06English

2006

ここに掲載の句は白魚火誌の“白魚火秀句”に掲載されたものの英訳です。
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Shirawobi is the name of a Haiku magazine and an association of Haiku enthusiasts that has existed for fifty years in Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
The following Haikus are written by the members of the Shirawobi group, selected by its chairperson Mr. Masafumi Nio, and rendered into English by its web-site editor. The words in the single brackets are Haikus in Japanese and those in double brackets are the authors' names.

to '06 January edition's
to '06 February edition's
to '06 March edition's
to '06 April eition's
to '06 May edition's
to '06 June edition's
to '06 July edition's
to '06 August edition's
to '06 September edition's
to '06 October edition's
to '06 November edition's
to '06 December edition's
to '05 English page
to '07 English page

Haikus Selected
from '06 January edition of the　Shirawobi

to '06 January Japanese page

(Wata-tsumi no yoko ich-retsu no go-jyuu nin)
    ((Oono Shizue))

the cotton field...
over fifty people
are picking cotton in a rank

(Jyuu-san-ya roji ni azuki wo taku nioi)
    ((Tawara Keiko))

the moon thirteen nights old--
the boiling adzuki-beans smell
on an alley

*Jyuu-san-ya is the moon that is thirteen nights old in September.

(Umi no oto yama no oto kiku hahaso chiru)
   ((Nishimura Matsuko))

the feeble sounds
of the mountains and the ocean--
oak tree leaves fall

(Asagao no tane ure te yuku jyun ni toru)
    ((Kotou Hiroe))

the seeds of morning glory
mature everyday,
I pick them in turn

(Ketsuron wo isogu saga nari kaki no tane)
    ((Suzuki Keiko))

the seeds of kaki --
I was
a jump-to-conclusion woman

(Tobi-ishi wa on-na no ho-haba konomi otsu)
    ((Takama You))

the stepping stones are
with women's step apart...
the nuts are falling

(Nittei no umari shi techou fuyu ni iru)
    ((Nakajima Keiko))

my pocket book was filled up
with schedules...
winter has come

(Touka shitashi bunbou-shihou so-u ni kana)
    ((Masuda Ittou))

a fall lamplight--
a writing set for calligraphy
is on my desk

*One set of writing calligraphy equipment consists of writing brush, Japan paper, inkstone and India ink stick.

(Itch-ban hikaru honshi sagasu hoshi-zukuyo)
    ((Oosaku Yoshinori))

I look for
the brightest star...
a bright and starry night

(Mite shimau mada yawarakaki mozu no nie)
    ((Ooishi Masue)

a raw victim
by butcherbird,
I witnessed

(Kibukure te ori no soto ni wa hito ga iru)
    ((Ikeya Takahiko))

the humankind are outside
the cage of zoo,
being thickly dressed

(Kosumosu no naka kosumosu no e wo shiagu)
    ((Hara Kazuko))

I have painted
a picture of cosmoses
in a cosmos bush

Haikus Selected
from '06 February edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 February Japanese page

(kon-nyaku-dama hosa re te minami-Shinano mura )
    ((Kageyama Kaori))

balls of *konjak
are dried in the cold wind
in south *Shinano village

*Konjak is a jelly-like food made from the starch of devils tongue.
*Shinano is the old name of Nagano Prefecture where is highlands and surrounded by steep mountain ranges.

(Hyon no fue fui te jishuku no tanjyou-bi )
    ((Okuda Tsumoru))

I blow
the flute of *Hyon-no-fue
to celebrate my own birthday

*Hyon-no fue is the natural-made flute that parasitic worm makes on the branch of a kind of Japanese witch hazel.

(Shuwa no yubi kagayai te iru koharu kana)
   ((Yamaguchi Akio))

the fingers talking sign language
looks joyful...
Indian summer

(Mushi nokoru yo wo kome te mau kagura kana)
    ((Takahashi Kakou))

late fall night--
the *Kagura dances
are still performed before dawn...

* Kagura is a local ceremony to dedicate secret music and dance to the God of their local shrine for good rice harvest.

