Dr. Akito Arima （有馬朗人）is President of the Haiku International Association (HIA)（国際俳句交流協会）(http://www.haiku-hia.com), a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting haiku globally.
Dr. Arima also leads the haiku group Ten’I (Providence)（天為）(http://haikunet.info).
looking for
something lost ―
wearing a winter cap
失ひしものを探しに冬帽子
This haiku is Dr. Arima’s masterpiece, which was presented to the audience at the international symposium titled Haiku Worldwide – Present and Future.
The symposium was given for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of HIA on November 28, 2009 in Tokyo, informing the audience of the states of haiku in foreign countries.
The symposium became the really special forum as the audience reconsidered what haiku means to them and found a new significance of international haiku
And at last the audience realized the dawn of the new twenty-first century haiku.
In the greeting of HIA homepage, President Akito Arima says as follows:
“The Haiku International Association was established in December 1989 in order to respond to haiku’s worldwide popularity and to promote friendship and exchanges with haiku lovers overseas. Since then, our association has been continuing its activities, concentrating on the introduction of haiku culture, exchanges with international societies and the publication of a magazine.
In today’s world, political, economic and cultural walls are coming down everywhere. The world’s people have joined hands in this. Now they must mutually remove certain walls in their hearts. I am convinced that the mutual understanding derived from the love that different peoples have for haiku will prove very helpful towards the attainment of this goal.
On July 01, 2002, the Haiku International Association has opened its home page. It is my heartfelt wish that the internet will lead to increased exchanges and friendship between haiku lovers overseas and that it will provide a gateway to haiku for those of the general public with an interest in haiku.”
The following is the Japanese translations of Dr. Arima’s greeting.
「このような俳句の国際化に対応するために、海外の俳句愛好家との交流・親睦を目的として、1989年12月に「国際俳句交流協会」が設立されました。以来、協会は俳句文化の紹介・国際組織との連携・機関誌の発行を中心に、活発な活動を続けております。政治的にも、経済的にも、そして文化的にも、今や世界の壁は取り払われようとしています。すべての国の人々がともに手を携えて前進するには、お互いの心の中にある壁も取り去らなければなりません。多くの民族に愛される俳句を通じての相互理解が、そのために大いに役立つであろうことを、私は確信いたしております。
国際俳句交流協会では、２００２年７月１日にホームページを開設し、インターネットを利用して、海外の俳句愛好家との交流や会員同士の親睦がますます盛んになることはもちろん、俳句に興味をお持ちになられている一般の方々からのアクセスを、心から願ってやみません。」
The other day Ms. Hana Fujimoto （藤本はな）, a leading staff at HIA, sent me the following mail, telling me about the news of haiku festival and haiku conference:
蛭田 秀法様
日頃は当協会に温かなご支援を頂き誠に有難うございます。
本年もどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。
さきほど、カリフォルニア州のukiahaiku の資料を転送させていただきました。ご興味があればどうぞよろしくお願い致します。今年は夏に、ワシントン州でＨａｉｋｕ Ｎｏｒｔｈ Ａｍｅｒｉｃａの会議があり、また、ヨーロッパでは、若い俳人大高翔さんの俳句塾を予定しています。
世界中で俳句を通じた交流が益々盛んになることを念じております。今後ともよろしくご教示下さいますようお願いを申しあげます。
国際俳句交流協会 事務局 藤本 はな
FYI
—– Original Message —–
From: Roberta Werdinger
To: ; Haiku International Association
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2011 9:20 AM
Subject: 9th annual UkiaHaiku competition – 2nd reminder
Roberta Werdinger
ukiaHaiku festival and competition listing
Ukiah is a northern California town whose name, backwards, spells “haiku.” In 2011 the City of Ukiah will hold its ninth annual competition and festival.
The competition encourages local, national, and international submissions to the Jane Reichhold International Prize category.
Website Address: www.ukiahaiku.org
Fee: $5 for up to three haiku
Limit: Maximum 3 haiku per person
(only 1 haiku/person/category may win an award)
Eligibility: Age 19 and over
Start date for submissions: Saturday, January 1, 2011
Postmark Deadline Friday, March 18, 2011
Festival Ceremony Sunday, May 1, 2011 (announcement of winners)
Submission Guidelines
If submitting via the online form:
1) On or after January 1, 2011, go to www.ukiahaiku.org, click on “submit your haiku” and then “the online form.” Follow instructions on the form.
2) If our PayPal payment form is live by then, you can send your payment electronically. Otherwise, send the fee (US check or international money order) by snail mail to ukiaHaiku festival, PO Box 865, Ukiah, CA 95482. Clearly indicate the author’s name of the haiku submission for which the payment is intended.
