ga naridashita (1933)
spring rain / at dawn came a sound of water (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

haru samui shima kara shima e watasareru

Spring cold-- / I cross / From island to island. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

haru wa utsuro na ibukuro o mochiaruku

Spring--with an empty stomach / I walk along. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

haru wa yuku hachi no ko motte doko made mo

Spring-- / Walking with my begging bowl / Until the end. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Spring / I walk holding my begging bowl / up to where? (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

hate mo nai tabi de ase kusai koto

My endless journey / The smell of sweat. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

初孫がうまれたさうな風鈴の鳴る
hatsu mago ga umareta souna fu-rin no naru
My first grandchild was born, / So I hear, / The wind-bell ringing. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

hataraite mo hataraite mo susukippo

Working, / And working harder; / Still the pampas grass grows. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

hattō ake hanatsu ake hanarete iru

The Dharma Hall gates / Are opened; / It becomes light. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

はや芽吹く樹で啼いてゐる
haya mebuku ki de naiteiru

Among budding trees / Birds are now singing. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

dans les arbres / le souffle du vent / le chant des premiers bourgeons (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

hebi ga hinata ni mōana e haire (1934)
snake / sunning himself-- / get back in your hole! (Tr. by Burton Watson)


へそが汗ためてゐる
heso ga ase tamete iru (SMT) (1938)
belly button / it gathers up / all the sweat (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Sweat, gathered up / In my navel. (Tr. by John Stevens)

My bellybutton a pool of sweat (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Sweat: / collecting / in my navel. (Tr. by Okami)
Schweiß, angesammelt in meinem Nabel (Übers. Jochen Hahn-Klimroth)

 

hi ga nagai ie kara ie e rusu bakari (1933)
long day / going from house to house / nobody home (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hinata e tsukue o nagai nagai tegami o kaku

In the sunlight on my desk / I write a long, long letter. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

hinata mabushiku meshi bakari no meshi o
Shining brightly / In the sunshine: / My meal of boiled rice. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Light fills the air, / the rice is shining white. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Shining brightly in the sunshine: / my little bowl of rice. (Tr. by Okami)
In my begging bowl / the glaring whiteness / of rice (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

ひらひら蝶はうたへない
hirahira chō wa utaenai
fluttery but a butterfly can't sing (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

 

hiru fukaku kusa fukaku hebi ni nomareru kaeru no koe

High noon--in the deep grass / The cry of a frog / Being swallowed by a snake. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

昼もしづかな蝿が蠅たたきを知つてゐる
hiru mo shizukana hae ga haetataki o shitteiru

Noon too quiet flies know the fly-swatter (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

昼寝さめてどちらを見ても山
hirune samete dochira o mite mo yama

Waking from a nap, / Either way I look: mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Waking from a nap - / Everywhere I look, / Mountains. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Wake from a nap whichever way I look mountains (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Waking from an afternoon nap, / whichever way I look, / mountains. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

hiru shizuka na yakinasu no yaketa nioi

Noon quiet-- / Cooking the eggplant, / Its burnt smell. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ひさびさもどれば筍によきによき
hisabisa modoreba takenoko nyoki-nyoki (SMT) (1933)
Returning to My Hut
coming back after a long time / bamboo shoots / nosing up all over (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Returning, / After a long time - / Here and there bamboo shoots. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
long away / come back: bamboo / shoots shooting (Tr. by Scott Watson)
--Returning to my hermitage--

I'm home after a long absence; / Bamboo sprouts are shooting forth / Everywhere. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

ひさしぶりに掃く垣根の花が咲いてゐる
hisashiburi ni haku kakine no hana ga saite iru

I sweep the garden / After a long absence; / The flowers in the hedge are blooming. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Sweeping, / After long neglect, / Hedge-flowers blooming. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Sweeping the yard for a change, / Flowers in the hedge are in bloom. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

ひっそり暮らせばみそささい
hissori kuraseba misosazai

I live withdrawn and a wren (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
To live life in tranquility, / a wren. (Tr. by James Abrams)

Sólo si tu vida / es algo no sabido, / el canto del misosasai (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

hito ga ite shigureru kaki o moide ita (1932)
someone there / picking persimmons / in the rain (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hitokire no kumo mo nai sora no sabishisa masaru (1930)
not a scrap of cloud in it / sky lonelier than ever (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hito ni awanakunarite yori yama no tefutefu

Since I stopped coming across people the mountain butterflies (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Now that I don't meet / anyone / mountain butterflies (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

hito no tame ni shigurete hotoke sama
Rained upon / For all our sakes, / Hotoke Sama. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)

The small Buddha statue: / Rained on for the sake of human beings. (Tr. by John Stevens)


人を見送りひとりでかへるぬかるみ
hito o miokuri hitori de kaeru nukarumi (SMT) (1933)
Seeing someone off, / On a muddy path - / Coming back alone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Seeing off my friend, / I return alone / Trudging through the mud. (Tr. by John Stevens)
seeing someone off / coming back alone / muddy road (Tr. by Burton Watson)

After seeing someone off I return alone through the quagmire (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

hitori atatamatte hitori de neru

(My favorite hot spring--)

Bathing alone, / Sleeping alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)

ひとりで蚊にくはれてゐる
hitori de ka ni kuwarete iru
I am bitten by mosquitoes, / Quite alone. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)

Sitting by myself; / The mosquitoes / Won't leave me alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Alone, / Being eaten by mosquitos. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
All alone, / Letting mosquitoes bite my flesh. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Alone being eaten up by mosquitoes (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
On my own / attacked / by mosquitos (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)


ひとりひっそり竹の子竹になる
hitori hissori takenoko take ni naru
Quietly, by itself - / The bamboo shoot, / Becomes bamboo. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Alone hushed a bamboo shoot grows to become bamboo (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Alone, silently- / the bamboo shoot (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)

 

ひとりきいてゐてきつつき
hitori kiite iru kitsu-tsuki
Alone, / Listening - / A woodpecker. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I'm listening alone-- / Woodpecker. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Alone I listen a woodpecker (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
seul, écoutant – un pivert (Tr. par Daniel Py)

hitori nite hitori taberu ozōni (1931)
cook it alone / eat it alone / New Year’s soup (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ひとりの火をつくる
hitori no hi o tsukuru (SMT) (1931)
I make / a fire / for one (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Hacer un fuego / para uno solo (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

hitori oreba haetorigami no hae ga naku (1932)
now I’m alone / flies on the flypaper / start in buzzing (Tr. by Burton Watson)


hitori Shōgatsu no mochi mo sake mo ari soshite

Alone on New Year's Day-- / There is mochi and sakè / And . . . (Tr. by John Stevens)


hitori sumeba aoao o shite kusa (SMT) (1932)
live alone / and the grasses / are green so green (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Living alone and green green is the grass (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

hitori taberu yudōfu ugoku (1935)
boiled bean curd / eating it alone / it wobbles (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ひとりたがやせばうたふなり
hitori tagayaseba utau nari

If only one plows the fields, / You'll soon hear a song. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Alone, / Hoeing, / Singing a song. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

hitori yama koete mata yama (1938)
alone / crossing the mountain-- / another mountain (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hitosuji no mizu o hiki hitotsuya no aki (1930)
one water pipe / leads off from the stream / lone house in autumn (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hitotsu areba kototaru nabe no kome o togu

One pot is enough; / I wash the rice. (Tr. by John Stevens)

One washes rice in a metal pot; only one pot, that's enough (for me). (Tr. by Kametaro)

 

hitotsu moide gohan ni shō (1933)
pick one / have it for supper (Tr. by Burton Watson)
* “One” is the fruit of an old citron tree that grew inback of the Gochū-an.

 

日ざかり泣いても笑うても一人
hizakari naite mo warōte mo hitori

In the heat of the day / Crying or laughing-- / Only one. (Tr. by John Stevens)
en pleine chaleur / que je pleure ou que je ris / toujours aussi seul (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

hizakari no senninbari no hito hari zutsu
En plein soleil / mille femmes mille aiguillées / pour nos soldats. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)


日ざかりのお地蔵様の顔がにこにこ
hizakari no O-Jizō-sama no kao ga nikoniko
In the sunlight / Jizō's face / Smiles brightly. (Tr. by John Stevens)
In the sunshine, / The face of good old Jizo - / Smiling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
au soleil la figure du bon vieux Jizo souriant (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

日ざかり落ちる葉のいちまい
hizakari ochiru ha no ichimai
In the bright sunlight, / One falling leaf. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The sun at its most intense one leaf falls (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


hiza ni sake no koboruru ni aitōnaru (1940)
sake slopping over / on our knees / wish we were together (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

hokkari samete maue no tsuki o kanjiteiru

Wide awake and feeling the moon right above (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

honni yokatta yuudachi no mizuoto ga soko koko

Was so good the evening shower the sounds of water here and there (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

horohoro horobi yuki watakushi no aki

Slowly, slowly / Falling into ruin-- / My final autumn. (Tr. by John Stevens)
So tröpfelt er langsam seinem Ende zu: mein Herbst … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

ほろほろ酔うて木の葉ふる
horo-horo yōte ko no ha furu (SMT) (1927–1928)
Slightly tipsy; / The leaves fall / One by one. (Tr. by John Stevens)
happily drunk / tree leaves / drifting down (Tr. by Burton Watson)
A soft whirling drunk, / a scattering of leaves. (Tr. by James Abrams)
I am drunk, / Mellowly, / The leaves are falling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Fluttering drunk leaves scatter (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
I am tipsy feeling 'horohoro', / while leaves are falling around me. (Tr. by endoy)
A little woozy, / leaves fall one by one. (Tr. by Okami)
Tipsy, tipsy / drunk-- / tree leaves / fall
légèrement ivre / les feuilles des arbres / se dispersent (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
légèrement ivre / une feuille tombe de l'arbre (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
Angeheitert wie ich Blätter tänzeln zu Boden (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

ほろりとぬけた歯ではある

horori to nuketa ha de wa aru (SMT) (1932)
plop! / the tooth / just fell out (Tr. by Burton Watson)

This the tooth that came out just like that (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

hoshizora saete kuru kangyō no taiko uchidashita
The clear, cold, starry sky-- / The mountain ascetics beat their drums. (Tr. by John Stevens)

ほうたるこいこいふるさとにきた
hōtaru koi koi furusato ni kita

Fireflies everywhere; / I've returned to my native village. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Come on, fireflies, come on; / I've come to my native town. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)


ほととぎすあすはあの山こえて行かう
hototogisu asu wa ano yama koete yukō (SMT) (1933)
cuckoo / tomorrow I’ll cross over / that mountain (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Little cuckoos-- / I will go beyond / That mountain morrow. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

hotto tsuki ga aru Tōkyō ni kite iru

At last! The moon and I / Arrive in Tokyo. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

法衣こんなにやぶれて草の実
hōe konna niyaburete kusa no mi

My monk's robe / Looks even more tattered, / Covered with grass seeds. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Seeds of grasses; / My monkish robe / Is so worn! (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Monk-robe / Threadbare so-- / Grass seeds. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
My monk’s robe so torn grass seeds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
My monk's robe like this! / Tattered, / Covered with grass seeds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

へうへうとして水を味ふ
hyōhyō to shite mizu o ajiwau (SMT) (1927–1928)
Buoyantly we go / Like the wind, / Tasting water. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
wobbly on my feet / the good taste / of water (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Aimlessly, buoyantly, / Drifting here and there, / Tasting the pure water. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Free as the blowing wind - / I taste the water. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Light-hearted / I taste / water (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Floating drifting / the wandering water / I taste (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
With a buoyant heart, / I taste the water. (Tr. by James Abrams)
allègre / à l’eau / je goûte (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

cette eau légère / je la savoure (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
A l’eau qui coule / insouciante / je goûte. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
De acá para allá, / libre como el viento, / saborear el agua (Tr. de Vicente Haya & Hiroko Tsuji)

 

ひよいと穴からとかげかよ
hyoito ana kara tokage ka yo

Suddenly out of a hole a lizard is it (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

hyoito nozoite minomushi wa nakanai

Taking a sudden peek the bagworm doesn’t cry (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

ichiaku no kome o itadaki itadaite mainichi no tabi

A handful of rice, / Received and eaten: / My daily travel. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

いちにち物いはず波音
ichinichi mono iwazu nami oto

All day I said nothing-- / The sound of waves. (Tr. by John Stevens)
A whole day without a word, / the sound of waves. (Tr. by James Abrams)
All day - / Without a word, / Waves crashing. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
all day saying nothing waves sounding (Tr. by Scott Watson)
toute la journée / sans un mot / le bruit des vagues (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Pas un mot de la journée - / Le bruit des vagues. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
Den ganzen Tag kein einziges Wort Wellenrauschen (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

いちにち物いはずねむれない月夜となる
ichinichi mono iwazu nemurenai tsukiyo to naru

All day I said nothing; / Unable to sleep-- / The moonlit night. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Tras un día en completo silencio, / una de esas noches de luna / en las que no se puede dormir (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

ichi-nichi mono iwazu umi ni mukaeba shio michite kinu
I was silent all day: / Facing the sea, / The tide came up. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)

 

ichinichi ni oni to Hotoke ni ai ni keri

Each day we meet / Both demons and Buddhas. (Tr. by John Stevens)


ichinichi ware to waga ashi-oto o kikitsutsu ayumu

Du matin au soir / Écoutant le bruit de mes pas / Je marche (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

ichirin-zashi no tsubaki ichirin

A tiny vase, / A twig of camellia in it. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

一羽来て啼かない鳥である
ichi wa kite nakanai tori de aru

A single bird comes, / But does not sing. (Tr. by John Stevens)
A bird came in front of me,  / keeping his silence. (Tr. by endoy)
Hay un pájaro que ha venido / Y que no canta (Tr. de Vicente Rojo & Hiroko Tsuji)

 

家を持たない秋がふかうなるばかり
ie wo motanai aki ga fukau naru bakari

Not having a house - / Only the deepening of autumn. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

ie o motanai aki ga fukō natta

I have no home; / Autumn deepens. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

行き暮れてなんとここらの水のうまさは
iki kurete nanto kokorano mizu no umasa ha
Becoming dark on the way, / The water around here - / How tasty. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

生き残る蠅が私をおぼえている
ikinokoru hae ga watashi o oboete iru

The few flies that remain / Seem to remember me. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The few flies that remain / find me familiar. (Tr. by Okami)

Moscas que sobreviven / Y guardan mi memoria (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

生き残つたからだ掻いてゐる
iki nokotta karada kaite iru (SMT) (1927–1928)
this body / still alive / scratching it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Some life remains; / I scratch my body. (Tr. by John Stevens)
This body, / Which has survived so long, / I am scratching. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I've survived-- / Scratching my body. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
It having survived I’m scratching my body (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
This body / that has survived / I am scratching it (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Some life remains: / I scratch my belly... (Tr. by Okami)

 

生きてるることがうれしい水をくむ
ikite ruru koto ga ureshii mizu o kumu

Glad to be alive, / I scoop up the water. (Tr. by John Stevens)
heureux / d’être en vie / je puise de l’eau (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

imogayu no atsusa umasa mo aki to natta

Potato gruel-- / Its warmth! Its good taste! / Autumn is here. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ippai yaritai yūyake-zora (1931)
The sky at sunset-- / A cup of sakè / Would taste so good! (Tr. by John Stevens)
a drink / would be nice now / sunset sky (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The sky at sunset - / a little alcohol would taste so good. (Tr. by Okami)
un verre / serait agréable maintenant / ciel du soir (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

irihi o matomo ni kane karite modoru kawakaze

Sunset full in my face; / After borrowing money / I return in the river wind. (Tr. by John Stevens)

isakaeru fūfu ni yoru kumo sagari keri (1917)
husband and wife quarreling / night / spiders dangle down (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

いさましくもかなしくも白い凾
isamashiku mo kanashiku mo shiroi hako (SMT) (1938)
(“Home Front”)
valiantly-- that too / pitifully-- that too / white boxes (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Brave, yes; / Sorrowful yes-- / The white boxes. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

石に松が昔ながらの散松葉

ishi ni matsu ga mukashi nagara no chirimatsuba

Un pino entre la piedra / Desde hace mucho / Hojas caídas (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

ishi ni shikushiku shimitōru aki no yo no ame nari (1939)
soaking deeper and deeper / into the rocks / fall night rain (Tr. by Burton Watson)

ishi o makura ni kumo no yuku e o

Using a stone for a pillow, / I drift toward the clouds. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Une pierre pour oreiller, j’accompagne les nuages (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

ishi o makura ni shite shinjitsu nete iru kojiki

Using a stone for a pillow, / Truly sleeping: this beggar. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

issho ni bisshori ase kaite ushi ga hito ga

(Spring planting:)

Farmers and oxen / Both covered with sweat. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ishi ni tombo wa mahiru no yume miru

A dragonfly on the rock; / Midday dreams. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Dragonfly on a rock- / absorbed in / a daydream (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)

on a rock the dragonfly / looks at midday dreams (Tr. by W. J. Higginson)

 

いただいて足りて一人の箸をおく
itadaite tarite hitori no hashi o oku (SMT) (1932)

I received them / And they served my needs; / I put down my chopsticks. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I was given it / it was enough / I lay down my lone chopsticks (Tr. by Burton Watson)
I have gratefully received it; / It was enough; / I lay down my chopsticks. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Eating and satisfied, / One man's chopsticks, / Are put down. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Eating fully enough with thanks, / I put down chopsticks; / All alone. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Receiving, / contented, / alone, I lay down my chopsticks. (Tr. by James Abrams)

le repas terminé / je repose les baguettes. Seul / redevable rassasié (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