(Hitotsu ya no tsuma yori meeru yo no nagaki)
    ((Deguchi Satsue))

my husband *e-mailed me
from another room of our house--
comfortable fall's night

* This e-mail is sent through cell phone

(Rin no naru *henro-zue kau fuyu-biyori)
    ((Asano Kazue))

I bought a pilgrim's stick
with bells tinkle fine--
fine winter day

* Henro is the religious people who visit 88 temples on foot in Shikoku to be saved by Buddha. They wear sacred kimono and have pilgrim's stick. Usually the stick have tiny Japanese bells on the top.

(Shishi-michi no shimeri te ori nu zouki-yama))
((Makizawa Sumie))

an animal trail of wild boar
is wet...
in a copse

(Asa-zuke ni yuzu no choppiri kagen kana)
    ((Tsunoda shizuyo))

I made
lightly pickled vegetables
with a bit of citron

(Sazanka no soba ni aratana keiji-ban)
    ((Ookubo Kifuu))

a hedge of Camellia...
there is a brand-new
bulletin board

(Kagura hate Susanoo ga osu kuruma-isu)
    ((Takahashi Youko)

after the *Kagura dance,
the star walkes behind
the wheel chair his mother is on

(Ichi-ren no kaki no hoshi-basho hibi kawaru)
    ((Okuda Susae))

making *dried kakis,
I move a string of peeled kakis daily
to have chilly wind

* Dried kaki: Hoshi-gaki is made of sour persimmon.
It is peeled and dried in the chilly and dry wind, then becomes sweet.

(Hi-watari ya akiba no yama ni ko-yuki furu)
((Matsumoto Bun-ichi))

the sacred fire ceremony
at *Akiba mountain--
it snows a little

*Akiba shrine whose answer to prayers is fire prevention located in Akiba mountain in Shizuoka prefecture. The sacred fire ceremony in December is very solemn and famous.

Haikus Selected
from '06 March edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 March Japanese page

(Ushiro-de ni hiki-yose te i shi hasu-ne-bune)
    ((Ooishi Hirojyo))

He tugs the carrying skid
of dug lotus roots
in a marsh

(Nara-goushi fuki-koma re taru hakusho kana)
    ((Itou Touru))

old *Nara-goushi windows
were wiped down neatly
--early summer

*Nara-goushi is a primitive lattice made of slender & half-cut logs in order to protect houses from deer's horns in Nara.

(Kajikami shi te de taki- tsukuru takigi buro)
   ((Watanabe Seiichi))

I kindle the fire
for *firewood style bath
by numbed fingers with cold

* Old Japanese bath is heated up directly by firewood instead of town gas or LPG. It has iron bottom and wooden water container above. Fire beneath the iron bottom heats up the water.They take bath in the container.

(Atarashiki obi wo nakase ri yabu-kouji)
    ((Suzuki Yuriko))

brand-new obi rustles
when I put on--
spear-flowers

(Kanpa ku to shouchi no tabi no megane fuku)
    ((Shimizu Kazuko))

despite of the cold wave forecast,
I dared to start a trip
and wipe glasses

(Ekiden no oware ba hakone-yama nemuru)
    ((Morooka Hitoshi))

The ekiden was over
Hakone mountain area is
in quiet, as before

(Binzuru-mawashi sentou ayumu to to nari nu)
    ((Rikukawa Naonori))

I became
the head of the party
for the *Binzuru ceremony

* Binzuru is the wooden statue at Zenko-ji temple . The divine grace is to cure illness, and its annual ceremony is held on January sixth. People hit its head by rice spoons with their familiarity to Binzuru to thank for its works for them for a year.

(Nenga-jyou kao no ukaba nu hito hito-ri)
    ((Hazama Toshiko))

new-year cards--
a card that I can not
remember the sender

(Sumi yaku ya kuchi-dome chikaki usu-kemuri)
    ((Shinowara Shouji))

I make charcoal--
by the color of the smoke,
it is time to stop supplying air

(Amerika no ko no hira-gana no nenga-jyou)
    ((Nakada Hideko)

I received a new year card
written by an American kid
in kata-kana

(Habotan no uzu yurumi naku daki-ae ru)
    ((Mineno Keiko))

the swirl-like kale leaves
look as if
they hug

Haikus Selected
from '06 April edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 April Japanese page