If submitting via snail mail:
1) On or after January 1, 2011, go to www.ukiahaiku.org, click on “submit your haiku” and then “the printed form (pdf)”; download the form. Follow instructions on the form. Mail along with your fee.
Deadline: Friday, March 11, 2011 (postmark or email date)
Judging: Jane Reichhold will judge the Jane Reichhold International Prize category.
Awards: $100 first place, $50 second place, $25 third place, plus a small booklet of winning poems and publication in that booklet.
Festival and Awards Ceremony: Sunday, May 1, 2011, 2 p.m. Winners are strongly encouraged to attend the festival to read their poems (winners will be contacted in advance of the festival date). Out-of-towners might consider visiting the many world-class tourist destinations surrounding Ukiah–inland wine country and redwood forests, or the Mendocino Coast (a 1-1/2 hour drive from Ukiah) before or after the festival.
In her mail Ms. Hana Fujimoto referred to HNA 2011 conference, about which Mr. Michael Rehling (マイケル・レーリング), founder of Haiku Michigan, also did in the following message through the Facebook page:
Haiku North America!!! Same great meeting, new location!!
Michael Rehlingさん2月4日 8:22 返信• 報告
www.haikunorthamerica.com
Visiting the homepage of Haiku North America, to my great nice surprise, I found photos of some haiku friends of mine.
I would like to show you a few photos of them and their haiku here.
Ms. Emiko Miyashita（宮下恵美子）, a leading staff of HIA and a dojin, a leading member of haiku group Ten’I (Providence)（天為）led by Dr. Akito Arima, contributed her haiku to New Year’s Haiku Festival by Akita International Haiku Network.
And Ms. Miyashita is going to visit India to give haiku teaching and haiku recitation at Tagore Hall for the students at Tagore University in the end of February.
the first page
of my diary
already Saturday
初日記すでに土曜でありにけり
from deep inside
my down-filled pillow
the first caw
Here is another photo of my haiku friends.
Ms. Fay Aoyagi (青柳飛) is a member of Haiku Society of America, Haiku Poets of Northern California (http://www.hpnc.org) and a dojin of two Japanese haiku groups: Ten’I (Providence) led by Dr. Akito Arima and Aki (Autumn) led by Mr. Masami Sanuka.
Ms. Aoyagi also contributed her haiku to our New Year’s Haiku Festival.
New Year’s Day
a rabbit arrives in the ship
from the Moon Palace
元旦や月の宮より兎来る
New Year’s Day mirror
learning how to smile
from a potbelly Buddha
初鏡大黒様に笑み習ふ
Mr. Michael Dylan Welch（マイケル・ディラン・ウエルチ） is in the photo above with Ms. Fay Aoyagi.
Mr. Welch has written haiku since 1976. He’s a longtime vice president of the Haiku Society of America, cofounded Haiku North America in 1991 and the American Haiku Archives in 1996, and founded the Tanka Society of America in 2000.
Mr. Welch also contributed his haiku to our New Year’s Haiku Festival.
first dream–
the way home
perfectly clear
初夢や身綺麗にして里帰り
New Year’s Day–
the phone ringing in time
with the temple bell
元日や時鐘とともに電話鳴る
HNA says in the homepage as follows:
The conference theme will be “Fifty Years of Haiku,” celebrating the past, present, and future of haiku in North America. The deadline for proposals has been extended to February 28, 2011 (http://www.haikunorthamerica.com/pages/next.html), but sooner is better. Proposals do not have to fit the theme. If you’ve already submitted a proposal, please confirm with Michael Dylan Welch at WelchM@aol.com that you can come to Seattle on the new dates. Speakers already include Cor van den Heuvel, Richard Gilbert, David Lanoue, Carlos Colón, Fay Aoyagi, Jim Kacian, Emiko Miyashita, George Swede, and many others.
Last of all, we sincerely hope that haiku will spread out to the world more and more through ukiaHaiku Festival 2011 and the HNA 2011 conference.
The next posting ‘Haiku World of Patricia Lidia in Romania’ appears on February 19.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Member of HIA and haiku group Ten’I (Providence)（天為）
The last day, we received a mail of congratulations on the New Year’s festival from William Sorlien’s rabbit in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
The rabbit says, “Thank you for celebrating the Rabbit Year at a great party.”
And at last the rabbits went back home, leaving their message.
The last poetry recitation included the following haiku and tanka.
Alan Summers (UK) アラン ・サマーズ （イギリス）
sky shift 空の変化
a Chinese lantern 中国のランタン
hits the moon 月を打つ
the party trick おはこ
a Regency England tale 摂政時代の英国の話
of the New Year 新年の
Yasushi Sato (Japan) 佐藤康（日本）
The new year starts
when the seasonal wind comes 烈風の海渡り来て年明くる
roaring over the sea
New year days
four generations get together 年迎ふ居久根の中の四世代
in an old Igune
* Igune is a ciecle of large cedars surrounds houses
scattered in the paddy field.