いつでも死ねる草が咲いたり実つたり
itsu demo shineru kusa ga saitari minottari

Weeds that may die / Any time-- / Blooming and seeding. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The weeds, / On which I can die anytime, / Some blooming, some bearing seeds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Ready to die any moment grass blooms bears seeds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

いつまで旅することの爪をきる
itsu made tabi suru koto no tsume o kiru (SMT) (1932)
how much longer / on the road? / clipping my nails (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Up to the very end, it is journeying, / And cutting our (toe-) nails. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Until when, / This traveling? / Clipping my toenails. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Me corto las uñas... / Hay que viajar hasta el fin (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

いつも一人で赤とんぼ
itsumo hitori de aka tombo
Always alone - / A red dragonfly. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I'm always alone, / Red dragonfly. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Always alone and red dragonflies (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Always alone, / a red dragonfly. (Tr. by James Abrams)
I'm used to being alone / the red dragonflies (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
toujours seul – une libellule rouge (Tr. par Daniel Py)

いつもつながれてほえるほかない犬です

itsumo tsunagarete hoeru hoka nai inu desu

Always chained the dog has no choice but to bark (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

itsu-no-ma-ni-yara tsuki wa ochiteru yami ga shimijimi (1933)
hadn’t noticed / moon gone down / thick darkness all around (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

itsu shinuru ki no mi wa maite oku

When will I die? / I plant the seedlings. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I plant a tree seed, / the fruit will someday die. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

itsu to naku sakura ga saite atte wa wakareru (1940)
well, the cherries / they blossomed in a wink / we meet, we part (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)
i almost missed / the cherry’s bloom: soon as / we meet we part (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)

 

iwabashiru mizu ga tataeshi aosa misogi suru
I purify myself / In the blue water / Rushing over the rocks. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

iwa ga ōki na iwa ga ichimen no tsuta kōyō

Rocks and large cliffs, / Covered with crimson leaves. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

岩かげまさしく水が湧いてゐる
iwakage masashiku mizu ga waite iru (SMT) (1930)

Behind the rocks, / Sure enough, a fountain; / Eureka! (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

From the shadow / Of the rocks / Water wells up. (Tr. by John Stevens)
in the shade of the rock / sure to be / water bubbling up (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Behind the boulder, / Water trickling, / Just as I thought. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

izure wa tsuchikure no yasukesa de tsuchi ni neru (1930)
sleep on the ground / sooner or later / peaceful as a clod of dirt (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

izu wa atatakaku nojuku ni yoroshii nami oto mo

Izu is warm now: / I can sleep in the fields / And listen to the sound of the waves. (Tr. by John Stevens)


jidōsha ni hikaren to shite samui samui michi (1930)
nearly run over / by a car / cold cold road (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

jūbun yasunda me ga aite haru

Fully rested, / I open my eyes-- spring. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

jukushi no amasa mo obasan no omokage (1934)
in the sweet taste / of a ripe persimmon too / I remember my grandmother (Tr. by Burton Watson)


kabe ga kuzurete soko kara tsuru kusa

Where the walls of my hut have crumbled / Vines and grass grow. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Walls crumbling from there vine grass (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kabe o hedatete yu no naka no danjo sazamekiau (1930)

Separated by a screen: / Murmuring voices / Of men and women bathing. (Tr. by John Stevens)

men and women in the bath / shouting back and forth / over the partition (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaeri wa hitori no tsuki ga aru ippon michi

Returning to my hut, / One man's moon / Along the straight road. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kaeru osanaku aoi ha no mannaka ni (1933)
frog / still a baby / middle of the green leaf (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

影もぼそぼそ夜ふけのわたしがたべてゐる
kage mo boso-boso yofuke no watashi ga tabete iru
Shadows late at night - / As I eat alone, / Making a little noise. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
With a shadow too desultorily late night I’m eating (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

影もはつきりと若葉
kage mo hakkiri to wakaba
The shadows, / Very clear - / Young leaves. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Their shadows distinct the young leaves (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kakashi mo gatchiri Hinomaru futte iru (SMT) (1938)
(“Home Front”)
scarecrow too / bravely waving / the Rising Sun flag (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaki no wakaba ga mieru tokoro de nekorobu (1932)
new leaves on persimmon trees / flopping down / where I can see them (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

柿の若葉のかがやく空を死なずにゐる
kaki no wakaba no kagayaku sora o shinazuni iru
The persimmon’s young leaves glitter in the sky I’m yet not dead (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kanashii tegami o posuto ni otosu oto no yūyami
Twilight--the sound / Of the sad letter dropping / Into the postbox. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Twilight - the sound / of a sad letter / dropping into a postbox. (Tr. by Okami)

kangaeru tomo naku kangaete ita shigurete ita (1934)
didn’t mean to think of it / still I thought of it / rain coming down (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ka no ochite ochiru ha wa nai taiyo

Les feuilles sont tombées / Plus de feuille à tomber / Soleil

 

karada nagedashite shigururu yama

Throwing myself / Into the drenched mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Striding out urging / my body onwards cold / rain falls on the mountain (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Mon corps / étendu / il pleut sur la montagne. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

karada no mawari katazukete tōku yama nami no yuki.

Settling down again; / The distant mountains / Covered with snow. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

karari to hareta asa no waraji mo shikkuri (1930)
clear bright morning / straw sandals / feel just right (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

karasu ga aruite iru moedashita kusa (1934)
a crow walking there / new shoots of grass (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

鴉啼いてわたしも一人
karasu naite watashi mo hitori
A crow is cawing; / I also am by myself. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
The cawing of a crow - / I also am alone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Lone crow is cawing; / I'm alone too. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
A crow caws, / I too am alone. (Tr. by James Abrams)
a crow caws / I also am alone (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
un corbeau croasse / je suis seul / moi aussi (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Schreiende Krähen –auch ich bin alleine (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)
eine krähe krächzt / auch ich bin allein (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

karasu tonde yuku mizu o watarō

A crow flies away I’ll cross the water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
I shall cross this / water the crow / flies over (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
A crow flies off, / I will cross the water. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Un corbeau vole / je traverserai / cette eau. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

kare eda pokipoki omou koto naku

Breaking the dead branches, / Thinking of nothing. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The snap of dried twigs, / not a thought in my head. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

枯木に鴉がお正月もすみました
kareki ni karasu ga oshōgatsu mo sumimashita
In a withered tree, / A crow, / New Year's is over. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
A crow on a withered tree, / The New Year has come and gone. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Auf diesem kahlen Baum –hat eine Krähe Neujahr verbracht (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

涸れきった川を渡る
karekitta kawa o wataru (SMT) (1930)
I cross / a river / that’s all dried up (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Crossing over / A dried up river. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
I ford across / a bone-dry stream. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Wade across the river, / which ran dry perfectly. (Tr. by endoy)
Diesen knochentrockenen Bach überschreite ich … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

karete karekitte ishikoro gorogoro

The dry, parched stones / Roll and roll. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Stocktrocken kleine Brocken Kiesel rieseln den Abhang hinab … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

karetekuru mizu no sumi yo

Drying up the water’s clarity (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

枯れて濡れて草のうつくしさ、朝
karete nurete kusa no utsukushisa asa
Withered and wet, / The weeds beauty, / Morning. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

kareki wa tabi o kawakashite iru (1934)
the leafless tree / is drying / my tabi socks (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kareyama nomu hodo no mizu wa arite

A withered mountain with enough water to drink (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Winter-withered mountain, / all the water one can drink. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

枯れゆく草のうつくしさにすわる
kare yuku kusa no utsukushisa ni suwaru (1934)

I sit in the withered beauty / Of the wild grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I sit / in the beauty / of grasses as they wither (Tr. by Burton Watson)
On the beauty, / Of withering grasses - / I sit. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Withering grass I sit on its beauty (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Je m’assieds sur la beauté / De quelques herbes en train de se dessécher (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

刈るより掘るより播いてゐる
karuyori horu yori maite iru

More cutting, / More digging, / Planting. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

笠へぽつとり椿だつた
kasa e pottori tsubaki datta (SMT) (1932)
went thump! / on my hat / a camellia (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Plop on my kasa / The flower of the camellia! (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Plop! / On my kasa - / A camellia. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Something fell on my sedge-hat-- / Camellia. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Thump on my hat was a camellia (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Oh! A big camellia / Bounced off my kasa. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Oh! A big camellia / Bounced off my monk's hat!
cette pichenette / sur mon chapeau / un camélia ! (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
plop ! sur mon chapeau un camélia (Tr. par Daniel Py)
Fiel „plumps“ auf meinen Hut – war eine Kamelien-Blüte … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

”Toc” contra mi sombrero de junco: / la camelia (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

笠も漏りだしたか
kasa mo moridashita ka (SMT) (1930)

Has my kasa / Also begun to leak? (Tr. by John Stevens)
has my hat too / sprung a leak? (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Has my kasa too / Begun to leak? (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
What? / My kasa too, / Is leaking. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
My sedge-hat / Getting leaky at last. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Even my hat has started to leak I see (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
My bamboo hat— / has it too begun to leak? (Tr. by James Abrams)
dans mon chapeau en bambou / aussi / une fuite (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

mon chapeau / aussi / prendrait-il l'eau ? (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

笠にとんぼをとまらせてあるく
kasa ni tombo o tomarasete aruku (SMT) (1927–1928)

The dragonflies / Perch on my kasa / As I walk along. (Tr. by John Stevens)
letting a dragonfly / sit on my hat / walking along (Tr. by Burton Watson)
I walk along, / Letting the dragon-fly / Perch on my kasa. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
I walk - / Letting perch on my kasa, / A dragonfly. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Walking with a dragonfly / Resting on my sedge-hat. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
With a dragonfly / on my bamboo hat / walking (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Letting the dragonfly stay on my hat I walk on (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

compagnon de route / une libellule sur mon chapeau (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

kasari kosori oto sasete nakanu mushi ga kita
Making a rustling sound, / Mute insect has come. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Rustling stirring a non-chirping insect has come (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
tip tap comes a bug with no buzz (Tr. by Scott Watson)
rustling rustling / a mute cricket has come (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

 

笠をぬぎしみじみとぬれ
kasa o nugi shimi-jimi to nure
Taking off my kasa, / Getting wet, / Satisfied within. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Doffing my bamboo-hat, / I'm thoroughly wet. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

kasunde kasanatte yama ga furusato

The mountains / Hazed and overlapped-- / My home town. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

kataneba naranai daichi issei ni mebukō to suru
We must win all / burgeoning together / through the great earth (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

Vaincre il nous faut / et sur la terre / ensemble éclateront les bourgeons. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

kayui tokoro o kaku te ga atta (1930)
there were hands / to scratch / the itchy places (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaze ga fukinukeru korori-to shinde iru (1934)
wind blows right through me / plop / and I fall over dead (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaze ga suzushiku fukinukeru node hachi mo tombo mo

A cool wind passes so do bees so do dragonflies (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kaze ga umi yori dotegusa no chōchō ochitsukazu (1915)
wind from the sea / butterflies in embankment weeds / never resting (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaze no chōchōno yukue o miokuru (1933)
butterflies / in the wind / seeing them on their way (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

風の枯木をひろってはあるく

kaze no kareki o hirotte wa aruku

Con viento, / recoger ramas secas / Caminar (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

Con viento / recojo una rama seca / y sigo caminando (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

En el viento, / recoger ramas secas / y caminar (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

Sopla el viento… / Recoger ramas secas / y caminar (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

Caminar: / Ir recogiendo ramas secas / con viento (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

kaze no machi no kegawa urenai Senjin de (1930)
windy town / and a Korean / whose furs don’t sell (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

風の明暗を辿る
kaze no meian o tadoru
I walk in the wind's / Brightness and darkness. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I follow the bright and dark sides of a wind (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

風の中からかあかあ鴉
kaze no naka kara kaakaa karasu

Out of the wind caw caw crows (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

kaze no naka koe hariagete namu Kanzeon
Raising my voice above the wind: / Hail to the Bodhisattva of Compassion! (Tr. by John Stevens)
A voice stirring above the wind, / 'Praise to Kannon.' (Tr. by James Abrams)

kaze no naka kome morai ni iku

Walking in the wind / To receive some rice. (Tr. by John Stevens)


風の中おのれを責めつつ歩く
kaze no naka onore o semetsutsu aruku (1938)
Walking in the freezing wind, / Bitterly reproaching myself. (Tr. by John Stevens)
in the wind / walking alone / blaming myself (Tr. by Burton Watson)
'Midst the wind - / Reproaching myself, / Walking along. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In the wind I walk blaming myself (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Open to the wind, / over and over condemning myself, I walk. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Walk in the wind / having myself / to blame
dans le vent / en m’assaillant de reproches / je marche (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

kaze no tonneru nukete sugu koihajimeru (1932)
through the windy tunnel / then start right in / begging (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kaze no yo no to o tataku oto ga aru (1930)
windy night / a sound of tapping / at the door (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

けふの暑さはたばこやにたばこがない
kefu no atsusa ha tabako-ya ni tabako ga nai
How hot today! / In the shops, / No cigarettes. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

けさもよい日の星一つ
kesa mo yoi-hi no hoshi hitotsu
Early morning, / One star remaining, / It's a good day too. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

ki ga taorete iru koshi o kakeru (1934)
tree fallen over / sitting down on it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

開いてしづかにぽとりと落ちた
kiite shizukani potori to ochita
It bloomed quietly - / It fell with a plop. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

ki-kage kumo-kage neko no shigai ga nagarete kita (1932)
tree reflections / cloud reflections / a dead cat came floating by (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kina ana ga horaruru machi no shizukesa yo (1917)
so still the street / big hole / dug in it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

ki no ha ni kasa ni oto tatete arare
Auf die Blätter, auf meinen Strohhut prasselt Hagel – laut vernehmbar (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

kinome kusanome aruki tsuzukeru

Buds of trees, / Buds of grasses, / I keep on walking. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

傷が癒えゆく秋めいた風となつて吹く
kizu ga ieyuku aki meita kaze to natte kaze fuku

The wound healing turning autumnal the wind blows (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kizu ga sono mama akagire to nari fuyu komoru

The cut, without healing, / Becomes cold and chapped. / Winter confinement. (Tr. by John Stevens)

kochira muite hiraite shiroi hana niou (1940)
facing this way / opening / white flowers smell good (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

koete yuku yama mata yama wa fuyu no yama

Passing over the mountains, / Again mountains, winter mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kogarashi no hi no maru futatsu futari mo dashite iru
Beaten by the wind even / a house like this has given / both sons as the signs show (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
La brise souffle / sur la maison deux drapeaux / deux soldats s’en sont allés. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

乞ひあるく水音のどこまでも
koiaruku mizu oto no doko made mo

I walk along, begging; / The sound of water everywhere. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Walking and begging, / Everywhere, / Water sound. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Je mendie en marchant seul : / Le bruit de l'eau partout. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

木かげは風がある旅人どうし
kokage ha kaze ga aru tabibito doushi
In the tree's shade - / A wind, / Travellers both. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

koko de neru to suru kusa no mi no koboreru

I decide to sleep here grass seeds spill (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


ここまでを来し水飲んで去る
koko made o koshi mizu nonde saru (1936)

I've made it this far; / I drink the pure water and go. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Having got this far / I drink some water / then leave (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Venu jusqu’ici / je bois de l’eau / et m’en retourne. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

got this far / drink some water / and go on (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Having come this far I drink water and leave (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
I have come this far, / a drink of water, and I am gone. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

ここに白髪を剃り落して去る
koko ni shiraga o sori otoshite saru
At this place, / Shaving off my grey hair, / I leave. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

rasés mes cheveux blancs / les laisse à terre / et quitte les lieux (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

ここにかうしてわたしおいてゐる冬夜
koko no koushite watashi wo oite iru touya
koko ni koushite watashi oiteiru fuyuyo

Like this, / I am put here, / A winter night. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Here like this I place myself winter night (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

ここを死に場所とし草のしげりにしげり
koko o shini basho to shite kusa no shigeri ni shigeri

Make this the place to die grasses luxuriate luxuriate (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kokoro aratamete shimo no daikon o nuku

My mind is clear; / I pick the frost-covered daikon. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

心むなしくあらなみのよせてはかへし
kokoro munashiku aranami no yosete wa kaeshi

My heart is empty; / The violent waves come and go. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Heart empty the rough waves rolling in rolling out (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
My heart empty, / the surge and ebb / of pounding waves. (Tr. by James Abrams)
le cœur libre / les vagues furieuses / s’approchent se retirent (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

こころおちつけば水の音
kokoro ochitsukeba mizu no oto
My heart calms down and the sound of the water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
When I calm my heart, / the sound of water. (Tr. by James Abrams)
as my mind calms down / the sound of water (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
mon cœur s’est calmé / le bruit de l’eau  (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
(anchū dokuza) (in der Klause alleine)
Kommt das Herz zur Ruhe bleibt der Klang des Wassers (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

こころしずかに山のおきふし
kokoro shizuka ni yama no okifushi (1930)
peaceful in mind / getting up   going to bed / in mountains (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Peace for the heart: / Life in the mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)

El corazón en paz / La vida diaria de las montañas (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