(Haru asaki kogan ni hitori mou hitori )
    ((Maeda Kiyokata))

early spring--
a man is waking then another
along the shore of lake

(Ootsubo ni suwari no waruki tsubaki kana)
    ((Watanabe Michiko))

I do flower arrangement
to match camellia branches
with a big pot--

(Sasanaki ya shadou to nari shi on-na zaka)
   ((Moriyama Setsuko))

a warbler is crudely singing ...
the gradual walk to the temple
was changed into a roadway

(Dotto suguru nanakusa igo no jikan kana)
    ((Ninomiya Tetsurou))

after the new year holidays,
time flies
like an arrow then

(Shoukan no Yamada shinnkyuu chiryou-in)
    ((Oomura Yasuko))

the lesser cold season--
an acupuncture clinic
named Yamada

(Hago-ita no ura no waga na wa chchi no moji)
    ((Umeda Saga))

on the back of my old *battledore racket,
there has been my name
that my father wrote

(Nobi no muki kawari te kaze wo odoroka su))
((Abe Harue))

wild fire suddenly
changed the direction ...
the wind might be scared

(Te to ashi no ugoku shiawase no-zuisen)
    ((Takuwa Midori))

I recovered from
the paralysis of legs and arms--
wild narcissuses

(Chichi yuku ya amago no tani no nekoyanagi)
    ((Taguchi Kou))

my father passed away...
pussy willows blossom
in his home's canyon

(Ko-byakushou naredo richigi ni kuwa-hajime)
    ((Watanabe Harumine)

I am a peasant though...
I dutifully start furrowing
in the new year days

Haikus Selected
from '06 May edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 May Japanese page

(Ikutabi mo o-cha iere kauru haru-gotatsu)
    ((kanai Hideho))

many times
I made a cup of tea for myself
in a *kotatsu in spring

* Kotatsu is a Japanese foot warmer with a thick quilt.

(Jyosetsu-sha no toori sugi taru nido-ne kana)
    ((Mori Jyunko))

I noticed
that a snowplow was working,
then fell asleep again

(Shizuri-yuki ochi te kemuri wo age ni keri)
   ((Nozawa Tatsuyo))

snow that capped a branch
fell down...
clouds of snow

(Na-no-hana ya ichi-ryou densha uite kuru)
    ((Yokota Jyunko))

rape blossoms--
single-car train comes
as if to be afloat

(Sensei no ooki masku to ookina me)
    ((Iizuka Fujiko))

the doctor
with lovely round eyes
wears large flu mask

(Masuku shi te dochira tomo naku me de warau)
    ((Inamura Sadako))

She and I wore flu masks
and exchanged smiles with eyes...
each other

(Gyuunyuu no kami no futa toru takuboku-ki)
    ((Nakayama Masashi))

I open the paper top
of a milk bottle...
anniversary of Takuboku's death

* Takuboku: Ishikawa Takuboku is a popular tanka-poet and passed away in 1912 in dire poverty. He wrote many tankas from the social-view point.

(Kuchi-beta wa itsumo kiki-yaku keito amu)
    ((Saitou Katsumi))

I am so poor to talk,
that I am usually a hearer
with knitting

(Sakura-zuke mai-hime no goto hogure keri)
    ((Nanami Ayakoi))
salt cherry-blossom
is disentangled in hot water
like a Japanese dancing girl

(Umemi-jyaya tesage no kago ni inu no kao)
    ((Kawasaki Yukari)

the teahouse in *ume-tree park--
I saw a cute dog
in a pet-carrying-basket

* In Japan, people go to see ume blossom and feel that spring has come. ume is Japanese apricot.