RAM KRISHNA SINGH (India) ラム・クリシュナ・シン （インド）
Haiku: 俳句
Brightness of moon 月の明るさ
the same as when tied the knot– 結婚した時と同じ
61st New Year ６１回目の新年
(My Birthday falls on 31 December) （私の誕生日は１２月３１日）
Returning home 帰郷
to the swaying of branches– 枝が揺れている
New year’s wild rain 新年の激しい雨
Perfume of wine– ワインの芳香
T. A. Smith (USA) Ｔ．Ａ．スミス （アメリカ）
one loss yet さらに一つ失う
blessing—my eldest 幸福の恵み ― 最年長の
graduates 私の卒業生たち
heavy snow at dusk 夕暮れの大雪
blankets bough and path—at dawn, 枝と道を覆う ― 夜明け
new year rabbit tracks 新年の兎が足跡をつける
William Sorlien (USA) ウイリアム ・ソーリアン （アメリカ）
new winds, 新風、
wet leaves and scudding cloud; 濡れた葉とちぎれ雲；
rabbits escape the moon 兎たちが月から逃げる
coffee and lefse; コーヒーとレフセ；
the grandfather clock おじいさんの時計
strikes nine ９時を打つ
Barbara A Taylor バーバラ A テイラー
(Australia) （オーストラリア）
New year 新年
faded decorations flap 色あせた飾りがはためいている
on the tori gates トルスの門で
fortune cookies 占いクッキー
promises of good health 健康の約束
for the bunnies ウサちゃんのために
Juhani Tikkanen (Finland) ジュハニィ ・ティカネン （フィンランド）
snowflakes falling ―
one of those 降りしきる雪片の一つ三日月が
a crescent moon
you had to leave me ― 離れて行く定め ―
a candle flickers 蝋燭が揺れている
a long while 長い間
Maria Tirenescu (Romania) マリア ・ティレネスキュ （ルーマニア）
New Year concert – ニューイヤーコンサート
a boot without shoelace 靴ひものないブーツ
at the broken paling 壊れたクイの所で
the brink of New Year – 新年間際 ―
the woodpecker pecking 啄木鳥がつついている
an old cherry tree 古い桜の木を
Sasa Vazic (Serbia) ササ ・ヴァジク （セルビア）
opening the door ドアを開ける
at midnight into a new year 真夜中が新年へ
a gust of snowflakes 一陣の雪片が
on the greeting card 賀状が
in the postman’s hand 郵便配達人の手に
a snowflake melts 雪片が溶ける
Michael Dylan Welch マイケル・ディラン ・ウエルチ
(USA) （アメリカ）
first dream–
the way home 初夢や身綺麗にして里帰り
perfectly clear
New Year’s Day–
the phone ringing in time 元日や時鐘とともに電話鳴る
with the temple bell
robert d. Wilson (USA) ロバート ・ｄ．ウイルソン （アメリカ）
summer storm . . .
an old rat lights 夏嵐老鼠の香を灯しけり
incense
after dark . . .
a beggar changing 闇おりて乞食の影の変わりけり
shadows
Tad Wojnicki (Taiwan) タッド ・ウォジュニシキィ （台湾）
Rosh Hashana
squawking fight for ロシュハシャナ罪滅ぼしに戦えり
sins to go
Previously published in Modern Haibun and Tanka Prose, #1, 2009, ed. Jeffrey Woodward. The haiku refers to the Jewish tradition of casting bread crumbs into a flowing water to symbolically rid oneself of the last year’s sins.
New Year’s
quiet dawn… 元旦や静穏のうち鳥を焼く
roosters roasting
Jadran Zalokar (Croatia) ジャルダン ・ザロカー （ルーマニア）
A seaside dining room – 海辺の食堂 ―
Guests dressed in 客が着替える
Rainy clouds 雨雲で
A clock without hands 針のない時計
Strikes the years 行く年を打って来た
On the tavern’s wall 酒場の壁に
Jianqing Zheng (USA) ジアンチン・ジャン （アメリカ）
tea-drinking
on new year’s day—what else 元日はお茶を立てるにつきにけり
can I do?
new year’s eve
snowflakes hush 大晦日雪片黙し時鐘へと
into the temple bells
V E R I C A Z I V K O V I C ヴェリカ ・ ジヴコヴィシ
(Serbia) （セルビア）
the snowy peak 富士山の雪の峰
of Mount Fuji glistens - 白く輝く
the New Year moon 新年の月に
the New Year moon - 新年の月
she an he, waiting for the train, 男女二人列車を待つ
eat the same apple 同じりんごを食べながら
Hidenori Hiruta (Japan) 蛭田 秀法 （日本）
First sunrise
surprises the moon rabbit 初日の出月の兎の目覚めけり
awakening
Peter Rabbit
eating vegetables 初夢やピーターラビット菜を食ふ
New Year night’s dream
First running
rabbit’s tracks printed 元旦の兎の跡や走り初め
New Year’s dawn
Minoru Kono (Japan) 幸野 稔 （日本）
Rising sun-
Shining through the clouds 叢雲を押し分けて射す初日かな
On New Year’s Day.