こころすなほに御飯がふいた
kokoro sunao ni gohan ga fuita (SMT) (1932)
the rice / dutiful by nature / began to boil (Tr. by Burton Watson)

I'm true and obedient to my mind; / Rice has just been cooked well. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

kokoro tsukarete yama ga umi ga utsukushisugiru

My heart is weary-- / The mountains, the sea / Are too beautiful. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Tired heart- / mountains and ocean / too much beauty (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
My spirit is exhausted, / the mountains, the sea, / are too beautiful. (Tr. by James Abrams)
My heart's exhausted - / the mountains, the sea / are too beautiful. (Tr. by Okami)

 

kome no kurosa mo tanomoshiku arau

The darkness of the rice trusty I wash it (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

こんなに草の実どこの草の実

konna ni kusa no mi doko no kusa no mi

¿De dónde han salido / todas estas semillas / (arrastradas por el viento)? (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

konnanimo yowatte shimatta ochiba fumu sae
so badly weakened / even when I step on fallen leaves (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

 

konna ni umai mizu ga afurete iru

Such delicious water / Overflows from the spring. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Water so tasty, / Flowing all over. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Such delicious water overflowing (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

konna ni yasete kuru te o awasete mo

My hands, so thin / Even held together. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

木の葉散る歩きつめる
konoha chiru aruki tsumeru
Leaves of the trees fall; / Walking on and on. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
tree leaves fall / walking on and on (Tr. by W. J. Higginson)
Leaves are falling; / I walk and walk. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

木の葉ふるふる鉢の子へも
konoha furu-furu hachinoko e mo
Falling leaves, / In my begging bowl, / Falling also. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

My begging-bowl / accepts the falling leaves. (Tr. by Okami)
Leaves fall fall into my alms bowl too (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Falling leaves / they also fall / in my begging bowl (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

ko no ha hikaru kumo ga aki ni narikitta (1936)
tree leaves shining / all autumn clouds now (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kono mama shinde shimau ka mo shirenai tsuchi ni neru

Perhaps I'll die like this: / Lying on the cold earth. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

この道しかない春の雪ふる
kono michi shika nai haru no yuki furu (SMT) (1934)

No road but this one; / Spring snow falls. (Tr. by John Stevens)
no road / but this one / spring snow coming down (Tr. by Burton Watson)
There is no road but this road, / a spring snow falls. (Tr. by James Abrams)
There is no other road - / Spring snow falling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
There’s only this road spring snow falls (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
this is the only path / spring snow falling (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
das ist der einzige weg / frühlingsschnee fällt (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

kono michi shika nai hitori de aruku

No path but this one-- / I walk alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

この旅果もない旅のつくつくぼうし
kono tabi hate mo nai tabino tsuku-tsuku-boshi
This trip - / An endless trip, / Tsu-ku-tsu-ku-boshi. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

kono tabi shi no tabi de arō hohoke tampopo (1939)
this trip / likely the one I’ll die on / dandelions gone to fuzz (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kore dake nokotte iru oihai o ogamu

I offer incense / To the Taneda mortuary tablet-- / It is all that remains of my family. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kore ga saigo no Nihon no gohan o tabete iru ase

Eating this, / The last Japanese meal, / They sweat. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

こほろぎに鳴かれてばかり
kourogi ni nakarete bakari
With their sound, / Nothing but crickets / Deluging me. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Crickets are chirping, / Chirping to me all the time. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

kourogi yo asu no kome dake wa aru

Oh cricket! there is enough rice, at least for tomorrow. (Tr. by Kametaro)
Crickets there’s just enough rice for tomorrow (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Crickets, / only enough rice for tomorrow. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

koromo konna ni yaburete kusa no mi (SMT) (1930)
my monk’s robe / all torn like this / grass seeds (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ころり寝ころべば青空
korori nekorobeba aozora

I roll on my back and there’s the blue sky (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

こしかたゆくすえ雪あかりする
koshikata yukusue yuki akari suru
The past, the future-- / snowlight faintly glows
My past, / My future, / The snow's radiance. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
mon passé / mon avenir / la clarté de la neige

kotoshi mo kon’ya giri no mizore to natta
This year too this its last night sleet starts (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

kuchite mainichi hokorobiru tabi no hōe da

Daily torn and tattered, / Turning to shreds: / My robe for traveling. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

悔いるこころに日が照り小鳥来て啼くか
kuiru kokoro ni hi ga teri kotori kite nakuka
On my penitent mind - / The sun shining, / And a small bird coming to chirp? (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

雲がいそいでよい月にする
kumo ga isoide yoi tsuki ni suru
The clouds, / Hurrying by, / Making a good moon. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Clouds are sailing fast / To make the moon look better. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Clouds hurry and turn it into a good moon (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kumo no yukiki mo eiga no ato no mizu hikaru

The drifting clouds / And the temple's splendor / Reflect off the water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

蜘蛛は網張る私は私を肯定する
kumo wa ami haru watashi wa watashi o koutei suru
The spider spreads his net I affirm myself (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The spider is building his web hard, / I affirm myself similarly. (Tr. by endoy)
spider makes its web I affirm my self (Tr. by Scott Watson)
The spider weaves his web, / I affirm myself. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

kurashi chiguhagu na hige o tatetari otoshitari

(My beard's theme song:)

An uneven life, / Standing and falling. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kurete mo yado ga nai mozudori ga naku
It may be sunset, / But still there is no inn; / Shrikes sing. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The shrikes cry, / there is no place to abandon myself. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Schon wird es dunkel, aber eine Unterkunft habe ich nicht – laut kreischen die Würger (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

kurete nao tagayasu hito no kage koku
Sunset--the plowman's shadow / Grows deeper. (Tr. by John Stevens)

くりやまで月かげの一人で

kuriya made tsuki kage no hitori de

To the kitchen moonlight alone (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Penetra la luz de la luna / hasta la cocina / Estoy solo (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

kurokami no nagasa o shiokaze ni makashi

The long black hair of the courtesans, / Disheveled by the salty breeze. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

草にも風が出てきた豆腐も冷えただろ
kusa nimo kaze ga detekita tofu mo hieta daro
In the grass, / Wind has started up - / By now the tofu must be chilled. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

草の青さよはだしでもどる
kusa no aosa yo hadashi de modoru

The green grass! / I return barefoot. (Tr. by John Stevens)

The green of the grass I return barefoot (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
the grass so green / I return barefoot (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
das gras so grün / ich komme barfuß zurück (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

草の實の露の、おちつかうとする
kusa no mi no tsuyu no, ochitsukou to suru

Dew in grass seeds, trying to calm down (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

kusa no shigeruya soseki tokorodokoro no tamari mizu

In the thick grass, / Puddles scattered / Among the temple ruins. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kusa shigeru soko wa shinin o yaku tokoro
A thicket-- / That's the place / Corpses are cremated. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Grass grows thick that’s a place for burning the dead (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

草をしいておべんたう分けて食べて右左
kusa shiite obentou wakete migi hidari
Flattening the grass - / Eating a shared lunch, / Going our separete ways. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

病みほほけて信濃より帰庵
草や木や生きて戻つて茂つてゐる
kusa ya ki ya ikite modotte shigette iru
Grasses and trees, / Have become rampant - / Returning home alive. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Grasses and trees alive I’m back they luxuriate (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

空襲警報るいるいとして柿あかし

kūshū keihō ruirui to shite kaki akashi

The air-raid alarm / Screaming, screaming; / Red persimmons. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kuzureru ie no hisoka ni kuzureru higurashi

Hidden away in / A broken-down hut, / My broken-down life. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Beim Sirren der Zikaden verbröckelt heimlich mein eh' schon verbröckeltes Haus (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

kyō kara tokei o motanai yūbe ga shigureru

From today / I've no watch; / Evening rain. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

kyō made wa ikasareta ashi o nobasu

Today, still alive; / I stretch out my feet. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Today / I am still alive / I stretch my legs (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
J'étends mes jambes : / Il fait encore un peu jour (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

kyō mo henji ga konai shigure moyō (1931)
today again / no answer / rain coming on (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

けふもいちにち誰もこなかったほうたる
kyō mo ichinichi dare mo konakatta hōtaru
Today again, No one came, Fireflies. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Whole day long / No one has come today-- / Firelies. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Today also all day no one came fireflies (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Today, too, all day, / no one has come, / fireflies. (Tr. by James Abrams)
today again all day long nobody has come / fireflies (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
heute wieder ist den ganzen tag niemand gekommen leuchtkäfer (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

kyō mo ichinichi kaze wo aruite kita

All day long, today / I have walked in the wind. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

kyō mo nurete shiranai michi o yuku

Today again, soaking wet, / I walk on an unknown road. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

今日も郵便が来ないとんぼとぶとぶ
kyō mo yūbin ga konai tombo tobutobu
Today again no mail; / Dragonflies here and there. (Tr. by John Stevens)
aujourd’hui encore / pas de courrier / les libellules volètent (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Today again / no letters. / Only dragonflies. (Tr. by Okami)

 

今日の道のたんぽぽ咲いた
kyō no michi no tampopo saita
Alongside today's road / Dandelions in bloom. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Along today’s road dandelions have bloomed (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

aujourd'hui / tout au long du chemin / des fleurs de pissenlit (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

kyō no ohiru wa kusa ni suwatte tomato futatsu (1933)
lunch today / sitting on the grass / two tomatoes (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

けふのおじるは水ばかり
kyō no ohiru wa mizu bakari

Today's lunch: / Only water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Today's lunch: / just water. (Tr. by Okami)
My meal / today / water (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
mon déjeuner / d’aujourd’hui / de l’eau (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

kyō no yorokobi wa yama mata yama no mebuku iro (1937)
today’s delight / mountain after mountain / the color of budding trees (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

kyō wa fuki o tsumi fuki o tabe
Today I picked butterburrs, / Ate butterburrs. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Today, / I pick butterbur flowers, / I eat butterbur flowers. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Today I pick bog rhubarb I eat bog rhubarb (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

けふはここまでの草鞋をぬぐ
kyō wa koko made no waraji o nugu (SMT) (1934)
far enough / for today-- / I undo my straw sandals (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Today - / As far as this, / Taking off my straw sandals. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
this day this far sandals come off (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

けふはおわかれの糸瓜がぶらり
kyō-wa owakare-no hechima-ga burari
Heute baumelt ein Schlagenkürbis vom Abschied. (Übers. Katoh Kihakusoh)

 

けふはよいたよりがありさうな障子あけとく
kyō wa yoi tayori ga arisouna shoji aketoku
Today, / Feeling good mail will come, / Keeping the shoji open. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

machi-hazure wa bochi to naru namioto (1932)
edge of town / all graveyard / and the sound of waves (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

machi ni omatsuri okotsu to natte kaerareta ka (SMT) (1938)
(“Home Front”)
town festival / as bones / coming home for it? (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

machi o nukeru to tsuki ga aru nagai hashi ga aru (1938)
once out of town / a moon / and a long bridge (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

machi wa omatsuri ohone to natte kaerareta ka

Will the town / Throw a festival / For those brought back as bones? (Tr. by John Stevens)

The town’s festive you’ve returned as bones have you (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

まだ奥に家がある牛をひいてゆく
mada oku ni ie ga aru ushi o hiite yuku (1930)
more houses / deeper in the mountain? / he’s got an ox in tow (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

窓あけて窓いつぱいの春
mado akete mado ippai no haru (1938)
open the window / a whole windowful / of spring (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Opening the window - / A windowful of Spring. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I open the window the spring filling the window (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
I open the window - / a whole window / filled with spring (Tr. by Gabi Greve)
I open the window / Full of spring. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I open the window the spring filling the window (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
open the window / a whole window / full of spring (Tr. by Isa Kocher)
Opening the window, / a window full of spring. (Tr. by James Abrams)
j’ouvre la fenêtre – pleine de printemps (Tr. par Daniel Py)

Abriendo la ventana, / una ventana que está / a reventar de primavera (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

まどろめばふるさとの夢の葦の葉ずれ
madoromeba furusato no yume no ashi no hazure (1939)
Sleeping in the Field
doze off / dream of home / reed leaves rustling (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Dozing off - / A hometown dream, / Reeds rustling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

mahiru no miakashi no moetsuzukeru (1932)
midday / votive lamp / keeps on burning (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

まいにちはだかてふてふやとんぼや
mainichi hadaka / tefutefu ya tombo ya
toute la journée nu / papillons et libellules (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

makoto yamaguni no yama bakari naru tsuki no

Truly a mountainous country! / Only mountains, more mountains, / And the bright moon. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

mamayo hōe wa aka de kuchita
It can't be helped; / My old robe / Is rotting away. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

manatsu mahiru no sora no shita nite akago naku

Beneath the midsummer sky / At midday / A baby cries. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

曼珠沙華咲いてここがわたしの寝るところ
manjushage koko ga watashi no neru tokoro
Manjushage are blooming, / This is where I sleep. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

massao sumu mizu urara teru waga kage kanashii

The deep, clear blue water / Shines brightly-- / My sad shadow. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

まつすぐな道でさみしい
massugu na michi de samishii (SMT) (1927–1928)
This straight road, / Full of loneliness. (Tr. by John Stevens)
road running / straight ahead / lonely (Tr. by Burton Watson)
On a straight road, / so lonely. (Tr. by James Abrams)

The road's so straight it's lonely (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
Stretching ahead - / The straight road, / Loneliness. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Only a straight road is in front of me, / it makes me lonely. (Tr. by endoy)
This road straight - / and empty of company. (Tr. by Okami)
It's a straight road / That makes me feel lonely. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
(It's a lonely road that has no turning.)
The road being straight lonesome (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The path / straight ahead / solitude (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
On the dead / straight road / alone (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
le chemin tout droit solitude (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Sur le chemin tout droit / seul. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Nul chemin / hors celui-ci / Je marche seul (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
la route droite s’étire devant moi – solitude (Tr. par Daniel Py)
die straße so gerade es ist einsam (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

また一枚ぬぎすてる旅から旅
mata ichimai nugi suteru tabi kara tabi
Again, / One layer of clothes discarded. / From journey to journey. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

また見ることもない山が遠ざかる
mata miru koto mo nai yama ga tōzakaru (SMT) (1930)
Mountains I'll never see again / Fade in the distance. (Tr. by John Stevens)
falling away behind me / mountains I’ll never see again (Tr. by Burton Watson)
This mountain, / Which I will never see again, / Becoming farther and farther away. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Mountains I've left for good / Are going out of sight. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The mountain I’ll never see again grows distant (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Getting further / from these mountains / I'll never see again (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

mata ōta Shina no ojisan konnichi wa

Oh! There is that friendly merchant / From China--Konnichi wa! (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

matsukaze matsukage / nekoronde

Wind through the pines, / Shadows of the pines; / I'm lying down in the shade. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

松風に明け暮れの鐘撞いて
matsu kaze ni ake kure no kane tsuite

The wind in the pines / Morning and evening / Carries the sound of the temple bell. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Morning and evening, / Striking the temple bell, / Wind in the pines. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In pine winds at dawn and dusk striking the bell (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Ringing the temple-bell / To the sound of pine trees; / Mornings and evenings. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

松風すずしく人も食べ馬も食べ
matsukaze suzushiku hito mo tabe uma mo tabe
A cool pine wind, / Man eating, / Horse eating. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Wind through the pines; / Cool-- / People eat, horses eat. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Pine winds cool a man eats a horse eats (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
in a cool / pine wind / people / eating / horses / eating (Tr. by Scott Watson)
The wind through the pines is cool, / man eats, / horse eats. (Tr. by James Abrams)
vent frais dans les pins – un homme mange, un cheval mange (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

matsu no ki matsu no ki to shigurete iru
Rain falling on / the pine tree and / the pine tree (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sur des pins / et encore des pins / la pluie tombe. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

matsu no otera shigure to natte tomarimasu
Temple among pines as / rain comes on here I shall / spend the night (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Dans le temple au milieu de pins / puisqu’il pleut / je passerai la nuit. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)


松はみな枝垂れて南無観世音
matsu wa mina eda tarete namu Kanzeon

The pine branches hang down / Heavy with the chant: / Hail to the Bodhisattva of Compassion! (Tr. by John Stevens)
All the pines, / With hanging branches, / Chant Namu Kanzeon. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The pine branches hang down / heavy with the chant: / Hail to the Bodhisattva of Compassion! (Tr. by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami)
Pine trees / With branches all drooping-- / Namu-kanzeon sutra. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

* Namu Kanzeon means "Hail, Kannon" who is the Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. This phrase occurs in many sutras (e.g. Kannon-gyo) that Santoka chanted every day as part of his daily life as a monk.