(Ichi-nen no iro-iro ga sugi sakura saku)
    ((Furuta Kinuyo))

cherry tree blooms--
many things happened
for the last year

(Hatsu-goyomi kabe no ittou-chi ni kakuru)
    ((Yamada Keiko))

I posted a new calendar
in the best place
of the wall

Haikus Selected
from '06 June edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 June Japanese page

(Hina-dan no ushiro kara-bako nado tsuma re )
    ((Yokota Junko))

there are cardboard boxes
behind the pretty tiered stand
for dolls

(Kaze wo ho ni uke zazen-sou saki ni keri)
    ((Hoshi Youko))

the sail-like petal of
Zen-medication-flower
is sighing

(Mushi-dashi ya hyaku-mai no ta no kami okosu)
   ((Kajikawa Hiroko))

spring thunder
urges the rice-field's gods
to awake

(Shutsu-ryou no kimari te yama no warai keri)
    ((Kobayashi Fusako))

they decided to
go out fishing...
early spring mountains

(Ryoushou ya bara no katachi ni moru sashimi)
    ((Okugi Atsuko))

slightly cold weather--
the sashimi of sea bream
is dished up like rose

(Jirou-shu ni yoi kiki-kaeshi ori ni keri)
    ((Goshima Kyuukou))

I got drunk
on *jiro-shu
and am asking back

*Jiro-shu is the sake that is drunk on a certain day in march
when people pray for rich harvest,
and they say that it cures deaf.

(Shin-gao no chouba ni suwaru haru-matsuri))
((Itou Tomoe))

a new face is
behind shrine's counter
for the spring festival

(Kurokami ni some-modosh ko wa sotsugyou su)
    ((Makino Kuniko))

a few girls dyed
their hair back black...
then graduated

(Furarako no onoko wo sora ni hakobi keri)
    ((Shinozaki Atomi))

swing carries
a little boy
into the blue sky

(Sessan no kagayaki haruka yomogi tsumu)
    ((Katou Miho)

snowcapped mountains
are in a distance...
I pick young wild-herbs

(Sukoshi zutsu haru no ogawa ni nari ni keri)
    ((Oosaku Yoshinori))

gradually
brook turns
to spring mood

(Era pin to hari te kabuto-ni sakura-dai)
    ((Aoki Ikuyo))

sea bream's head was
neatly boild
with soy sauce

(Koeda yori koboruru setsuna tori sakaru)
    ((Tousaka Kousaku)

while birds fall down
from branch,
they mate in a moment

Haikus Selected
from '06 July edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 July Japanese page

(Tori kaeru ikusuji mo aru shio no michi)
    ((Atsumi Kinuyo))

the migratory birds
return to the north...
the hilly Salt Roads

*In Japan, there were many road to transport salt to the mountain area from coast.

(Utagaki no yama to tsutae te haruno niji)
    ((Hayashi Yasushi))

the hill held ancient joint party
for poetry contest--
spring rainbow

(Kuwa hitasu kakei no mizu mo oboro kana)
   ((Ooba nanshi))

I soak a hoe
in spring water...
at hazy dusk

(Hime -gami ni otoko-zenmai take te ori)
    ((Inoue Eiko))

a small shrine
for a goddess--
male-royal- fern has grown up

(Kyuu-reki no momo no sekku no shukuba-machi)
    ((Suzuki Keiko))

the doll's festival
by the lunar calendar--
in a post town

(Sode -guchi ni kaze asobase te no-biru horu)
    ((Satou Isao))

the spring wind
blows my sleeves...
I dig wild rocamboles

(Chatsumi-me no rachi-ake yoroshi kuchi mo temo)
    ((Kubota Hisayo))

the woman picks
green-tea leaves fast
with cheerful talks

(Chikyuu-gi wo mawashi te haru no chiri harau)
    ((Sawa Koushin))

I dust globe
by rotating...
in spring

(Noki-ayame Okura no yo yori ko wa takara)
    ((Yamaguchi Kikujyo))
a poet of Man'yoshu wrote
that child is precious thing--
irises

Haikus Selected
from '06 August edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 August Japanese page

(San-shimai min-na haha-ni no
gogatsu kana)
    ((Okuda Tsumoru))

all three sisters are
the picture of their mother...
early summer

(Tanpopo no wata no han-kyuu zutsu kakuru)
    ((Hoshida Issou))

dandelion's blow ball
wane away
half by half

(Hakuchou ni chapatsu mo himuro-oke no togyo)
   ((Takeuchi Yoshiko))

in a natural icehouse ceremony,
there is an affected lad
wear a Shinto's uniform

(Hatsu-natsu ya lettuce no mizu wa furiki tsu te)
    ((Oomura Yasuko))

early in summer--
I shake out water
of lettuce

(Kaisou no shugo naki kaiwa shara no hana)
    ((Ikeya Takehiko))

athel-tree's flowers--
they speak in whispers
without the subject

(Hatsu-nari no kyuuri shippo ni hana wo tsuke te)
    ((Hasegawa Fumiko))

this year's first cucumber...
sill has its flower
at the end

(Manaita ni kubomi taisanboku no hana))
((Nakayama Masashi))

there is a dent
on chopping board...
evergreen magnolia flowers

(Sanae-da ni kaze yoke no mizu harare keri)
    ((Mizude Motome))

just planted rice field...
they filled up water
to protect the young plants from winds