New Year stage-
Bravo to the hero, 教え子の新春舞台主役なる
My former student!
“Autumn of passion”
Let it be my rabbit year’s 「赤秋」を卯年のわれの決意とす
Resolution.
The next posting ‘2010 in Review by WordPress.com’appears on January 8.
― Hidenori Hiruta
On the third day, we refer to the first experiences the moon rabbit had.
What a wonderful experience it is to see the first sunrise of the New Year!
Secondly, the rabbits enjoy the poetry recitation, sharing international haiku with each other.
Claire Gardien (France) クレイア・ガーディアン（フランス）
two thousand eleven ２０１１年
beginning to count the days 日のカウントが始まる
of the rabbit year 兎年の
icycles circle つららが取り囲む
the mahonnia’s ひいらぎなんてんの
green leaves 緑の葉
and, そして、
“crimson crystallised rosehips” 深紅色の結晶のバラの実を
Taro Kunugi (Japan) 功刀太郎 （日本）
like pellets
sparrows blown across orchards 木枯らしやゴミのごと雀飛ばされて
wintry gust
mountains
hastily brushed white 初雪はひと刷け白し山々を
the first snow
Rona Laban (USA) ロナ・ラバン（アメリカ）
Life is a journey 人生は旅
old cat sleeping on futon 老猫が布団の上で眠っている
road in the distance 道遠し
Fall 秋
smoke rising above 煙が立ちのぼっている
red leaves falling to the ground 赤い葉が地面に落ちる
black dog by my side 私のそばには黒い犬
Patricia Lidia (Romania) パトリシア・リデア（ルーマニア）
fairytales おとぎ話を聞く
in front of the stove - ストーブの前で
childhood memories 子供の頃の思い出
on a rabbit’s back 兎の背に乗って
hopping in New Year - 新年に跳んでいる
new resolutions 新しい抱負が
Chen-ou Liu (Canada) 劉鎮歐（カナダ）
New Year’s Eve
a white rabbit falls 大晦日夢にあらはる白兎
into my dream
(Note: 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, which is said to be fortunate)
注：２０１１年は兎年で、幸運であると言われている。
New Year’s morning
standing before the mirror 元旦の鏡に映るは我なりや
it’s me, and yet …
Wayne Malcolm (USA) ウエイン・マルコム（アメリカ）
”Hooves” 足音
Hallowed Christmas Eve 聖なるクリスマスイブ
Rumbling sound of shoppers’ hooves 買い物客の騒音
Or, St. Nick’s reindeer それとも、聖ニコラスのトナカイの音か
“On the Job with St. Nick” 聖ニコラスと一緒の仕事で
Jolly jovial, 陽気な、陽気な、そんな魂が
Plumb soul brings bags of presents プレゼントの袋を持ってくる
Leave milk and cookies ミルクとクッキーを置いて行く
“The Hope” 希望
I am dreaming of 純白なクリスマスを夢見ている
Christmas white and pure for ALL 全ての人のための
Peace amongst US all 私たち全ての人のために平和を
Junko Masuda (Japan) 桝田純子 (日本)
one more dream
getting bigger またひとつ夢ふくらんで年明ける
new year’s day
pray for God
best friend’s miracle 神様に友の奇跡を祈る元旦(あさ)
of recovery
Helen McCarthy (UK) ヘレン・マカーシイ（イギリス）
In this quiet glade リスが遊び、鳥が囀るこの静かな林間の
Where squirrels play and birds sing 空き地では
The year does not end 年は明けない
We mark an ending: 終わりを印す
Pine cones fall on snow, plum trees 松かさが雪に落ち
Prepare to blossom 梅の花が咲く準備をしている
John McDonald (UK) ジョン・マクドナルド（イギリス）
auld feres lavein -
snaw faws
fouin thair fitprents
old friends leaving -
snow falls 旧友のゆく足跡に雪が降る
filling their footprints
auld monk
tentie o the veesitors -
wund yerks’s baird
old monk
watching the visitors - 客を見る老僧のひげ風が引く
wind tugs his beard
Maya Melivyanti マヤ・メリヴァヤンティ
(Indonesia) （インドネシア）
Spring in December １２月の春
A year has passed by 年の暮れ
the flowers bloom in your eyes あなたの目に花が咲く
spring in December １２月の春
New Year 新年
the wind still dancing 風がまだ舞っている
a glimpse of you in my mind 心の中にあなたがちらっと浮かぶ
when the rain will stop? 雨がやむのはいつかしら
a morning prayer
The still of mind in silent 朝祈る心静かに年明ける
a new year has come
Emiko Miyashita (Japan) 宮下惠美子 (日本)
the first page
of my diary 初日記すでに土曜でありにけり
already Saturday