 

matsuzemi ga atama no ue de namioto o mae (1933)
overhead / cicadas in the pines / in front a sound of waves (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 
まったく雲がない笠をぬぎ
mattaku kumo ga nai kasa o nugi (SMT) (1930)

Not a cloud anywhere; / I take off my kasa. (Tr. by John Stevens)
not a cloud in sight / off comes my hat (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Not a single cloud in the sky; / I take off my kasa. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
No clouds whatsoe'er, / I took off my sedge-hat. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Absolutely no cloud I take off my hat (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Not one cloud / I take off / my bamboo hat (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Not a wisp of cloud, / I take off my bamboo hat. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

待つてゐるさくらんぼ熟れてゐる
matte iru sakuranbo urete iru
I'm waiting; / Cherries are ripe. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
I’m waiting the cherries are ripening (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
waiting / cherries / ripening (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

meshi no shirosa no umeboshi no akasa tōtō kere (1918)
whiteness of the rice / red of pickled plum / these treasures! (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

michi ga massugu ōkina mono o korogashite kuru (1934)
road running straight ahead / rolling a big thing / down on me (Tr. by Burton Watson)


midori yoeba iyo-iyo midori (1937)
green-- / drunk and it gets / even greener (Tr. by Burton Watson)
vert -- / saoul ça devient / encore plus vert (Tr. by Daniel Py)


minna de hataraku karita hirobiro

Everyone has worked: / The harvested rice fields / Extend on and on. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

minna dete iku yama wa aosa no iyoiyo aoku

Young men march away-- / The mountain greenness / Is at its peak. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

minna issho ni kaki o mogitsutsu kaki o tabetsutsu

All together / We pick the persimmons, / We eat the persimmons. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Tous ensemble / à cueillir les kakis / manger les kakis (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

みんなかへる家はあるゆふべのゆきき
minna kaeru ie wa aru yūbe no yukiki (SMT) (1936)
(Osaka, Dōtombori entertainment district)
everyone / with a house to go home to / evening crowds (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

minna nete shimatte yoi tsukiyo ka na

Everyone else is sound asleep; / A bright moonlit night. (Tr. by John Stevens)
At last they are all asleep, / ah, it's a good, moonlight night. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

minna uso ni shire haru wa nigete shimatta

Everyone is telling lies; / Spring has been chased away. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

mi no chikaku mizu no nagarete kuru
Near my body water comes flowing (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

mi no mawari kusa darake minna saiteru

Around me all grasses every one blooming (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

minomushi mo shizuku suru haru ga kita zo na

The bagworm too dripping spring has come yes (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

mizu ga tombo ga watashi mo nagare yuku (1940)
water dragonflies / me too / all of us flow along (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

水に影ある旅人である
mizu ni kage aru tabibito de aru (SMT) (1927–1928)
reflection / in the water / a traveler (Tr. by Burton Watson)

The reflection in the water: / It's a traveler. (Tr. by John Stevens)
In the water, / A traveler's reflection - / As I pass. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
My shadow on the water, / Traveler I am. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The shadow in the water I am a traveler (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
My figure is reflected in the waters, / as a wanderer. (Tr. by endoy)
In the water / my reflection / as a pilgrim (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
dans l'eau une ombre / la tienne pèlerin (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
dans l’eau le reflet d’un vagabond (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

水に雲かげもおちつかせないものがある
mizu ni kumokage mo / ochitsuka senai monoga aru
In the water, / Clouds shadows - / Restlessness there too. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
dans l’eau / le reflet des nuages / la même impatience (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
mizu no kumo kage mo ochitsukasenai mono ga aru (SMT) (1935)
something about the water / even cloud reflections / can’t settle down (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

mizu no aji mo mi ni shimu aki to naru

Le goût de l’eau / Me pénètre le coeur / Voici l’automne (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

mizu no umasa o kawazu naku

Water’s delicious frog croak (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

mizu oto kyō mo hitori tabi yuku

The sound of water today too alone I travel (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

水音のたえずして御佛とあり
mizu oto no taezu shire Mihotoke to ari

In the ceaseless sound / Of the water / There is Buddha. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

mizu oto no taezushite gobutsu to ari
Im nie verklingenden Wasser – ist Buddha (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

水音しんじつおちつきました
mizu oto shinjitsu ochitsuki mashita
Water sound - / Just as it is, / I became serene. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Sound of water-- / I'm truly settled down and relaxed. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The sound of water truly I’ve calmed down (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

水音といつしよに里へ下りて来た
mizu oto to issho ni sato e kudarite kita (SMT) (1930)

Flowing with the water / I walked down to the village. (Tr. by John Stevens)
to the sound / of flowing water / found my way down to the village (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Together with the sound of the water, / I came down to my native village. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)

Have come down to the village / With the sound of water. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
With the sound of water I’ve come down to a village (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
With the sound of falling / water to the / village I came down (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Together with the sound of water / I have descended to the village. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Accompagné du bruit de l’eau / vers le village / je suis descendu. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

mizu o wataru dare ni tomo naku sayōnara (1936)
crossing water / to no one in particular / good-bye! (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

mizutamari ga hogaraka ni kodomo no kage utsusu (1932)
serenely / the puddle reflects / the figure of the child (Tr. by Burton Watson)

水をへだててなごやの灯がまたたきだした

mizu wo hedatete onagoya no hi ga matataki dashita

Across the water / Lights of the brothels / Began to twinkle. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

Across the water the / lights in the house of women / lit once more (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
De l’autre côté de l’eau / les feux de la maison close / commençaient à briller. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

mō akikaze no Jizōsama no kubi dake atarashii (1933)
autumn winds already / Lord Jizo / only his head is new (Tr. by Burton Watson)
*Lord Jizo is a Buddhist saint and protector of children. Stone statues of him are stationed here and there along the roads and are fitted with a new head if the old one falls off.

 

mokumoku kaya no uchi hitori meshi kū

Sitting alone, / Silently, in the mosquito net, / Eating my rice. (Tr. by John Stevens)
No one to talk to, / I eat my dinner under the mosquito net. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

mokumoku to shite shigururu shiroi hako o mae ni

We move silently / In the cold rain / Carrying the white boxes in front. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

物乞ふ家もなくなり山にわ雲
mono kou ie mo naku nari yama ni wa kumo (SMT) (1930)
No more houses to beg from; / The clouds cover the mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
no more houses / to beg from / clouds on the mountain (Tr. by Burton Watson)
No house more to beg from; / Clouds over the mountains. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
No more houses to beg from - / Clouds on the mountain. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
No more doors to beg, / Clouds o'er the mountains. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
No more houses to beg at above the mountain clouds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
No more houses where I can beg, / clouds over the mountains. (Tr. by James Abrams)

plus de portes où frapper / rien qu'un nuage / sur la montagne (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

morōte modoru atataka na mizu no koboruru o

The warm water / I brought back / Drops and spills. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

moto no kojiki ni natte taoru ga ichimai
I've become a real beggar; / One towel. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Once again the beggar that I was, / a single towel. (Tr. by James Abrams)
I've become a real beggar now: / one towel. (Tr. by Okami)

 

もう明けさうな窓あけて青葉
mou akesouna mado akete aoba
It will be dawn soon, / Opening the window - / Green leaves. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Morn is about to dawn, / Windows just opened-- / Fresh young leaves. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

百舌鳥啼いて身の捨てどころなし
mozu naite mi no sute dokoro nashi
The shrike's crying - / For discarding my body, / There is no place. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Shrike is chirping; / No place to throw away myself. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
A shrike calls there’s no place to dump my body (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
plaintes de la pie-grièche / nulle part où poser mes os (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

mushi mo taberu mono ga nai hon o tabeta ka

The cockroaches also / Have no food; / Did they eat my books? (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

mukiatte oshaberi no mame o muku (1932)
face to face / jabbering away / shelling beans (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

mukiōte yu no afururu o (1934)
face to face / bath water brimming over (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

mushiatsuku ikimono ga ikimono no naka ni

Summer heat / Soaks into / Every living thing. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

nagai hashi sore o watareba furusato no machi de

The long bridge-- / If I cross it / I'll be in my native village. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Ce long pont - / Si je l'emprunte / Je suis dans mon village natal. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

nagai ke ga shiraga

Long hair... / Gray. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

nageataerareta issen no hikari da (1930)

The reflection of a one-sen coin / Thrown my way. (Tr. by John Stevens)
gleam / of the 1-sen coin / tossed my way (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Tossed to me in offering, / the shine of a single coin. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Le reflet de la pièce d'un sen / Jetée à mon intention. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

投げだしてまだ陽のある脚
nagedashite mada hi no aru ashi

Stretching out my feet; / Some daylight still remains. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Sprawling for a rest, / On my legs still - / Sunlight. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Stretching my legs / To the light of a westering sun. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

assis / jambes allongées / dans le dernier rayon de soleil (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
Estirando las piernas / todavía hay sol (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

nagete kudasatta issen dōka no samui oto datta

The cold sound / Of a one-sen copper coin / Thrown my way. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

nagori dariya karentoshite utsukushii
the last dahlia / about to whiten / and beautiful as it is (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
die letzte dahlie / vorm verblühen / und schön wie sie ist (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

啼いて鴉の飛んで鴉のおちつくところがない
naite karasu no tonde karasu no ochitsuku tokoro ga nai

The cawing crows, / The flying crows, / Have no place to settle down. (Tr. by John Stevens)
A crow, / Cawing and flying - / No place to settle down. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Cawing a crow, flapping a crow, with no place to settle down (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The crow crying, / the crow flying, / no place to settle down. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Schreiende Krähen fliegende Krähen finden keinen ruhigen Ort (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

nakanaka shinenai higanbana saku
Unable yet to die / flowers of the other shore / in bloom (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
La mort ne vient pas encore / dans l’au-delà s’épanouissent / les fleurs. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

なければないでさくら咲きさくら散る
nakereba nai de sakura saki sakura chiru
Even if I have nothing- / The cherry blossoms, / Bloom and fall. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

nami no oto shigurete kurashi

Darkness, / Wet with / The sound of the waves. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Rauschen der Wellen – herbstregennasse Dunkelheit … (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

波音のお念仏がきこえる

namioto no onembutsu ga kikoeru

En el sonido de las olas / se puede escuchar / las invocaciones al Buda (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

nami oto no taezu shite furusato tōshi

Incessant sound of waves-- / My native place / Is more and more remote. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

nami oto shigurete harete
The sound of waves / in the rain / in the sunlight (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Le bruit des vagues / qu’il pleuve / ou qi’il fasse beau. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Wellenrauschen ob Herbstregen oder klarer Himmel (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

namioto tōku nari chikaku nari yomei ikubaku zo (1930)
sound of waves / far off  close by / how much longer to live? (Tr. by Burton Watson)

The sound of the waves-- / Now distant, now close: / How much of my life remains? (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

na mo nai kusa no ichihayaku saite murasaki

The nameless weed / Blooms all at once-- purple. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

なんぼう考へてもおんなじことの落葉ふみあるく
nanbou kangaetemo onnaji koto no ochiba fumi aruku
However hard I think - / Still it's the same, / Walking on fallen leaves. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
No matter how I think it’s all the same I step on dead leaves and walk on (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

nande konna ni sabishii kaze fuku

Why is such / A plaintive wind blowing? (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

何が何やらみんな咲いてゐる

nani ga nani yara minna saite iru

What they are - / I don't know. / But they're all blooming. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

What's this? What's that? / Everything is blooming. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

Which is what everything’s abloom (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

whatever it all is it all is blossoming (Tr. by Scott Watson)

which is which / everything's blooming (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

qu’est ceci, qu’est cela ? tout fleurit (Tr. par Daniel Py)

was ist was / alles blüht (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner) 

 

何か足らないものがある落葉する
nanika taranai mono ga aru ochiba suru

Is there anything I lack? / The leaves fall. (Tr. by John Stevens)


何を待つ日に日に落葉ふかうなる
nani o matsu hi ni hi ni ochiba fukōnaru (SMT) (1940)
waiting for what? / each day each day / more fallen leaves pile up (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Waiting for what day by day dead leaves grow deep (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

何を求める風の中ゆく
nani o motomeru kaze no nakayuku

Searching for what? / I walk in the wind. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Seeking what I go through the wind (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Seeking something, / walking through the wind. (Tr. by James Abrams)
What do I seek and where do I go? / Inquiring and walking in the wind. (Tr. by endoy)
à la recherche de quoi / dans le vent / en train de marcher ?

 

nanto atataka na shirami o toru

Oh! This louse / I've caught / Is so warm! (Tr. by John Stevens)
The louse I've caught / is warmer than I am! (Tr. by Okami)
Oh ! ce pou / Que j'ai attrapé, / Il est si chaud ! (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

なんといふ空がなごやかな柚子の二つ三つ
nanto iu sora ga nagoyakana yuzu no futatsu mittsu
Ah, how peaceful the sky - / With citron fruits, / Two or three. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

なんとなくあるいて墓と墓との間
nantonaku aruite haka to haka to no aida

Without any destination / I walk between the tombstones. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Goallessly / I walk amongst tombstones. (Tr. by Okami)

Deambulando, / me sorprendo entre una tumba / y otra tumba (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

narande ohaka no shimijimi shizuka

Tombstones in a row-- / Penetrating silence. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

narande takenoko take ni naritsutsu

In rows bamboo shoots turning into bamboo (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

nasu kyūri kyūri nasu bakari taberu suzushisa (1932)

Eggplants, cucumbers; / Cucumbers, eggplants: / That's all I eat--the coolness. (Tr. by John Stevens)
all I eat / cucumbers eggplant eggplant cucumbers / the coolness! (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

寝床まで月を入れ寝るとする
nedoko made tsuki o ire neru to suru
nema made tsuki o ire neru to suru (SMT) (1932)
sleep / where the moonlight / reaches my bedding (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Letting the moon, / Into my bedroom - / I'll go to sleep. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Letting the moon as far as my bed I decide to sleep (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

寝ころべば枯草の春匂ふ
nekorobe ba kare-kusa no haru niou
Lying down, / On the withered weeds, / Smelling spring. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
lie down / weeds withered / spring scent (Tr. by Scott Watson)

nemuri fukai mura o mioroshi shito shite iru

Urinating, / I look down / On the sleeping village. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ねたいだけねたからだゆにのばす
netai dake neta karada yu ni nobasu

I slept soundly; / I stretch out my body / In the hot water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

He dormido lo que quería / Mi cuerpo se esponja / en el agua caliente (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

寝たり起きたり落葉する
netari okitari ochiba suru
I lie down I get up leaves fall (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

nete mo samete mo yoru ga nagai se no oto
Asleep or awake, / The night is long-- / The sound of the rapids. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Ob ich schlafe oder wache lang ist die Nacht beim Rauschen der Stromschnellen (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

netsu aru karada o naganaga to nobasu tsuchi

Feverish--I stretch out / My body along the ground. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

寝ざめ雪ふる、さびしがるではないが
nezame yuki furu sabishigaru dewa naiga
Waking from sleep - / Snow falling, / I'm not usually lonely but. . . (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I wake snow falls, not that I’m lonely (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Waking, the snow is falling, / it is not lonely, / and yet … (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

nigirishimeru te ni te no akagire

(Meeting again)

We clasp each other's / Chapped hands. (Tr. by John Stevens)


のばしたあしにふれたとなりはしこくのひと

nobashita ashi ni fureta tonari wa Shikoku no hito

Al estirar la pierna, / toqué al que estaba a mi lado: / un hombre de Shikoku (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

Stretching out my feet, / They touch the man from Shikoku. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

残された二つ三つが熟柿となる雲のゆきき
nokosareta futatsu mittsu ga jukushi to naru kumo no yukiki
Several ripe persimmons / Left on the branches; / Gray clouds come and go. (Tr. by John Stevens)

The two or three left become ripe persimmons clouds come and go (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

のんびり尿する草の芽だらけ
nombiri shito suru kusa no me darake (SMT) (1937)

Nonchalantly urinating / By the road, / Soaking the young weeds. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Casually taking a piss - / Young weeds all over. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Roadside, taking a piss, / soaking the scrub-grass. (Tr. by Sean Somers)
Nonchalantly pissing / off the road / soaking the young weeds. (Tr. by Okami)
taking a leisurely piss / new grasses shoot up all over (Tr. by Burton Watson)
taking a leisurely pee / in lush sprouting grass (Tr. by W. J. Higginson)

 

飲みたい水が音たててゐた
nomitai mizu ga oto tatete ita

Thirsty for a drink of water-- / The sound of a waterfall. (Tr. by John Stevens)
j’ai soif d’eau / le bruit de la cascade (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

ぬいてもぬいても草の執着をぬく
nuitemo nuitemo kusa no shuu-chaku wo nuku
Pulling out and pulling out - / Attachments of the weeds, / Pulling out. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Uprooted many a time, / Diehard is the weed; / I pull out its tenacity. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

nukesōna ha o motte tabi ni oru (1932)
on the road / a tooth / about to come loose (Tr. by Burton Watson)


ぬくい日のまだ食べるものはある
nukui hi no mada taberu mono wa aru (SMT) (1933)
warm day-- / and still / some food on hand (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Warm day, / I have something more to eat. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
A warm day, still have things to eat (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

nurete nimotsu no sara ni omotaku tabi

Already the wet baggage / Feels heavy--another pilgrimage. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

obotsukanai Nihongo de ame ga yō ureru

In broken Japanese / (The Korean) / Sells the candy. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ochiba atatakaku kamishimeru gohan no hikari

Warm fallen leaves; / I savor the rice's whiteness. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ochiba fumikuru sono ashioto wa shitte iru (SMT) (1934)
come tramping over / fallen leaves-- / I know the sound of your footsteps (Tr. by Burton Watson)

I know the footfalls stepping on the fallen leaves coming closer (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

ochiba fumiwake hodo yoi noguso de

Making my way through the fallen leaves, / I have a good shit in the fields. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Meinen Weg durchs Laub bahnend, setze ich einen guten Schiss ins Feld (Übers. Jochen Hahn-Klimroth)