(Sotsugyou no isu no kazu dake yume no ari)
    ((Oosaku Yoshinori))

there are as much dreams
as the number of chairs...
commencement

(Chatsumi-beta hanashi-jyouzu wo kawa re keri)
    ((Fujita Fumiko)

I am a poor green tea picker--
but hired
because of a good talker

(Yami no yo wa houtaru-tachi ni makase to ko)
    ((Arita Toshiko))

let us leave
the moonless night
to fireflies

(Sakuranbo karasu ni yome nu kinshi-fuda)
    ((Hagiwara Mineko))

cherry farm--
crows may not read
the sign of "no entry"

Haikus Selected
from '06 September edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 September　Japanese page

(Otomimi ni obire no tsuki te yuu-hashii)
    ((Emi Sakufuu))

the grapevine is
much exaggerating--
the evening breeze in summer

(Kan-non ni se wo muke te nomu sooda-sui)
    ((Kajikawa Yuuko))

having my back
to the *Kannon,
I drink soda ,

*Kannon is one of followers of Buddha, who is merciful and helps stray people. Kannon means its statue as well.

(Munaita wo hokoru natsu-shatsu ko wo daki te)
   ((Tahara Keiko))

a muscular gay
with athletic shirt
holds his baby

(Tabi-saki de tsuma ni shiji suru tamizu-mori)
    ((Kanai Hideho))

I direct my wife
to keep rice field's water level
from an urban hotel

(Dai-nembutsu wakaki te-sabaki bachi-sabaki)
    ((Taniguchi Yasuko))

a ritual dance to the Dead--
good dancers and
drummers are young

(Kaze aoshi shusai no kuhi no tauzen to)
    ((Shibayama Yousaku))

the breeze from woods--
our leader's haiku monument
is calm

(Rusu-ban no tsuma ni are-kore akeyasushi)
    ((Ootsuka Sumie))

the summer haiku travel,
I order many things to do
to my husband at home

(Hashii shite soutto tobacco sutte ori)
    ((Takahashi Kenjyou))

a smoker is lonely
at the veranda's end,
summer evening

(Mite mii ya makkoto midori no oshiro ze yo)
    ((Tani Mifuji))
Look up
the Hamamatsu castle
in the green hill!

Haikus Selected
from '06 October edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 October Japanese page

(Motare te ori nu hoshiai no hodou-kyou)
    ((Kobayashi Fusako))

I lean on
a footbridge's handrail...
the Star Festival

(Fuurin ya tsuki no ide taru amagi-yama)
    ((Yamashita Katsuyasu))

a wind-bell--
the moon has risen
on Mt. Amagi

(Natsu-yasumi keikaku no moji migi-agari)
   ((Hieda Shuumi))

summer vacation--
the kanji character * KEIKAKU
inclines to upper right

*KEIKAKU means plan, in Japanese.

(Hito-nemuri goto ni hito-yume nettai-ya)
    ((Shimizu Seiseki))

I dream a dream
every short sleep...
at an intense-heat night

(Hebi yogiru kunshi kibisu wo kaeshi keri)
    ((Imamura Tsutomu))

a snake crossed
in front of a gentleman,
then he turned back

(Asagao no tsuru no shitsuke wo tadashi ori)
    ((Suzuki Takumi))

I am reforming
the vines
of morning glory

(Kan-beer nijyuu-go-kai no yono shijima))
((Hakarida yoshiyasu))

I drink beer
on the twenty-fifth floor...
silent night

(Natsu-sugi ya rokuro-kkubi chou nagaki saka)
    ((Yarita Sayaka))

sedars in summer --
I go up a long hill
called long-neck monster

(iki-nokori shi tomo to chazuke ya genbaku-ki)
    ((Takahashi Shizujyo))

eating tea-on-rices together,
we two are the survivals
of the Hiroshima atom bomb's