from deep inside
my down-filled pillow 羽毛枕すつぽりかぶり初鴉
the first caw
Vasile Moldovan (Romania) ヴァシル・モルドヴァン（ルーマニア）
First dream of the year:
to melt I myself in your arms 初夢や雪片のごと腕の中
just like a snowflake
First shadows
on the way home-
New Year full moon
新年の満月を見る初の影
Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu クリスティナ・Ｍ・モルドヴィーヌ
（Romania） （ルーマニア）
New Year’s snow -
last night’s cinders 新年の雪昨夜の灰暖炉を満たす
fill the fireplace
day breaking -
another globe fell 黎明やクリスマスツリーから別世界
from the Christmas tree
Christmas alone - クリスマス
the old man wears shoes 老人が靴を履く
with new laces 新しいひもをつけて
The next posting ‘International Haiku New Year’s Festival (Part 4)’ appears on January 4.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Tanka by Minoru KONO in Japan (1)
2010/12/25
Minoru KONO （幸野稔）, Professor Emeritus, Akita University, is a tanka poet.
His tanka was exhibited at the AIU Festival 2010 held on October 10-11 at Akita International University（国際教養大学）.
Emeritus Professor KONO says in his brief bio as follows:
Biodata about KONO Minoru
In my high school and university days, I secretly wrote tanka poems and sent some works to be chosen by Akita Sakigake Newspaper Tanka Column once in a while. After graduating from university in 1961, I became an English teacher. Then I was encouraged to join Akita Rinkan led by FUJIWARA Eizo. Under his guidance I tried to compose tanka regularly, but gave up before long.
My long slumber as a tanka poet was broken off in summer 1985, when I visited England. Wordsworth’s world featured by undulating green hills and the Lake District revived poems in my mind. Thus I contributed my tanka works every month to Kanryu led by ICHINOSEKI Yoshimi and to Seiran led by SHIMADA Shuji. Thanks to their guidance, I learned to appreciate and compose tanka poems as literature. After their deaths, however, I found it difficult to maintain the quantity of my tanka composition, and left Kanryu and Seiran after all.
Still, composing tanka poems, though unproductively, is one of my favourite pastimes, especially after my retirement from public office in 2004. Now I am a member of Asahikawa Tanka Study Group, a community-based mini-group. Gathering once a month, we enjoy discussing each other’s works and study about how to improve tanka expressions. Why don’t you join us?
E-mail: mkono@zpost.plala.or.jp
幸野 稔 歌歴
高校生から大学生の頃、秘かに短歌をひねり、秋田さきがけ歌壇に投稿して、時折載せていただいておりました。1961年に大学を卒業後、英語教師となりましたが、『秋田林間』の主宰の藤原永三氏に勧められて同結社に入会しました。氏のご指導のもとで定期的に短歌を作るよう努めましたが、間もなく壁に突き当たり、実作から遠ざかってしまいました。
転機は1985年夏の英国旅行の折に訪れました。なだらかな緑の丘や湖水地方といったワーズワースの世界は、長く休眠していた私の歌心を呼び覚ましてくれたのです。それから、一関吉美氏主宰の『寒流』と島田修二氏主宰の『青藍』に毎月欠かさずに詠草を送るようにしました。両氏のご指導により、文学としての短歌の鑑賞と実作を学ぶことができました。しかしながら、両氏の死後、私の出詠数を維持するのが困難となり、結局両結社から離れることになりました。
とは言え、寡作ながら短歌創作は私の趣味の一つであり、特に2004年の定年退職後は最大の心の慰めとなっております。現在は旭川短歌研究会の会員として、こじんまりとした毎月の歌会を楽しみとしております。私達はより良い短歌表現を目指して合評を重ねてきました。皆さんの入会をお待ちしております。
Emeritus Professor KONO presented his tanka recitation to the audiences at the AIU festival.
Here I present his tanka to you.
TankaVerse Works 拙詠
KONO, Minoru 幸野 稔
(1988年 NHK学園短歌東北大会選者特選）
The holidays over,
My dear son hurried back 疾風のごとく帰省子は去りゆきて
On the wings of the wind, 花びらはつかに残る葉桜
Leaving some tiny petals
In the leafy cherry tree.