落葉ふる奥ふかく御佛を觀る
ochiba furu oku fukaku mi-hotoke o miru
dead leaves fall / deep back / I see Buddha (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Falling leaves-- / Far beyond, / I see Buddha. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Dead leaves fall, in the depth, I see the Buddha (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Fallen leaves / Deep in the forest / I see a Buddha. (Tr. by John Stevens)
falling leaves / deep deep seeing / Buddha (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

ochiba shiite neru yori hoka nai yama no utsukushisa (1939)
nothing else to do / spread fallen leaves sleep on them / the mountain’s beauty (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ochiba shite sarani shitashiku otonari no hi no
Leaves fallen all the more intimate my neighbor’s light (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

ochiba suru kore kara mizu ga umaku naru

The leaves fall; / From now on, / Water will taste even better. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

落ちかかる月を観てゐるに一人
ochikakaru tsuki o mite iru ni hitori (SMT) (1927–1928)

Alone I watch the moon / Sink behind the mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)

watching the moon / go down / me alone (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Watching the setting moon, / I am by myself. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Watching the moon begin to sink, / I alone. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

ochite sono mama mebaeta biwa ni biwa (1934)
seeds dropped / sprouted where they fell / loquats piled on loquats (Tr. by Burton Watson)

ochitsuite kaki mo urete kuru
I'm composed / the persimmons are mellowing, too (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)

 

おちついて死ねさうな草枯るる
ochitsuite shinesō na kusa karuru

Settling down to die-- / Withered grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The weeds, / On which I can die calmly, / Withering. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I can die / at ease / withered grasses (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

おちついて死ねさうな草萌ゆる
ochitsuite shinesō na kusa moyuru
Settling down to die-- / Sprouting grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The weeds, / On which I can die calmly, / Sprouting. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
It's likely to be able to pass away / In a calm frame of mind in the fresh green grasses

 

おちつけないふとんおもたく寝る
ochitsukenai futon omotaku neru
Feeling uneasy, / The futon is too heavy, / To fall asleep under. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Can’t calm down the futon heavy I sleep (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

ohone koe naku mizu no ue o yuku

The bones, / Silently this time, / Returned across the ocean. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ōkina koe de shinuru hoka nai (1932)
Flypaper / no outs-- / yell in a loud voice / till you’re dead (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ōkusu mo watashi mo inu mo shiguretsutsu
The great camphor tree / and me and the dog / soaked in the rain (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Le grand camphrier / le chien et moi / trempés par l’averse. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

okyō agete okome morōte mozu naite

Chanting the sutras, / I receive the rice; / The shrikes sing. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

okyō todokanai jyazu no sōon

(In this neighborhood)

Chanting the sutras / Cannot drown out the jazz music. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ōmisoka oroka nari ganjitsu nao oraoka nari
New Year’s Eve / is dumb and New Year’s / even dumber (Tr. by Robin D. Gill)

 

omoide no kusa no komichi o ohaka made (1932)
down the weedy path / I remember / to the graves (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

omoide wa shio michitekuru furusato no watashiba
Memories the tides rise at the hometown ferry (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

おもひおくことはないゆふべの芋の葉ひらひら
omoioku koto wa nai yūbe imo no ha hirahira (1935)
no regrets / evening / taro leaves flap-flapping (Tr. by Burton Watson)
No parting regrets - / Evening potato leaves, / Fluttering in the wind. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Have no thoughts to leave the evening’s sweet potato leaves aflutter (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
* The Japanese potato or satoimo has large elephant-ear leaves on tall stalks

 

omokute atsukute negirarete makeru no ka (1934)
(Scene with an itinerant peddler)
heavy load hot weather / dickering over price / I think he’ll come down a little (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

重荷を負うてめくらである
omoni o oute mekura de aru
Burdened with a heavy load he’s blind (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Portant sur le dos un lourd fardeau / Un aveugle (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

思ふことなき顔しても秋のくれ

omou koto naki kao shite mo aki no kure

También para quien tiene / cara de no pensar nada, / el atardecer de otoño (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

omou koto naku kareki o hiroi arukitsutsu

Thinking of nothing, / I walk among / A forest of withered trees. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

お正月の鴉かあかあ
oshōgatsu no karasu kaa-kaa (SMT) (1933)
the crow at New Year’s / caw-caw (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

Otata mo aru hi wa kite kureru yama no aki fukaku (1940)
Otata will come again / one day / late fall in the mountains (Tr. by Burton Watson)
*Otata was a woman who went around selling fish in the area of Santoka’s cottage in Matsuyama.

 

otata shigurete suta suta isogu
Caught by the rain / the woman with her load / hurries onwards (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sous la pluie / vite vite / je me dépêche. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

otera no takenoko / take ni natta
Bamboo sprouts of the temple / Have grown into bamboos. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The temple’s bamboo shoots have become bamboo (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

otete koboreru sono hitotsubu hitotsubu o itadaku

From the child's full hands / I receive each grain of rice, / One by one. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

otoko onna to sono kage mo odoru

Men, women, / And their shadows / Dancing. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

oto wa asa kara kinomi o tabeni kita tori ka
What's that sound-- / Must be a bird / Eating berries since morning. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The noise a bird that’s come to eat nuts in the morning perhaps (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

おとはしぐれか
音は時雨か
oto wa shigure ka (1932)
that sound / the rain? (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The sound of autumn rain? (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
the sound, oh, / it's sleet ! (Tr. by Gabi Greve)
That sound— / autumn rain? (Tr. by James Abrams)
ce bruit / la pluie d’automne ? (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Est-ce le bruit de l’averse d’automne? (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Dieser Klang – Ob das der Herbstregen ist? (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

ぽきりと折れて竹が竹のなか
pokiri to orete take ga take no naka

Broken with a snap bamboo among bamboo (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

poroporo shitataru ase ga mashiro no hako ni (SMT) (1938)
(“Home Front”)
drops of sweat / plop-plopping / on blank white boxes (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Sweat trickles down / The white boxes. (Tr. by John Stevens)


rajio de tsunagatte kokyō no uta (1932)
coming over the radio / song from / where I grew up (Tr. by Burton Watson)

れいろうとして水鳥はつるむ
reirou to shite mizudori ha tsurumu
In the beautiful radiance, / Water birds, / Making love. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

rempei mo kyō wa oyasumi no hibari saezuru

The military parade grounds / Also have the day off-- / The skylarks twitter. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

sabishū nari atsui yu ni hairu (1933)
feeling lonely / getting in / the hot bath water (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

sakana yaku tote te o yaku koto mo hitori-gurashi no

Frying fish, / Sometimes frying your hand-- / Life alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

sake ga yamerarenai ki no me kusa no me

I can't give up sakè; / The budding trees, / The budding grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

酒をたべてゐる山は枯れてゐる
sake o tabeteiru yama wa kareteiru
I’m eating sake the mountain’s withered (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

sake wa nai tsuki shimijimi mite ori
No sakè; / I stare at the moon. (Tr. by John Stevens)
No more sake, / staring fixedly / at the moon. (Tr. by James Abrams)
pas de saké – boire la lune (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

sakura mankai ni shite keimusho

Cherry blossoms / In full bloom-- / The prison. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Cherry blossoms at their peak a prison (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

sakura sakura saku sakura chiru sakura
cherry tree / cherry blossoms / cherry blossoms scatter / cherry tree (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
cerisiers / fleurs de cerisiers / fleurs de cerisiers se dispersent / cerisiers (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

sakura saite sakura chitte odoru odoru

Cherry blossoms blooming, / Cherry blossoms falling, / People dancing, dancing. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

砂丘にうづくまりけふも佐渡はみえない
sakya ni uzukumari kyō mo Sado wa mienai

Squatting down on a sand dune-- / Today again, / Sado Island cannot be seen. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Crouched on a dune today I still can’t see Sado (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

samishii yoru no amarimono no taberu nado

A lonely night; / Eating the leftover food, / And . . . (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

寒い雲がいそぐ
samui kumo ga isogu (SMT) (1931)
cold clouds / hurrying (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Cold / Clouds / Hurrying. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The clouds run in a hurry, / in the cold winter sky. (Tr. by endoy)
Cold clouds hurry (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
transis de froid / les nuages au galop (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

samuzora tōku yume ga chigirete tobu yō ni

Winter sky-- / Distant dreams / Shattered and flown away. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

sarasara sasa no yuki (1934)
rustle rustle / snow on bamboo grass (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

さてどちらへ行かう風が吹く
sate dochira e ikō kaze ga fuku

Well, which way should I go? / The wind blows. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Now, which way shall I go the wind blows (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
well now. / which way to go. / wind blowing. (Tr. by Scott Watson)
Alors, quel chemin prendre ? / Le vent souffle. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
et maintenant / de quel côté aller ? / le vent souffle (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

Bien, ¿a dónde vamos? / Sopla el viento (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

生死の中の雪ふりしきる
seishi no naka no yuki furishikiru

Within life and death / Snow falls ceaselessly. (Tr. by John Stevens)

In the midst of life and death / Snow's falling thick and fast. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The snow of life and death / Falls incessantly. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Amidst life and death, / Snow continues to fall. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
In the midst of life and death the snow falls ceaselessly (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
In the midst of life and death, / a steady fall of snow. (Tr. by James Abrams)
It is snowing heavily / on my life and destiny. (Tr. by endoy)
Within life and death / snow ceaselessly falls. (Tr. by Okami)
entre vie et mort / neige qui neige / encore encore (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

Dentro de la vida y la muerte / la nieve cae incesantemente (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

咳がやまない背中をたたく手がない
seki ga yamanai senaka o tataku te ga nai
I can't stop coughing-- / There is no one to slap my back. (Tr. by John Stevens)
My cough won't stop, / no hand to beat my back. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Coughing, coughing - / and nobody to slap my back. (Tr. by Okami)

semishigure shi basho wo sagashite iru no ka
Zikaden-Sinfonie: suchen wohl einen Ort zum Sterben? (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

sesse to tagusa toruōki na kōgan (1933)
busy pulling away / at paddy weeds-- / those big balls (Tr. by Burton Watson)
*In Santoka’s time, Japanese farmers working in the fields in hot weather often wore only a simple loincloth.

 

死人とりまく人々に雲もなき空や

shibito torimaku hitobito ni kumo mo naki sora ya

People gather around the dead man; / No clouds in the sky. (Tr. by John Stevens)
with the crowd around / a dead body / a sky without clouds (Tr. by Scott Watson)

En honor de la gente / que se reúne alrededor del muerto, / ¡ay!, un cielo sin una sola nube (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

shichigusa hitotsu dashitari iretari shite aki

Autumn--one thing to pawn; / Taking it in, redeeming it. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shigure kasa de otonari e mizu o morai ni
La pluie sur mon chapeau de carex / chez le voisin / je vais chercher de l’eau. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Rain falling on my bamboo / hat I go next door / to get some water (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

 

shigurete kaki no ha no iyo-iyo utsukushiku (1940)

The rain-soaked persimmon leaves / Become even more beautiful. (Tr. by John Stevens)
fall rain coming down / persimmon leaves / more beautiful than ever (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Rain falling on the / persimmon its autumn leaves / finally beautiful (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
From morning an autumn drizzle, / the beauty of persimmon leaves. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Sous la pluie / les feuilles de plaqueminier / de plus en plus belles. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigurete kumo no chigireyuku Shina o omou.

Winter rain clouds-- / Thinking: Going to China / To be torn to pieces. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shigurete michi shirube sono ji ga yomenai
Rain in my eyes: / I can't read the signpost. (Tr. by Okami)
In the cold rain / the signpost and I / cannot read it (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Toute trempée - / Cette pierre / Indique le chemin. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
Sous l’averse / un panneau indicateur / impossible de le lire. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigurete nurete matsu hito ga kita
Soaked in an autumn rain, / the friend I await has come. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Wet in the rain / and the awaited / person comes (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

Mouillée par l’averse / la personne attendue / est venue (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigurete nurete tabigoromo shibotte wa yuku
Soaked through in the autumn / rain I wring out my / travel garment and go on (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

Trempé par l’averse d’automne / de mes vêtements de voyage souvent je presse l’eau / et continue. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigurete sono ji ga yomenai michishirube

Soaking wet-- / I can't read the letters / On the signpost. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shigurete yama o mata yama o shiranai yama
Rain falls on one then / another mountain / unknown mountains (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Unending rain, / mountains, / more mountains, / unknown mountains. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Pluie d’automne / d’une montagne à l’autre je vais / montagnes inconnues. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shiguretsutsu shizuka ni mo roppyaku gojū hashira

Soaking wet, / Quietly returning / The remains of six hundred fifty. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shigururu ashiato o tadoriyuku
It rains and I / follow after / the footprints (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Il pleut / je marche en suivant / des traces de pas. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

しぐるる土をふみしめてゆく
shigururu tsuchi o fumishimete yuku

sous mes pas / un sol détrempé / je patauge (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

しぐるるやあるだけの御飯よう炊けた

shigururu ya arudake no gohan yō taketa (SMT) (1938)
late-fall drizzle / last of the rice / cooked up nicely (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Winter shower all the rice I got cooked good (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Rain in late autumn / all the rice I have / nicely cooked (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sous l’averse d’automne / tout ce que je possède / du riz bien cuit. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigururu ya hito no nasake ni namidagumu

Winter rain-- / People have been so kind / My eyes fill with tears. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shigururu ya inu to mukiatte iru
In the falling rain / my way barred by / a dog (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sous la pluie / un chien / et moi. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigururu ya michi wa hitosuji (1930)
drizzly rain / only one road / to go by (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The rain comes down / the road / makes one straight line (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Sous l’averse / le chemin / rien que le chemin. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shigururu ya minna nurete iru

Winter rain-- / Everyone is drenched! (Tr. by John Stevens)

しぐるるやしぐるる山へ歩み入る
shigururu ya shigururu yama e ayumi iru
Drizzling, / Into drizzling mountains, / I enter. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Late autumn rain's falling / Into the mountain, / Towards which I go on walking. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Rain in late autumn / walking in the hills / with the autumn rain (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Pluie d’automne / dans la montaigne / sous l’averse il s’en va. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

しぐるるや死なないでゐる
shigururu ya shinanaide iru
Cold winter rain; / I am still alive. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Winter rain- / I am not dead yet (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
late autumn rain; / not yet dying (Tr. by Stephen Wolfe)
late autumn rain; / yet not dying (Tr. by Stephen Wolfe)
It's drizzling, / Here I am, / Still alive. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Late autumn rain's falling; / I have yet to die. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Winter shower I’m still not dead (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
drizzling. / undying. (Tr. by Scott Watson)
Rain in late autumn / managing not yet / to die (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Again the autumn rains? / Death has yet to come. (Tr. by James Abrams)
averses d'automne / et moi / toujours en vie (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
Pluie d’automne / ne pas mourir encore. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

しぐるるや郵便やさん遠く来てくれた
shigururu ya Yūbinya-san tōku kite kureta
Drizzling - / Kind enough to come so far, / The mailman. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Rain falling and / the postman has / travelled far for me (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

Il pleut / mais de loin / le facteur est venu. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

shikirini ochiru ookii ha kana

Ceaselessly dropping these large leaves (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

しみじみ生かされてゐることがほころび縫ふとき
shimi-jimi ikasarete iru kotoga hokorobi nuu toki
Being kept alive - / Quietly alone, / As I patch my clothes. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

しみじみしづかな机の塵
shimijimi shizuka na tsukue no chiri

(Returning home)

In the deep stillness-- / The dust on the desk. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Penetrating quiet, / dust on the desk. (Tr. by James Abrams)
calme mélancolique / de la poussière / sur le bureau (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Staub auf dem Tisch: in eindringlicher Stille (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

しみじみ食べる飯ばかりの飯である
shimi-jimi taberu meshi bakari no meshi de aru
Intently / I eat my meal / Of boiled rice only. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Eating this rice-only meal, / Quietly, / Alone. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)


霜夜の寝床がどこかにあらう
shimoyo no nedoko ga doko ka ni arō
The frosty night-- / Where am I going to sleep? (Tr. by John Stevens)
This frosty night’s bed must be somewhere (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
nuit gelée – où vais-je dormir (Tr. par Daniel Py)

死んでしまへば雑草雨ふる
shinde shimaeba zassō ame furu

When I die: / Weeds, falling rain. (Tr. by John Stevens)
When I finally die- / weeds / falling rain (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
When I'm dead and gone - / Rain on the weeds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Once you die, weeds rain falls (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Si acabara muriendo... / Los hierbajos / Cae la lluvia (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

shinitaku mo ikitaku mo nai kaze ga furete yuku (1933)
no desire to die / no desire to live / the wind blows over me (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

shinjitsu yoi ame ga furu ichijiku no mi mo (1933)
truly good rain / falling / good for the figs too (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

死のしづけさは晴れて葉のない木
shi no shizukesa wa harete ha no nai ki

The quietness of death: / A clear sky, leafless trees. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Death’s stillness is the clear sky a leafless tree (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
death's hush is the serene leafless tree (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
todesstille der klare blattlose baum (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)
Stille des Todes: Bäume ohne Blätter bei strahlend schönem Wetter (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

shinu yori hoka nai yama ga kasunde iru (1933)

Nothing left but to die; / Mountains lost in mist. (Tr. by John Stevens)

nothing else / but to die / mountains misted over (Tr. by Burton Watson)


shi o hishito tōgarashi makka na

I cling to death; / The pepper is bright red. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Death held tight the cayenne pepper scarlet (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

死をひしひしと水のうまさかな
shi o hishi hishi to mizu no umasa kana
I feel death hemming me in - / How good the water is! (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Hurrying on to / death the water / tastes so good (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Vite vite la mort / l’eau / a une saveur exquise. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

死をまへに涼しい風
shi o mae ni suzushi i kaze

(Sickness)

Death is before me; / The cool breeze. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Before death - / A cool wind. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Before death a cool breeze (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
In the face of death, / a cool wind. (Tr. by James Abrams)

El viento frío, / indiferente, / pasa ante la muerte (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

しとどに濡れてこれは道しるべの石
shitodo ni nurete kore wa michi shirube no ishi (SMT) (1926)
This is the stone, / Drenched with rain, / That marks the way. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
wet to the skin / the stone here / pointing out the path (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Completely drenched-- / This stone / Marks the way. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Thoroughly wet, / This is a stone signpost. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Soaked and soggy to the core, / It's a milestone. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Soaken wet / the milestone / showing the way (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

shiwasu no yukiki no shiranai kao bakari

Coming and going / In the twelfth month, / Nothing but strange faces. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

しずかな道となりどくだみの芽
shizukana michi to nari dokudami no me
The road became quiet and solitary; / Dokudami is budding. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
*The dokudami, also called shibuki, is a small, ill-smelling weed with a four-petalled white flower that blooms in summer.