(Kurokami wo sena ni nagashi te miko suzushi)
    ((Shinowara Shouji))

the medium's long-black-hair
on her back
looks cool

Haikus Selected
from '06 November edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 November Japanese page

(Rissuu no mizu hippatsu te kawa nagaru)
    ((Inai Bakushuu))

the first day of autumn,
fresh water flows
in the brook

(Sawayaka ya eboshi no negi no ashi-sabaki)
    ((Taniguchi Yasuko))

early fall--
Shinto priest's eboshi
and solemn tread

*Eboshi is a type of headgear worn by Shinto priests or court nobles.

(Kimi yuki te Nara machi ni aki niwaka nari)
   ((Saitou Moe))

your death
urged Nara city
to be in autumn

(Kiku-zake no en wasu rare nu hito bakari)
    ((Seki Takajyo))

I always remember
the haiku friends,
had kiku-zake party with

*kiku-zake is Japanese sake with chrysanthemum petal that is had on September ninth in the lunar calendar, for the pretty minor traditional event: Chouyou-no-sekku.

(Yama no yu no kiku-zake ni you tomari kana)
    ((Suzuki Waremokou))

I am in
a mountain-hot-spring hotel,
being drunk by kiku-zake

(Natsu-make to ii kaji wa mina strike)
    ((Ooishi Tommie))

pretending on wearness
from summer heat,
I walked out housework

(Sashi-yori no hito-koe yami no hototogisu)
    ((Kamitake Yukimine))

the first song
of little cuckoo
in the gray dawn

(Kaisen-don uni wo kuwae te tabi no zei)
    ((Hoshino Yasuko))

the raw fish rice-bowl,
added sea urchin
is a luxury of this trip

(Kanau nara suwatsu te mita ki ukiha kana)
    ((Oshita Kazuko))
if possible,
I would like to
sit on *lotus leave

*Lotus is a sacred plant for Buddhism.

Haikus Selected
from '06 December edition of the Shirawobi

to '06 December Japanese page

(Yousha-naku minakuchi ki tte otoshi-mizu)
    ((Watanabe Harumine)

I ruthlessly shut
the weir for rice field
and drain the field's water

* Before harvesting, small weirs are shut not to supply water to the rice field anymore . And the water that has been filled the rice fields is drained from there.

(Dokokara ka mokusei kaoru shake doori)
    ((Fujie Ryouko)

fragrant olive
smells sweetly
on the Shinto-priest-families street

(Himawari no zenshin tane to nari ni keri)
   ((Yoshikawa Noriko))

standing sun flower
has become
just seeds

(Shinbun no orime soroe te hagi no hana)
    ((Sugiura Chie))

I neatly bundle
old newspapers...
Japanese bush clover

*In Japan newspapers are usually recycled, by giving away to the community. House wife bundles the old newspapers neatly with several inches thickness each, when they donate them to the community

(Susamaji ya secchin ni aru katana-take)
    ((Yoshioka Fusayo))

cool autumn day--
sword holder is
in the bathroom, too

*The author may be in a Samurai House museum.

(Go-honke no atsuki kama-buta kuri-gohan)
    ((Asami Zenpei))

a thick lid of old rice-cooker--
the head family boiled
the rice with chestnuts

(Ich-nichi no jyumyou oshima zu hana-fuyou)
    ((Oota Shinkichi))

one-day-flowers--
cotton roses
bloom gracefully

(Tsuma no koto wasuru mo kuyou aki no kaze))
((Kodagawa Mihoko))

for the repose of my late husband's soul
I intend to forget him...
autumn wind

(Rokujyuu-nen tsure-sou tsuma to tsuki no niwa)
    ((Kanda Hofuu))

we view the moon
in our garden...
sixtieth wedding anniversary

(Azemichi ni *oiran no goto manjyushage))
((Sano Chie))

on the rice-field's ridge
there are cluster-amaryllis
like the hair of *Oiran

* Oiran is the high-class prostitute in the Edo era.

*cluster-amaryllis