Farewell Poems for 2007 AFS 2007年度AFS秋田支部
Akita Chapter Recipient Students 受入生の帰国に際して詠める
(For Tom from Australia) （オーストラリア年間生トムに）
“I love Canberra,
My beautiful hometown,” キャンベラは美しい街と語りたる
Says Tom smiling, 愛郷少年トムの笑顔よ
His student days over
Here in snowy Akita.
(For Mengying from China) （中国年間生モンインに）
It is now so nice
To see you smiling, Mengying, 懐郷の愁いを見せしモンインは
A high school girl 今ぞ笑顔の少女となれる
Who used to look homesick
On arriving here in Akita.
(For Yejee from the Republic of Korea) （韓国年間生イェジに）
Write a novel, Yejee,
Based on your student days この町に学びし日日を小説に書き
Here in Akita 給えそを読むまで生きたし
I would like to live
Until I read it.
(For Julius from USA) （アメリカ合衆国セメスター生ジュリアスに）
Have a dream, Julius,
Remembering Reverend King, 差別無き国を目指ししキング師を
Who aimed at making 偲びて君も夢を持つべし
Your country a land
Without discrimination.
Farewell Poems for 2009 AFS 2009年度AFS秋田支部
Akita Chapter Recipient Students 受入生の帰国に際して詠める
Here is a photo of Luca, Professor Kono, and Julia at the AIU Festival 2009.
(For Luca from Switzerland) （スイス年間生ルカに）
His one-year study
In Akita bearing fruit, 一年(ひととせ)の学び実りて日本語を
Luca, a Swiss boy, かくも巧みに操れるルカ
Has now acquired Japanese
With such a wonderful skill.
(For Daniela from Argentina) （アルゼンチン年間生ダニエラに）
Smiling all over,
Danie is pounding steamed rice 満面の笑みもて杵(きね)を振り上ぐる
With a mallet, ダニーと相取りせるホストパパ
Her host daddy beside
Kneading the pounded rice for her.
(For Julia from USA) （アメリカ合衆国セメスター生ジュリアに）
One of the schoolgirls
Of the holy light, Julia 小雪舞う駅前広場下校せる
Is walking back home 光の子らの一人なるジュリア
Through the station plaza,
A light snow dancing about.
Composed in November, 2010 近詠（2010年11月）
Calling me “Grandpa,”
In a rising tone, 「ジッタン」と語尾上げわれを呼びながら
A one-year-old boy 居間駆け回る一歳の児は
Is running around
In the living room.
The next posting ‘International Haiku New Year’s Festival 2011 (Part 1)’ appears on January 1, 2011.
I wish you a Happy New Year!
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku by Students at AIU (7)
2010/12/11
In the posting this time, I take up AIU Festival 2010 held on October 10-11 at Akita International University（国際教養大学）and the haiku presentation by students at the AIU class of Japanese literature.
AIU Festival 2010 (Part 3)
The theme is shown in the following photos:
Here is a photo of those who enjoyed the festival.
Our network participated in the festival with the title:俳句とHAIKU （INTERNATIONAL HAIKU）.
We exhibited haiku poems and haiga paintings contributed to our website by AIU professors, students, and other haiku poets worldwide. We also gave live art of haiga painting and poetry recitation.
During the festival, we enjoyed haiku, haiga painting, and recitations with students, teachers and visitors.
Minoru KONO（幸野稔）, a tanka poet, gave a tanka recitation for audiences.
Masuda Junko （桝田純子）, a haiku poet, gave a haiku recitation too
Haiku Presentaion (Part 3)
Professor Alexander Dolin teaches Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies at AIU. He also writes haiku.
Recently Professor Alexander Dolin took up haiku in his class of Japanese Literature, where I participated in the haiku presentation by students as a referee on November 15.
His students kindly contributed their haiku to our netwotk, which I post in the website, dividing them into three parts.