 

shizukesa takenoko minna take ni natta

Stillness, bamboo shoots have all turned into bamboo (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Ganz leise wurden alle Sprößlinge zu Bambus (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

shōji no naka no yuki furishikiru > seishi no naka no yuki furishikiru

 

しようしようとふる水をくむ

shōshō to furu mizu o kumu
Rain falls silently; / I scoop up the water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

shumpa no hachi no ko hitotsu > harukaze no hachinoko hitotsu

In the spring wind, / One small begging bowl. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

suzushiku teppatsu sasagetsutsu gozen roku-ji no sairen

I present my cool begging bowl as arms / At the six-o'clock siren. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

soko ni tsuki o shi no mae ni oku

There in front of death I put the moon (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

其中雪ふる一人として火を焚く
sono naka yukifuru hitori to shite hi wo taku
At Go-chu snow is falling - / I am alone, / Tending a fire. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

空へ若竹のなやみなし
sora e waka take no nayami nashi
Into the sky, / A young bamboo - / Without pain. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Into the sky young bamboo with no troubling thoughts (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
dans le ciel un jeune bambou – sans souffrance (Tr. par Daniel Py)

sora ni kumo nashi sakashimiru kashu no kōki iro yo (1914)
cloudless sky / peer through a glass of hard liquor / that deep color! (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

空のふかさは落葉しづんでゐる水
sora no fukasa wa ochiba shizunde iru mizu
Fallen leaves. / At the water's bottom, / The deep sky. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The sky’s depth dead leaves sunk in the water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

sora takaku bentō itadaku hikari amaneku gohan shiroku

The sky above, / The bentō in my hands, / Sunlight all around, / The rice's whiteness. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

それでよろしい落葉を掃く
sore de yoroshii ochiba o haku

It's enough; / I sweep up the fallen leaves. (Tr. by John Stevens)
As they are, / Things are fine, / Sweeping fallen leaves. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

それは死の前のてふてふの舞
sore wa shi no mae no tefutefu no mai

That’s a pre-death butterfly dance (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

sore wa watakushi no kao datta kagami tsumetaku

That was my face / In the cold mirror. (Tr. by John Stevens)
This / my face / in the cold mirror? (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
C'était mon visage / Sur ce miroir froid. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

soritate no atama ni zombun hi no hikari

The sunlight freely reflects off / My freshly shaven head. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

滑って転んで山かひっそり
subette koronde yama ga hissori (SMT) (1929)

I slipped and fell-- / The mountains are still. (Tr. by John Stevens)
slipped / fell down / mountains are silent (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Slipped, tumbled, / Mountain is quiet and alone. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
I slipped and fell down - / The mountain is silent. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I slip and fall the mountain hushed (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Resbalo… y caigo. / Todo en la montaña / sigue su curso (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

sugenai onna wa ōkiku harande ita (1930)
curt unfriendly woman / body big / in late pregnancy (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

すつかり剥げて布袋は笑ひつゞけてゐる
sukkari hagete Hotei wa waraitsuzukete iru (1932)

All the paint / Is worn off the Hotei statue, / But he continues to smile. (Tr. by John Stevens)
paint all / worn off him / Hotei still laughing (Tr. by Burton Watson)
the Hotei statue: / rubbed rather bald, but laughing still. (Tr. by Sean Somers)

 

sukkari karete mame to natte iru

Completely dried up, / They've become beans. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Quite withered up, / It is just beans. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)

Completely withered they are now beans (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

sukoshi netsu ga aru kaze no naka o isogu (1930)

I've got a slight fever; / Hurrying in the wind. (Tr. by John Stevens)
a little bit feverish / hurrying in the wind (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

suminarete cha no hana no hiraite wa chiru (1932)
getting used to living here / tea blossoms open / then scatter (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

sunao ni saite shiroi hana nari

Obediently blooming, / Becoming white flowers. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Finally it has blossomed, / the flower is white. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

すっぱだかへとんぼとまらうとするか

suppadaka e tombo tomarō to suru ka

Stark naked I am, / Dragonfly trying to land on me. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Dragonfly trying to light on my stark naked body are you (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
all nude will dragonfly think of lighting? (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

surume kamishimete wa mukashi o hanasu

(Together with an old friend)

Eating dried cuttlefish / And talking of the past. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

捨てきれない荷物のおもさまへうしろ
sutekirenai nimotsu no omosa mae ushiro (SMT) (1929)
Baggage I cannot throw off, / So heavy front and back. (Tr. by John Stevens)
front, back / weight of baggage / I can’t throw off (Tr. by Burton Watson)
I can't throw it away, / But how heavy my pack, / Before and behind! (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
I can't discard it - / My heavy pack, / In front and in back. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The heaviness of baggage / I cannot bring myself to throw away, / on my front, on my back. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Baggage I can't throw off / so heavy front and back. (Tr. by Okami)

 

すすきのひかりさえぎるものなし
susuki no hikari saegiru mononashi
The light, / Through the pampas grass, / There is no obstruction. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
la lumière à travers l’herbe de la pampa – sans obstacle (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

すわれば風がある秋の雑草
suwareba kaze ga aru aki no zassou
As I sit, / In the autumn weeds - / There is a wind. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I sit and there’s a wind autumn weeds (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

suzume no oshaberi karita mono ga kaesenai (1939)
sparrows chattering / can’t pay back / what I borrowed (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

すずめをどるやたんぽぽちるや
suzume odoru ya tanpopo chiru ya
Sparrows dancing - / Dandelion flowers falling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Sparrows dance, / Dandelions fall. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Sparrows dance yeah dandelions scatter yeah (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Ah, the sparrow dances, / Ah, the dandelions scatter. (Tr. by James Abrams)
moineaux dansent, fleurs de pissenlits tombent (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

suzushiku hebi asa no nagare o yokogitta (1932)
a snake angled / coolly / across the morning stream (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

tabemono atatakaku te kara te e

The warmth of the food / Passes from hand to hand. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

食べるだけはいただいた雨となり
taberu dake ha itadaita ame to nari
Begging - / Receiving just enough to eat, / It began to rain. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I’ve received enough to eat the rain starts (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

taberu mono ga nakereba nai de suzushii mizu

There is still something to eat: / The cool water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

taberu mono mo naku natta kyō no asayake

Nothing left to eat; / Today's sunrise. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

taberu mono tabetsukushi zassō hanazakari

All the food completely eaten; / The weeds in full bloom. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

食べる物はあつて醉ふ物もあつて雑草の雨
taberu mono wa atte you mono mo atte zassō no ame

I've something to eat / And something to make me drunk; / Rain in the weeds. (Tr. by John Stevens)

With something to eat something to drink in the weeds rain (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

tabete iru obentō mo shigurete

Eating my bentō-- / It, too, is rain-soaked. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tabibito tabibito to wakare yuku

Travelers, / Travelers, / Coming together, parting. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tabi no aruhi no chikuonki kikasete morau (1930)
passing through one day-- / they let me listen / to their phonograph (Tr. by Burton Watson)


旅の法衣がかわくまで雑草の風
tabi no hōe ga kawaku made zassō no kaze (1932)
monk’s robe traveling garb / till it dries / weed bank breezes (Tr. by Burton Watson)
*Santoka had no change of clothing, so when he washed his robe in a stream he had to wait until it dried before he could go on.

I'm on travel; / Until my monk's robe dries up, / Wind comes from the weeds. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

旅のかきおき書きかへておく
tabi no kakioki kakikaete oku

Notes written before my trip, / Rewritten and put down. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

take to nariyuku take no ko no sunao naru kana (1934)
bamboo shoot / on its way to becoming bamboo / how honest of it! (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

焚くだけの枯木はひろへた山が晴れてゐる
taku dake no kareki ha hiroeta yama ga harete iru
Gathering kindling - / Enough for a fire, / The mountains are clear. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

tamatama hige soreba nanto fukai shiwa

(After recovering)
I shave off my beard-- / What deep wrinkles! (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

母の第四十九回忌
たんぽぽちるやしきりにおもふ母の死のこと
tampopo chiru ya shikirini omou haha no shi no koto
49th anniversary of my mother's death.
Dandelion's falling - / My mother's death, / The thing I'm incessantly thinking of. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

tanjitsu kurekakaru oi no omosa yo

The days are short, / Evening comes quickly; / My backpack is so heavy. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

たたずめば風わたる空のとほくとほく
tata zume ba kaze wataru sora no tohoku-tohoku
Pausing awhile, / Wind crossing the sky - / Far, far away. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

たより持つてきて熟柿たべて行く
tayori mottekite ure-gaki tabete yuku
He brought mail, / Ate a ripe persimmon, / And left. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Postman
He brings me my mail / eats a persimmon / and then leaves (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

てふてふひらひらいらかをこえた
tefu tefu hira hira iraka o koeta
A butterfly aflutter has gone over the roof tiles (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

てふてふもつれつつかげひなた
tefu tefu motsuretsutsu kagehinata

Butterflies entangling in the shadow in the sun (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

tefu tefu ura kara omote e hira hira

A butterfly from back to front fluttering (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

手がとどくいちじくのうれざま
te ga todoku ichijiku no urezama (SMT) (1933)
the figs / I can reach-- / their ripeness (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The figs within my reach - / How ripe they are! (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I reach figs their ripeness (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
les figues à ma portée, comme elles sont mūres ! (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

天の川ま夜中の酔ひどれは踊る
ten no gawa ma / yonaka no yoi / dorewa odoru
sous le fleuve céleste / en pleine nuit / ivre je danse (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

ten ware of korosazu shite shi o tsukurashimu (1938)
Heaven / doesn’t kill me / it makes me write poems (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

teppatsu chirikuru ha o uketa.

My begging bowl / Accepts the fallen leaves. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Iron begging bowl, / receiving a falling leaf. (Tr. by James Abrams)

鉄鉢の中へも霰
teppatsu no naka e mo arare (SMT) (1932)

Hailstones, too, / Enter my begging bowl. (Tr. by John Stevens)
even in / my iron begging bowl / hailstones (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Into the iron bowl also, / Hailstones. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Into my iron begging-bowl / A shower of hail. (Tr. by Donald Keene)
into the begging bowl, too / a hailstone (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
Into the begging bowl also - / Hailstones. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Hailstones also / drop into my begging-bowl. (Tr. by Okami)
Into begging bowl of iron / Down came the hailstones. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Into my iron alms bowl too hail (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
even in my / begging bowl I get / hailstones
Hailstones came down / into even my iron bowl in my hands
Striking / my begging bowl too, / hailstones ... (Tr. by Kametaro)
Into my metal bowl too, / hail. (Tr. by James Abrams)
dans mon bol de mendiant / les grêlons / s'entassent (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
Selbst in meinen Bettelnapf prasselt Hagel (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

照れば鳴いて曇れば鳴いて山羊がいつぴき
tereba naite kumoreba naite yagi ga ippiki

If it shines, it bleats; / If it is cloudy, it bleats-- / The single goat. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Bleating when it's sunny, / Bleating when it's cloudy, / A goat. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Soleil, elle bêle ; / Nuages, elle bêle - / Cette chèvre. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

toboshii kurashi no mizu no nagaruru

I lack the barest essentials; / The water flows. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

toboshii kurashi no yane no yuki tokete shitataru

Destitute--melting snow / Drips slowly from the roof. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tōku tōku tori wataru yamayama no yuki
Far, far away, / A bird crosses over / The snow-covered mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Far faraway / birds fly over / snowy mountains (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

tōku higurashi ga naku
In der Ferne das Zirpen der Abendzikaden (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

tomaru tokoro ga nai dokari to kureta (1939)
nowhere to put up / the dark came on / suddenly (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

トマトを手に御仏の前に父母の前に

tomato o te ni mihotoke no mae ni chichi haha no mae ni

En la mano, un tomate / que ofrezco al Buda, / a papá y a mamá (Tr. de Vicente Haya)
tomato o tanagokoro ni Mihotoke no mae ni chichi haha no mae ni
Holding a tomato as an offering, / I place it before Buddha, / Before my mother and father. (Tr. by John Stevens)
With a tomato in my palm, / in front of Buddha, / in front of my father, / in front of my mother. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

tomete kurenai mura no shigure o aruku

Walking through the rain of / the village where I have / no place to stay (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Walking through the autumn rains, / a village where no one will let me in. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Dans le village / où je n’ai où aller / sous l’averse, je marche. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

tomete kurenai orikara no tsuki ga yukute ni

No inn to spend the night-- / The moon leads the way. (Tr. by John Stevens)

No inn for the night / the moon / shows the way (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)


ともかくけふまでは生きて夏草なのか

tomokaku kyō made wa ikite natsugusa nanoka

barely, / living to the present day - / is it summer grass

 

ともかくも生かされてはゐる夏草の中
tomokaku mo ikasarete wa iru natsugusa no naka (SMT) (1934)
somehow / I get to go on living / among summer grasses (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

ともかくも生かされてはゐる雑草の中
tomokaku mo ikasarete wa iru zassou no naka
Anyhow, / I'm being kept alive, / Amongst the weeds. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

飛んでいつぴき赤蛙
tonde ippiki akagaeru
Jumping: / One / Red frog. (Tr. by John Stevens)

A hop a single red frog (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

年とれば故郷こひしいつくつくぼうし
toshi toreba kyou koishii tuku-tuku boshi
As I grow old, / I yearn for my native place: / Tsukutsukuboshi! (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
Growing old - / Missing the old hometown, / Tsu-ku-tsu-ku-boshi. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

toshitotta kao to kao to de damatte iru

(Meeting an old friend:)

Two old faces-- / Silence. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tōwa gojū yūyū to shite shika (1939)
Nara Park
pagoda / five stories high / the slow-moving deer (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

tōyama no yuki no hikaru ya tabidatsu to suru (1934)
snow shining / on far-off mountains / I’ll take a trip (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

tsubaki hiraite haka ga aru

Camellias are in bloom; / There are tombstones. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Camellias open there’s a grave (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

椿のおちる水のながれる
tsubaki no ochiru mizu no nagareru

Camellias fall the water flows (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

tsubaki ochite iru aogeba saite iru (1935)
camellia blossoms falling / look up and see / others still in bloom (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

燕とびかふ旅から旅へ草鞋を穿く
tsubame tobikau tabi kara tabi e waraji o haku (SMT) (1934)

Swallows fly away-- / From today, more and more travels; / I tie on my straw sandals. (Tr. by John Stevens)

swallow on the wing / journey after journey / put on straw sandals (Tr. by Burton Watson)

tsubo ni suisen watakushi no haru wa jūbun (1934)
jonquils in a jar / all the spring I need (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

つかれた脚へとんぼとまった
tsukareta ashi e tombo tomatta (SMT) (1929)
legs worn out / a dragonfly / lights on them (Tr. by Burton Watson)
My tired legs-- / Dragonfly landed on one. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Coming to perch, / On my tired-out legs - / A dragonfly. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
On my tired leg a dragonfly has lighted (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
On my tired feet / a dragonfly / has settled (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

sur ma jambe / fourbue / une libellule (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

tsukarete modoru tsuki bakari no ozora

Wearily I return (to my hut) / The moon fills the sky. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tsuki e kumiageru mizu no akarusa

Scooping up the water, / Lifting it towards the moon, / Full of light. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

月がいつしかあかるくなればきりぎりす
tsuki ga itsushika akarukunareba kirigirisu
The moon before you know it brightens and katydids (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

月が昇つて何を待つでもなく
tsuki ga nobotte nani o matsu demo naku

The moon rises-- / I'm not waiting for anything. (Tr. by John Stevens)
The moon has risen - / Not waiting for anything. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The moon has risen; / I'm awaiting nobody and nothing. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
The moon risen I’m waiting for nothing in particular (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
nothing to wait on: / the risen moon (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

月がうらへまはれば藪かげ
tsuki ga ura e mawareba yabukage
The moon goes behind it and there’s the thicket’s shadow (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

月がうらへまはつても木かげ

tsuki ga ura e mawattemo kokage

The moon goes behind it still the tree shadow (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

月かげのまんなかをもどる
tsukikage no mannaka o modoru

Through the moonlight’s center I come back (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