Gaku Kanno （管野岳）
缶コーヒー広がる湯気と白い息
Kan kouhei hirogaru yuge to shiroi iki
A can of coffee
steam, and white breath
spreading
紅葉狩落ち葉の絨毯踏みしめて
Momijigari ochiba no juutan fumishimete
Hike in autumn colors
stepping on the carpet
fallen leaves
古き良き古典片手に秋の夜
Furuki yoki koten katate ni aki no yoru
Autumn night
passing with good classics in
my left hand
秋告げた赤黄の木の葉枯れ落ちて
Aki tsugeta akagi no konoha kare ochite
Red and yellow leaves
tell the coming of fall
already gone
最期まで立派に騒げ秋の蝿
Saigo made rippa ni sawage aki no hae
Till the end
make a lot of noise ―
the fall fly
Christine Omiya
Losing its white form
and with the sun’s radiance
snow melts into spring
白き雪日の輝きに春と化す
Shiroki yuki hi no kagayaki ni haru to kasu
From the freezing trees
fall leaves glide down to the ground
chilled by the strong winds
凍てし木々秋の葉滑る風の中
Iteshi kigi aki no ha suberu kaze no naka
A new moon tonight
to illuminate the dark
Are the city’s lights
新月の暗やみ照らす街の灯や
Shingetsu no kurayami terasu machi no hi ya
His body shivers
he cannot win against it
war with the cold night
身の震え夜の寒さと戦えり
Mino furue yoru no samusa to tatakaeri
Fresh rain of spring falls
thirsty flowers soak it up
dropped by passing clouds
雲降らす春の雨かな花ひたる
Kumo furasu haru no ame kana hana hitaru
Jae Kim
In the morning
the sight of taxis and business people bustling
near Shinjuku Station
せわしさや新宿駅の朝景色
Sewashisa ya Shinjuku eki no asageshiki
A winter night
a pillar of smoke
rising from the quiet campsite
冬の夜キャンプサイトの煙草かな
Fuyu no yoru kyanpusaito no tabako kana
Hassled by the dead line
the salary man
drank one shot after another
締め切りやサラリーマンの一気飲み
Shimekiri ya sarari-man no ikki nomi
The furious boss
dictatorially
stands above frightened employees
独裁や恐れる社員ボスに伏す
Dokusai ya osoreru shain bosu ni fusu
A drunken student
on a bench
in the park
花見酒ベンチの上の学徒かな
Hanami zake benchi no ue no gakuto kana
Herel, I refer to one of ideas of what haiku is.
Claire Gardien, a French poet, gave us his idea through exchanged mails.
Claire Gardienさん 9月25日 8:15 報告
Hello Hidenori,
Could-you tell me, please, why “haiku” is called “hai” (ku) ?
If “hai”, means “crazy” as I think it does, why “hai” or why “crazy” ?
I (personnally) don’t see haiku as something crazy !
Or, does-that mean “humour” (as, past times haikins had humour)?
Thank you to tell me if you don’t mind about it.
I don’t come often on Fb, that’s why I rarely comment photos…
Thanks anyway,
Claire
Hidenori Hirutaさん 9月25日 20:30
Hello, Claire, this is a very good question.
First of all, according to the dictionary of Chinese characters (explained in Japanese), “hai” has three meanings. One of them means “clowns”, afterwards “actors”. The second one means “fun” , or “joke”. The third one means “to wander”, or “to walk right, and sometimes walk left”.
Secondly, “haiku” comes from “haikai, or comic in English” , which was a popular style of Japanese verse originating in the sixteenth century.
As opposed to the aristocratic “renga”, “haikai” was known as the “low style” linked verse intended for the commoner, the traveler, and those who lived a more frugal lifestyle.
Last of all, I would like to refer to “haiku” some day.
Best regards,
Hidenori
Claire Gardienさん 9月30日 11:01 報告
Hello Hidenori,
And, thank you for your nice/ interesting answer.
I can’t help viewing Bashô’s “hai” smile when reading what you wrote ! This “hai” seems to be the correct, good adjective to qualify these sixteenth century’s poets meetings after some lapse of time ; was-it a good way to celebrate some new meeting than to write linked verse together ? It seems so… Anyway, humour is the top word qualyfing “haikai”… “renku”.
Thank you to tell me too, that “haikai” means “renku”. I thought it only meant (or, was an older form) of “haiku”.
I was wondering to; what was the diference between “renga” and “renku”. So, thank you, I can imagine better now.
Can you (and other Japanese people involved in the haiku genre), have that humour spirit they seemed having (although not always writing comic things… The death poems, for instance ? Or, even, when Bashô says that the carps are crying at the end of spring in “te Narrow Road to the North”. This is quite an other world, nowadays.
Here, the sixteenth century was Ronsard and the Rose. It was Montesquieu’s horse travels too, and especially abroad ; his lessons on how to be a good traveller and visiter abroad (particularly interesting when comparing to some narrow to-day’s points of view.
Well, if you have any questions on here, literature, poetry, please ask !
Best regards (and a nice dry autumn),
(“First snow on Mount Fuji”, that was a kigo on Gabi Greve’s pages!
It’ dry, here, but light is declining now.
long summer evenings
when crickets song ang bats fly
(the) butterfly’s last dance…
Claire
Last of all,
In celebration of the coming of the New Year 2011, we hold International Haiku New Year Festival 2011 .
This festival is aimed at welcoming the New Year 2011, reciting haiku.