月からひらり柿の葉
tsuki kara hirari to kaki no ha

From the moon flutters down a persimmon leaf (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
De la lune / Tombe légère une feuille de kaki (Tr. par Vincent-Paul Toccoli)

 

月のあかるさはどこを爆撃してゐることか
tsuki no akarusa wa doko o bakugeki shite iru koto ka

The moon's brightness-- / Does it know / Where the bombing will be? (Tr. by John Stevens)
The moon so luminous -- / and showing where / the bombs will fall? (Tr. by Sean Somers)
the brightness of the moon / will it show where / the bombs are going to fall? (Tr. by Gabi Greve)
Moon’s brightness I wonder where they’re bombing (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

Bright light of the moon / does it know where they / are bombing tonight (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Brilliance de la lune / les bombes / où tombent-elles? (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

tsuki no hikari no sukihara fukaku shimitōru nari

The moonlight / Pierces / My empty stomach. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

tsuki no mizu o kumiagete nomitatta (1930)
dipped up / moonlit water / drank my fill (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

月は見えない月あかりの水まんまん
tsuki wa mienai tsukiakari no mizu manman

Moon invisible moonlit water brimming (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

tsukiyo akarui fune ga atte sono naka de neru (1939)
bright moonlight tonight / here’s a boat / I’ll sleep in it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

月夜あるだけの米をとぐ
tsukiyo aru dake no kome o togu
A moonlit night - / Washing what rice there is. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Moonlit night, I wash all the rice I have (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
A moonlight night, / polishing the only rice I have. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Une part suffit : / Je lave le riz. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 
une nuit de lune, lavant le riz qu’il y a (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

tsukiyo shigurete haru chikaku naru oto
A moonlit night / falling rain the sound / of spring approaching (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
Nuit de lune / il pleut / le bruit du printemps qui approche. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

tsukiyo temiyage wa kome dattaka

Moonlit night, / He came with a handout gift; / I found 'twas rice. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Moonlit night, so your gift was rice (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

つきよやまよわたしはたびでやんでいる
tsukiyo yama yo watashi wa tabi de yande iru

Moon! Mountains! / On this trip / I've fallen ill. (Tr. by John Stevens)

¡Oh, Luna! ¡Oh, montañas! / Fijaos cómo yo, de tanto viajar, / he acabado enfermando (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

tsumetasa no ha ni shimiru ha o itawarō (1933)
babying it / the tooth so sensitive / to cold things (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

tsunde kite na wa shiranu hana o Mihotoke ni

Picking the nameless flower, / I offer it to Buddha. (Tr. by John Stevens)

Picking up a flower / I don't know / I offer it to Buddha (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

つゆ草咲けばとて雨ふるふるさとは
tsuyu-kusa sake-ba-tote ame-furu furusato-wa
Wie die Commeline auch blüht, / regnet es in der Heimat. (Übers. Satoh Kihakusoh)

 

tsuyu mo ochiba mo minna hakiyoseru

Dew and / Fallen leaves, / Swept up together. (Tr. by John Stevens)


うどん供へて母よわたくしもいただきまする
udon sonaete haha yo watakushi mo itadakimasuru

Mother! I am sharing / The white noodles / Offered for your memorial day. (Tr. by John Stevens)
(Forty-seventh anniversary of my mother's death:)
Offering udon: / Mother, / I will eat it too. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Te ofrezco udon, / querida mamá / Yo mismo me lo comeré (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

udon sonaete watakushi mo itadakimasu (1938)
an offering / of noodles / I’m having some too (Tr. by Burton Watson)
(Santoka offers a dish of noodles before thememorial tablet of his mother on the anniversary of her death, March 6)

 

uete naki yoru neko ni ataeru mono ga nai

The starving cat cries; / I have nothing to give him. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

うごいてみのむしだつたよ
ugoite minomushi datta yo

It wiggles; / A bagworm. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
It moved was a bagworm (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

ukon no tachibana no mi no shigururu ya
Before the shrine the / mandarin tree its fruit / wet in the autumn rain (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
De l’oranger sacré / les fruits / trempés par la pluie. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)

 

uma ga fuminijiru kusa wa hanazakari

In the grass trampled by the horse: / Flowers in full bloom. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

uma mo mesarete ojiisan obasan

Horse too requisitioned grandpa grandma (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

うまれた家はあとかたもないほうたる
umareta ie wa atokata mo nai hōtaru (SMT) (1938)

Nothing remains / Of the house I was born in-- / Fireflies. (Tr. by John Stevens)
nothing left of the house / I was born in / fireflies (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The house where I was born, / There is no trace - / Fireflies. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Of the house where I was born no trace left fireflies (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
No trace left of the house of my birth, / fireflies. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

umarete ureshiku tanagokoro o nigittari hiraitari

So happy to be born, / The baby opens / And closes his hands. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

梅遠近南すべく北すべく

ume ochi kochi minami subeku kita subeku

Ciruelos por todas partes… / ¿Debería ir al sur / o debería ir al norte? (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

ura kara kite kurete kusa no mi darake (1934)
you came the back way / covered with seeds / from all those grasses (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

uramichi wa natsugusa ga tōrenaku shita mamma (1933)
back road / just as before / choked with summer weeds (Tr. by Burton Watson)

ura ni ki ga shi go hon areba tsukutsukubōshi
Am Strand zwei, drei Bäume – schon sirren die Zikaden (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

うららかな鐘を撞かうよ
uraraka na kane o tsukō yo

Let's strike / The big temple bell! (Tr. by John Stevens)

Allez ! faisons sonner / La grande cloche du temple ! (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

uraura chou wa shindeiru

Balmy the butterfly is dead (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

うれしいこともかなしいことも草しげる
ureshi i koto mo kanashi i kotomo kusa shigeru

In happiness / Or sadness, / Weeds grow and grow. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Happy things, / Sad things also, / The weeds grow abundantly. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Everything may be happy / or sad / grass grows (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
happy things sad things grasses exuberate (Tr. by Scott Watson)
Feelings of joy, / and feelings of sadness, / thickly growing grass. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

うれしいたよりもかなしいたよりも春の雪ふる
ureshii tayori mo kanashii tayori mo haru no yuki furu
Good news, / Bad news; / Spring snow falls. (Tr. by John Stevens)
no matter news is / good or bad / spring snow (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

うれてはおちる実をひろふ
urete wa ochiru mi o hirou

Each time a fruit ripens and drops I pick it up (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

うしろから月のかげする水をわたる
ushiro kara tsuki no kage suru mizu o wataru
With the moonlight from behind me I cross the water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

うしろすがたのしぐれてゆくか
ushiro sugata no shigurete yuku ka (SMT) (1931)

From the back, / Walking away soaking wet? (Tr. by John Stevens)
how must I look / from behind / going off in the drizzling rain? (Tr. by Burton Watson)
My back view as I go, / Wetted with the winter rain? (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
A vague shape from behind - / Into the drizzle, / Disappearing. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I'm leaving / With my backside wet / In late autumn rain. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Your back in the winter shower you go away I see (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
From behind, going: shape soaked in winter-rain. (Tr. by Sean Somers)
Let it dissolve into the winter drizzle – my silhouette from behind. (Tr. by Kuniharu Shimizu)
Making fun of me
my figure seen from behind / going away / in the autumn rain? (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Whose back going / into the autumn rain / fading (Tr. by Dennis Keene)
A receding figure, / soaked in the autumn rains? (Tr. by James Abrams)
De son dos la silhouette / s’éloigne / sous l’averse d’automne. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Diese Gestalt, von hinten gesehen – verliert sie sich im Herbstregen? (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

La espalda en silueta / (del monje errante que se aleja) / “¿Se irá mojando?” (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

ushi wa omoni o owasarete suzu wa rin-rin (1932)
ox straining / under a heavy load / its bell goes tinkle-tinkle (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

uso o itta sabishii tsuki no dete iru

I told a lie; / A lonely moon appears. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

utouto sureba Ken ga mimōte kureta yume.

Dozing off, / (My son) Ken visits me / In my dreams. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

うつむいて石ころばかり
utsumuite ishikoro bakari

Hanging down my head, / I see nothing but pebbles. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
looking down all the small stones (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

utsurikite ohiganbana no hanazakari (SMT) (1932)
(First days in the Gochū-an)
moving in / higan lilies / at their best (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Having moved in and settled down, / I'm surrounded by flowers of the opposite shore / flowers of the autumnal equinox. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
settled in among / flowers of the other shore... / autumn equinox
settled in and surrounded / by red spider lilies-- / autumn equinox
*opposite shore (Higan)--Buddhistic term; autumnal equinox (Higan/Shuubun-no-hi)--day on the calendar.

 

utsute o kanjite machi no hae umaku nigeta

They could feel my hand; / The village flies escaped easily. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

わがままきままな旅の雨にはぬれてゆく
wagamama kimama na tabi no ame niha nurete yuku
Wet, / Yet walking in the rain, / This is a care-free journey. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

湧いてあふれる中にねている
waite afureru nakani neteiru

The spa

Gushing out and overflowing: / I immerse my body in it. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

wakaba no shizuku de kasa no shizuku de

Drippings from young leaves, / Drippings from my bamboo-hat. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
With the drips from the young leaves the drips from my hat (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

wakaranai kotoba no naka o tōru (1932)
passing through / dialects / I don’t understand (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

わかれてからのまいにち雪ふる
wakarete kara no mainichi yuki furu

Since we parted, / Every day snow falls. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Since we parted, / every day the snow has fallen. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

わかれてきた道がまっすぐ
wakarete kita michi ga massugu

The road where we parted straight (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

wakarete kita nimotsu no omoi koto

We've separated; / My backpack is heavy. (Tr. by John Stevens)


分け入れば水音
wakeireba mizu oto
The Daikan Peak

I go in and the sound of water (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

encore un pas et / le bruit de l'eau (Tr. par André Vendevenne)
Schreite ich hindurch –Wasserklänge (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)
 

分け入つても分け入つても青い山
wakeittemo wakeittemo aoi yama (SMT) (1926)
Going deeper-- / And still deeper. / The green mountains. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Going further into them, / And further into them, / Still more green mountains. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
the deeper I go / the deeper I go / green mountains (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Wading through, / And wading through, / Yet green mountains still. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
further in yet / further in yet / green hills (Tr. by W. J. Higginson)
Getting further and further / Into the mountains, / But still deep blue mountains. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
I go in I go in still the blue mountains (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Walking in and walking in / to the fresh green mountains. (Tr. by endoy)
Going deeper / and still deeper / into green mountains. (Tr. by Okami)
I push my way through, / push my way through, / green mountains. (Tr. by James Abrams)
passing through passing through yet still green mountains (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
one enters and enters, but still green mountains
Tiefer und tiefer schreite ich voran, in das Grün der Berge (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

waraya shitashiku tsurara o tsurane (1933)
thatched roof / making me nice rows / of icicles (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

われいまここに海の青さのかぎりなし
ware ima koko ni umi no aosa no kagiri nashi

Now I stand here, / Where the ocean's blueness / Is without limit. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Now I am here, / the blueness of the sea is infinite. (Tr. by James Abrams)
me voilà / là où le bleu de la mer / est sans limite (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)
Yo, ahora, aquí: / el azul del océano / sin límites (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

watakushi no hōrensōga yotsuba ni natta (1932)
my spinach plants / have four leaves now (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

watashi hitori no kyō no owari no shigurete kita
Seul j’ai passé ce jour et au crépuscule la pluie. (Tr. par Aude Fieschi)
Today spent alone / and at its close / the rain comes on (Tr. by Dennis Keene)

 

yabu kara nabe e takenoko ippon

From the thicket / To the pot: / One bamboo shoot. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

yagi naite yagi o hippatte kuru onna (1939)
goat bleating / pulling the goat / a woman comes this way (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

焼いてしまへばこれだけの灰を風吹く
yaite shimaeba koredake no hai wo yaku
Burning it all up, / Only these ashes, / Blowing in the wind. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

焼かれる虫の香ひかんばしく
yakareru mushi no nioi kanbashiku
A bug in the fire - / An aromatic odor. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)


yake-ato nani yara saite iru (1933)
there / where the fire was / something blooming (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

焼き捨てて日記の灰のこれだけか
yakisutete nikki no hai no kore dake ka (1930)

These few ashes / Are all that remain / Of my diary? (Tr. by John Stevens)
now they’re burned / these are all the ashes / from my diaries? (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Burning my old diary, / Ashes - / Only this much? (Tr. by Okami)
*Santoka burned the diaries from his first trip because he was ashamed of what he had written.

 

山あれば山を観る雨の日は雨を聴く
yama areba yama o miru ame no hi wa ame o kiku
when there are mountians, I look at mountains / when there is a rainy day, I listen to the rain (Tr. by Gabi Greve)

 

yama e sora e Makahannya Haramitta Shingyō

To the mountains, / To the sky: / The Heart Sutra. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

yama futokoro no hadaka to nari

Nestling down in the mountain (spa), / I doff my clothes. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
In the mountain’s embrace I become naked (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

yamaji kite hitorigoto iute ita (1932)
came along / a mountain path / talking to myself (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yama kara kaze ga fūrin e ikite itai to omou.

The breeze from the mountains / In the wind bell / Makes me want to live. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

yama kara shiroi hana o tsukue ni

From the mountains: / White wildflowers / On the desk. (Tr. by John Stevens)

From the mountain white flowers to my desk (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
de la montagne / des fleurs blanches / sur la table (Tr. par Cheng Wing fun et Hervé Collet)

 

山から山がのぞいて梅雨晴れ
yama kara yama ga nozoite tsuyubare

A mountain peers from behind a mountain the rainy season’s over (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

yama kurete yama no koe o kiku

The mountain becomes dark, / I listen to its voice. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

山みち暮れいそぐりんだう

yama-michi kure isogu rindō

Por el camino de la montaña / el ocaso se apresura / en la flor del rindō (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

山のあなたへお日さま見おくり御飯にする
yama no anata e ohisama miokuri gohan ni suru
Over the mountains, / Seeing off the sun, / Now to eat! (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
I see the sun off beyond the mountains and eat my meal (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)


山のいちにち 蟻もあるいてゐる
yama no ichinichi ari mo aruite iru (1932)

In the mountain all day, / The ants too are marching. (Tr. by John Stevens)
all day / in the mountains / ants too are walking (Tr. by Burton Watson)
A whole day in the mountains; / Ants are walking, too. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
On the mountain all day ants too are walking (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
In the mountain all day long / these ants too / walk (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Toute la journée en montagne, / Les fourmis aussi marchent. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

yama no kewashisa nagarekuru mizu no reirō

Flowing down the mountain steepness: / The bright water. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

山の奥から繭負うて来た
yama no oku kara mayu outekita
From mountain depths, / Borne on my back - / This cocoon! (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

venus du fond de la montagne / à dos d'homme / les vers à soie (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

山のしづかさへしづかなる雨
yama no shizukasa e shizuka naru ame (1936)
(At Eihei-ji)
over the mountain’s silence / silent rain (Tr. by Burton Watson)

To the mountain quietude / the quiet / rain (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
on the stillness of the mountain / the stillness of rain (Tr. by Gabi Greve)
The mountain stillness / Makes the rain still. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

山のしづけさは白い花
yama no shizukesa wa shiroi hana (SMT) (1939)
the mountain’s stillness / white blossoms (Tr. by Burton Watson)

Mountain’s quietness the white flower (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Stille der Berge in dieser weißen Blume (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

yama no yosa o mizu no umasa o karada ippai (1939)
all through my body / goodness of mountains / good taste of water (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yama o miru kyō ichinichi wa kasa o kaburazu

Looking at the mountains; / All day no need / To put on my kasa. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

山しづかなれば笠をぬぐ
yama shizuka nareba kasa o nugu
Cuando la montaña se aquieta, / me quito mi sombrero de bambú (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

If the mountains are peaceful, / I remove my kasa. (Tr. by John Stevens)
As the mountains are quiet - / I take off my kasa. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Because the mountain’s quiet I take off my hat (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Wenn es still wird in den Bergen nehme ich meinen Hut ab (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

yama suso atataka na hi ni narabu haka sukoshi kana

At the foot of a mountain, / Several graves stand together / In the warm sunlight. (Tr. by John Stevens)
In the warm sunlight / At the foot of the hill, standing side by side, / A few graves. (Tr. by R. H. Blyth)
At the mountain-foot / many graves resting / in the warm sunlight. (Tr. by Okami)
At the foot of the mountain / in the sun's heat / in line five or six graves (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 

山裾やすらかに歯のないくらしも
yama suso yasurakani 'ha' no nai kurashi mo
At the mountain's foot - / A peaceful, / Toothless life. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

yameba aosagi ga sokora made

I get sick and a blue heron comes near (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

yameba umeboshi no akasa
I take ill and the pickled plums’ red (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

病みて一人の朝がゆふべとなりゆく青葉
yamite hitori no asa ga yuube to nariyuku aoba
Being sick - / Lonely morning becoming night, / Green leaves. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Ill alone a morning turns into evening green leaves (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

yanagi chiru isoide ate mo nai tabi e (1939)
willow leaves scatter / rushing off on a trip / going nowhere (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

柳ちるそこから乞ひはじめる
yanagi chiru soko kara koihajimeru

The willow leaves are falling; / From there I'll begin begging. (Tr. by John Stevens)


yappari hitori ga yoroshii zassō (1933)

After all / It's good to be alone-- / The wild grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)

after all / alone is best / weeds (Tr. by Burton Watson)
It's good after all / To be all by myself-- / Weeds. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
After all , / to be alone is good, / wild grasses. (Tr. by James Abrams)

やつぱり一人はさみしい枯草

yappari hitori wa samishii karekusa

After all / It's sad to be alone-- / The withered grasses. (Tr. by John Stevens)

After all being alone’s lonesome the withered grass (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
After all, / to be alone is sad, / dried-up grasses. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

安か安か寒か寒か雪雪
yasuka yasuka samuka samuka yuki yuki

la neige la neige / le froid le froid / la paix ah ! La paix (Tr. par André Vendevenne)

 

yasuyado no zakuro takusan hana tsuketa (1932)
run-down inn / its pomegranate tree / loaded with blossoms (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yatto harete watakushi mo kyō wa osentaku

At last it's cleared up; / Today I too will do the wash. (Tr. by John Stevens)


yatto ito ga tōtta hari no kanshoku (1933)
feel of the needle / when at last / you get the thread through it (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yatto shotai ga motete atarashii baketsu.

At last the newlyweds' home is complete: / A new bucket. (Tr. by John Stevens)


yatto yūbin ga kite sorekara jukushi no ochiru dake
At last / The mail has come! / Soon the ripe persimmons will fall. (Tr. by John Stevens)
At last some mail / from now on / ripe persimmons will fall (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)
Finally the mail came and now only ripe persimmons drop (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
At last! / The mail's arrived. / Soon ripe fruit will fall. (Tr. by Okami)

 

yoeba iro-iro no koe ga kikoeru fuyuame (1933)
get drunk / you hear all sorts of voices / winter rain (Tr. by Burton Watson)
saoulez-vous / vous entendrez toutes sortes de voix / pluie d'hiver (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

yoenakunatta mijimesa wa kōrogi ga naku

The misery of no longer being able to get drunk the crickets chirp (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
The pitifulness / of not being able to get drunk, / te cricket cry. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

よい道がよい建物へ焼場です
yoi michi ga yoi tatemono e yakiba desu (SMT) (1934)

Nice road / Leading to a nice building. / It's a crematorium. (Tr. by John Stevens)
nice road / going to a nice building / crematorium (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Nice road / leading to a nice building: / a crematorium. (Tr. by Okami)
Beau chemin / Qui mène à un beau bâtiment, / Un crématorium. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

 

よいおみのりのさやさやお月さま

yoi o-minori no sayasaya o-tsuki-sama
A great harvest, / sighs, the moon content. (Tr. by Sean Somers)

 

よい宿でどちらも山で前は酒屋で
yoi yado de dochira mo yama de mae wa sakaya de (1933)

What a splendid inn! / Mountains in both directions / And a sakè shop in front. (Tr. by John Stevens)
nice inn / mountains all around / sake store in front (Tr. by Burton Watson)
a good inn / mountains on both sides / and facing a sake shop (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
A good inn - / Mountains everywhere, / In front, a sake shop. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
A good inn mountains everywhere and a sake store in front (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

plaisante auberge - / des montagnes tout autour / un débit de saké en face (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

よい湯からよい月へ出た
yoi yu kara yoi tsuki e deta
Coming out, / From a good bath - / A fine moon. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Getting out of a nice bath / Into lovely moonlight. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
I emerge from a good hot spring / to the good moon (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
ich steige aus einer guten warmen quelle zum guten mond (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

yoizame no hana koboreru koboreru (1935)
hangover / and blossoms / scattering scattering (Tr. by Burton Watson)
gueule de bois / et les fleurs / s'éparpillant s'éparpillant (Tr. by Daniel Py)


yoizame no hoshi ga matataite iru
my hangover clears / the blinking stars (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)
mein kater vorbei / die blinkenden sterne (Übers. von Dietmar Tauchner)

 

酔いざめの風のかなしく吹きぬける
yoi zame no kaze no kanashi-ku fuki nukeru
Waking from drunkenness, / the wind blows mournfully through. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Waking from a drunken sleep - / A sad wind, / Blowing through. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

Sobering a wind sadly blows through me (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

yoru no nagasa yodōhi inu ni hoerarete
yo no nagasa yodōshi inu ni hoerarete (1939)

The long night-- / Made longer / By a dog's barking. (Tr. by John Stevens)
long night / barked at by a dog / the whole night through (Tr. by Burton Watson)
The long night: / made even longer / by a barking dog. (Tr. by Okami)

 

酔うてこほろぎと寝てゐたよ
yōte kōrogi to nete ita yo (SMT) (1930)

Drunk, I slept / With the crickets. (Tr. by John Stevens)
so drunk / I slept / with the crickets! (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Oh, I slept, / In drunkeness, / With this cricket. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Drunk, / Found myself sleeping with crickets. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
Drunk I’d been asleep with the crickets (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
si saoul / que j'ai dormi / avec les grillons (Tr. by Daniel Py)

 

yotsuyu shittori nemutte ita

Wet with evening dew, / I slept. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ゆふべなごやかな親蜘蛛子蜘蛛
yūbe nagoyaka na oya-gumo kogumo
Evening, / Parent spider, child spiders - / Happy together. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

yūbe no samishisa wa mata hatake o utsu

In the evening loneliness, / Again tilling the field. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

yūbin ga kite sore kara kaki no ha no chiru dake (1936)
the mail came / and after that / just persimmon leaves falling (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

夕立が洗つていつた茄子をもぐ
yūdachi ga aratte itta nasu o mogu
The evening shower has washed the eggplants I pick ’em (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

yūdachi hareta tomato-batake ni dete taberu

The evening shower clears up; / I go into the tomato field to eat. (Tr. by John Stevens)
Fin de l'averse du soir : / Je vais dans le champ de tomate, pour manger. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

夕立やお地蔵さんもわたしもずぶぬれ
yūdachi ya ojizo-san mo watashi mo zubunure
A passing rain, / Ojizo-san and I, / Both drenched. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

雪へ雪ふるしづけさにをる
yuki e yuki furu shizukesa ni oru (1933)
here in the hush / of snow / falling on snow (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Snow falls / On the snowfall / Silently. (Tr. by John Stevens)
I’m in the quietness of snow falling on snow (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
On snow, snow falling, / In this silence - / I am. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Snow / falls on snow - / and remains silent (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)
Snow settles upon snow, / I am in the midst of quietude. (Tr. by James Abrams)
Here in the stillness of snow falling on snow
Snowfall on snow becoming silence
Snow's falling on snow, I'm in quietude.
Sobre la nieve cae la nieve Estoy en paz
Schnee fällt auf Schnee –und alles in tiefer Stille (Übers. Robert F. Wittkamp)

 

yuki e yuki furu tatakai wa kore kara da to iu

Snow falling on snow battle is about to begin they say (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

雪ふる一人一人ゆく
yuki furu hitori hitori yuku (SMT) (1933)
snow falling / one by one / they go (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Each person, / Walking by himself, / Snow falling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Snow falls one by one they go (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)
Falling snow, / alone, alone I go. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

yuki furu naka o kaeri kite tsuma e tegami kaku (1920)
come home / in falling snow / write my wife a letter (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yuki furu sono naka hitori to shite hi o moyasu (1933)
snow falling / alone in the middle of it / build a fire (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

雪ふる食べるものはあつて雪ふる
yuki furu taberu mono wa atte yuki furu
Snow falls I have things to eat snow falls (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

雪がふるふる雪見てをれば
yuki ga furu-furu yuki mite oreba
The snow, / As I watch, / Keeps falling and falling. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The snow falls falls as I watch the snow (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

雪もよひ雪にならない工場地帯のけむり
yuki mo yoi yuki ni naranai kōjōchitai no kemuri (SMT) (1933)

Even snow cannot be good snow; / The smoke from the factories. (Tr. by John Stevens)
even the snow / can’t be good snow / factory zone smoke (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

雪のあかるさが家いつぱいのしづけさ
yuki no akarusa ga ie ippai no shizukesa (SMT) (1932)

The brightness of the snow / Fills the house with calm. (Tr. by John Stevens)
snow’s brightness / a stillness / that fills the house (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Snow's radiance, / Filling the house - / Stillness. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
The brightness of snow everywhere the quietness (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

La luminosidad de la nieve / llena la casa / en calma (Tr. de Vicente Haya)

 

yuki yuki taoreru made no michi no kusa

Pressing on and on, / Until finally falling down; / The grass along the roadside. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

雪空の最後の一つをもぐ
yuki zora no saigono hitotsu wo mogu
The last fruit, / From the snowy-sky, / I pick. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
je cueille le dernier fruit d’un ciel d’hiver (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

yurete wa hagi no fushite wa hagi no koboruru hana (1934)
bush clover swaying / bush clover bending / its blossoms shower down (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

百合咲けばお地蔵さまにも百合の花
yuri sakeba o-Jizoo sama ni mo yuri no hana
when the lilies blossom / even Jizo Bosatsu / gets some lilies

 

yūutsu o yu ni tokasō (1930)
foul mood / soak it away / in bath water (Tr. by Burton Watson)

 

yūyake no utsukushisa wa oi o nageku demo naku

The beauty of the sunset / Grieves not for old age. (Tr. by John Stevens)

 

ゆう焼しづかなお釜を磨く
yūyake shizukana okama wo migaku
Sunset, / Quietness, / Scrubbing the rice-pot. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)

 

ゆふ空から柚子の一つをもらふ
yūzora kara yuzu no hitotsu o mogitoru (1932)
one citron / I pluck / from the evening sky (Tr. by Burton Watson)
Receiving, / From the evening sky - / One citron. (Tr. by Hisashi Miura and James Green)
Out of the evening sky I pick and pluck a yuzu-citrus. (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)
From the evening sky I accept one citron (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

In the snowy sky I pick the last one (Tr. by Hiroaki Sato)

 

zeni ga nai mono ga nai ha ga nai hitori

No money, no things, / No teeth-- / All alone. (Tr. by John Stevens)
No money, / no possessions, / no teeth, / alone. (Tr. by James Abrams)

No money, no possessions, / no teeth - / all alone. (Tr. by Okami)







Unidentified Translations

 

Laying on the grass, / I open the wounds of this trip to the sun. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Above the water passes the shadow of a cloud, / something will not let me be at peace. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

One more layer stripped off, / from journey to journey. (Tr. by James Abrams)

Sacredness, / a pure white chicken. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

What is sown will grow, / I tread firmly the calmness of the earth. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Receiving the deep autumn waters, / I return. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The going gets late, / how sweet this water tastes. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Stretching out my legs / to take in the day's last rays of sun. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Evening sky, / the silhouettes of farmers in their fields / deepen. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Suddenly, / something grazing past in the wind. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The hotness, sweetness of potato gruel, / autumn has come. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sun's rays / lingering on withered leaves— / the color is sad. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sweetness of rice, / a blue, blue sky. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The fallen leaves are warm, / from the rice I chew a glow. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sweet taste of rice, / alone, chewing. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Soaking in the quietness / of a brimming morning bath. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

My stark naked body, / revealed to the sun. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A persimmon resting on my palm, / fascinatingly red. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Today, / the roadside dandelions of this day / have blossomed. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Picking up a stick in the wind, / I walk on. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sound of water, / from afar, from near, / leading me on. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Filled with shades of night / the water flows on, / autumn lodgings. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sound of waves is unending, / home is so far away. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Thrusting my legs into the wild sea, / a journey stretching into the past, / into the future. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

In the midst alone, / always alone, / the grass is bursting into bloom. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Without a home of my own, / the autumn becomes ever deeper. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The road has disappeared, / the leaves whisper of their fall. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A single stream of water / drawn down upon a solitary house, / shades of autumn. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The tips of reeds, / walking on / with the path of the wind. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The winter night that has left me here, / in such a way. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Autumn rains, / walking deep into the mountains / of the autumn rains. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A steady autumn drizzle, / one road, straight ahead. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A temple among the pines, / the autumn rains have begun, / here I will stay. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Walking into the wind, / heaping abuse upon myself. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

I go on soaked by the rain / of my selfish, willful journey. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

This morning the sound of water, / a feeling that good news will come. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Dusk, / polishing a placid kettle. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

One flower on the desk, / slowly opening. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

One day the longing for a friend, / buds of trees, buds of grass. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The shadows subdued, / deep at night / I am eating. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

At the tobacco shop / no cigarettes, / a cold rain falls. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

No one is here, / the fallen leaves I swept away, / deep in the day. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Closed in, by myself, / an insect comes rapping / against the sliding door. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The wall is crumbling, / vines creeping in. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

People's compassion / touches my heart, / I stroke the warm brazier. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A well-stuffed quilt, / dreams of home. / A grasped hand, / chaps. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sound of wind chimes, / at the time when you should come. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

As the grass starts to stir, / for some reason I wait for a friend to come. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

When the clouds of dusk are so beautiful, / I yearn for a friend. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sound of voices approaching, / buds of trees brightly bearing. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

I have nothing particular to wait for… / In the fall of evening / the cry of cicada. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Departing, each on our separate ways, / I turn my face to the sun. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Face to face we smile, / we who will never meet again. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

So easily it darkens / in the reluctance of our parting, / a ten-day moon. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The road of our parting / runs straight ahead. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Drifting off from the water, / the lamp of the girl / dances in the dark. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Perhaps we will not meet again, / a blur of tree sprouts. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Both the snow on a distant mountain / and a friend who has gone away. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The peach tree has begun to bear fruit, / you have already died. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The sound of the waves / fading out, flowing in, / my life draws to its close. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The rain falls, / the sun shines, / I search for a place to die. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

If this were to be my deathplace … / The grass grows deeper and deeper. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

A graveyard basks in warmth, / the poor children. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The quietness of death, / clear-skied, leafless tree. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

I cannot seem to die, / on the other bank a red flower blooms. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

This plant which at any time may die, / blossoms and bears fruit. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Peacefully, possessing the power of death, / grass is withering. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

This is the dance of the butterflies / before death. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Every day naked, / butterflies, / dragonflies. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

Something missing, / another tooth fallen out, / I heave it into the evening darkness. (Tr. by James Abrams)

 

The muddied waters flow on, / clearing as they go. (Tr. by James Abrams)



mère et fille s’en viennent / des fleurs de lotus dans les mains (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

lavé / le radis noir absolument blanc (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

je marche vers les nuages / gonflant leurs muscles (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

en bas de la montagne printanière / roule et roule et roule / un caillou (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

sur le fil électrique / les oiseaux assis côte à côte / le plein printemps (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

la banlieue / devient (un) cimetière / le bruit des vagues (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

la lune claire, je rentre (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

tout le jour j’ai marché dans le vent (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

sans toit – avançant dans l’automne (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

les feuilles tombent au fond de l’eau le ciel profond (Tr. par Daniel Py)

 

air raid sirens / one after another / persimmons are red (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

as if someone is coming loquat leaf falling (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

wanting something to do grass blades stirring (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

intimate / mountain / meadow / bush warbler / cries (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

there is only this road spring snow falling (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

spring has come water sounds go where they do (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

neither waiting / nor not waiting / moonlight weeds (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

settled / down / persimmons / ripen / already (Tr. by Scott Watson)

 

So this is what / he calls his "tea grove" - / one miserable bush! (Tr. by Okami)

 

The sunshine freshly / reflecting from / my freshly-shaven head. (Tr. by Okami)

 

I have no home; / autumn gets bleaker. (Tr. by Okami)

 

Worn and torn daily / and falling in shreds: / my cloak for travelling. (Tr. by Okami)

Winter rain clouds - / soldiers off to China / to be blown to bits. (Tr. by Okami)

 

Marching together / on the ground their feet / will never pound again. (Tr. by Okami)

 

Leaving hands and feet / behind in China: / Japanese soldiers come home. (Tr. by Okami)

 

Will the municipality / stage a banner day / for those brought back as bones ? (Tr. by Okami)

 

One pot is enough; / I wash the rice. (Tr. by Okami)

 

In the calm stillness / after the rainstorm: / flies. (Tr. by Okami)

 

The leaves fall. / From now on / water will taste better and better. (Tr. by Okami)

 

Slowly, slowly / falling apart: / my final autumn. (Tr. by Okami)

 

When I die: / weeds, / falling rain. (Tr. by Okami)



Seul regardant / la lune qui s'enfonce / derrière les montagnes (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 

Couchant - l'ombre du laboureur / De plus en plus profonde. (Tr. par Gilles Fabre) 


Today again / soaken wet / walking on a strange path (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Today / I pick buttercups / I eat buttercups (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Spring / I walk holding my begging bowl / up to where? (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

From now on / I won't wear any watch / evening rain (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Autumn rain / mountains more mountains / mountains I don't know (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Just like this it rains / I am soaken wet / I walk (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

I've just been given / something to eat / falling rain (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

My skull freshly shaved / really reflects / the sunlight (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Something's missing / a tooth fell out / I hurl it into the night (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

Heavy rain / the postman / comes from so far (Tr. by Gilles Fabre)

 


Peaceful, peaceful / chilly, chilly / snow, snow (Tr. by Stephen Addiss with Fumiko and Akira Yamamoto)


cockroach! / your whiskers are long / and so are mine (Tr. by Takashi Nonin)

 

I can do nothing but walk / do nothing but return with grass seeds sticking to me (Tr. by Emiko Miyashita and Paul Watsky)