Let’s share haiku! Let’s recite haiku!
・What is it?
It is an online festival designed to give our readers an opportunity to share the Japanese short forms of poetry with each other, and enjoy writing, reading, and reciting haiku.
・When is it?
We are happy to announce that the Festival with run from January 1st – 3rd 2011.
・Where is it?
On the website of Akita International Haiku Network
・How do I get involved?
Please give us a comment on this site, saying that I would like to send two haiku.
Please send the comment by December 23.
You will receive an e-mail from Hidenori Hiruta with his e-mail address.
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy our online festival on the Internet.
The next posting ‘Haiku by Tad Wojnicki (2)’ appears on Decembber 18.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Tanka by Wahyu W. Basjir in Indonesia (1)
2010/11/13
On September 15, Wahyu W. Basjir sent me an e-mail with his brief bio, a photo of his family, and haiku included.
On October 2, I posted his haiku with his brief bio and a photo of his family in the website.
On October 20, I received another mail, in which Wahyu contributed his tanka with a photo of his family to our website.
Dear Hiruta-san,
I’ve been writing english tanka for quite some time. Below, I am sending you some of them. I would be very glad if you could consider these tanka for your Akita Haiku Network.
Best wishes,
Wahyu
***
it takes long
to get acquainted
my reflection and me
in my late dad’s
old sarong
映像と我の知覚に時かかる亡き父の着しサロン着るなり
***
washing my feet
after this long walk
in shallow water
the memory of you
runs downstream
長歩き浅瀬の中で足洗う君の思い出下流に流る
***
a day you promised
to not leave me forever
feels like yesterday
in my cabinet, a box full
of our memorabilia
別れない約束の日は昨日かな我が戸棚には思い出の箱
***
reading your emails
my mind wanders
around milky way
for a place
where we didn’t meet
メール読みさまよい歩く我が心銀河のまわり会わなかった場
***
how can i not be blue
my mom called and cried
for missing me
and so did my son
for his missing toy
我不在母泣き叫ぶ我は憂えずおもちゃをなくす息子も同じ
***
from the battlefield
a relative has died
desert storm
twists the date-palm
unharvested
戦場で親類が死ぬ砂嵐ナツメヤシねじる収穫なし
***
the rain
penetrates my soul
drop by drop
your love fills up
the lake
その雨は我が心にぞしみ通るあなたの愛が湖満たす
***
longing for the light
matoa* leaves
harvest the dews
a poet
dreams in monochrome
*Pometia pinnata
光をと思い焦がれるマトアの葉露を取り込み詩人夢見る
***
morning walk
along the path
i wonder
where i might be
after light years
朝散歩小径に沿って我思う光年後にはどこにいるかと
***
where are you
i’m consumed
with solitude as i watch
the moon in still water
swimming naked
君はどこ孤独にやつれ我は見る水中泳ぐ裸の月を
***
on still water
a water spider moves
gently, the ripples fade
before reaching the shore
where we used to be
水静か水蜘蛛動き波消える岸に着く前昔の場所に
I sincerely hope that you will appreciate tanka by Wahyu W. Basjir.
The next posting ‘Haiku by William Sorlien in USA’ appears on November 20.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Tanka by Chen-ou Liu in Canada (1)
2010/10/30
On September I received an e-mail from Chen-ou Liu.
And I would like to submit the following poems for your consideration for publication on the Akita International HST Network. I shall be pleased if you translate some that appeal you much.
Warm Regards
Chen-ou Liu
Chen-ou Liu was born in Taiwan and emigrated to Canada in 2002. He lives in Ajax, a suburb of Toronto, where he has been struggling with a life in transition and translation.
(accessed at http://simplyhaiku.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/interview-with-chen/).
And read more of his poetry at his website,
Poetry in the Moment (http://chenouliu.blogspot.com/).
All the best,
Chen-ou Li
Next I present some of his tanka with my Japanese translations.
Tanka:
stand along the road
in a row
seeing me off
to another world
裸の木列なし道に沿い立って我の他界を見送るごとし
of a thousand poems
dangle on
the tip of a crescent moon
over my attic
一千の詩の糸下がる三日月の先見えるなり屋根裏の上
between
that first gulp of air
and last breath –
a transitional flow
of yin and yang
初息から最後の呼吸一生は陰と陽とが替わりて流る
a blue bird
darts into blossoms and out
unsettled
I wander and yearn
my hometown an ocean away
青い鳥花へ飛びこみ落ち着かず我さすらいて故郷慕う
standing alone
by the main entrance
of the airport
I ponder the verb wait
transitive or intransitive
空港の入り口に立ち沈思する動詞の待つは他または自かと
my world
is coiled on rolls of film
and projected nightly
on the screen of my mind –
when is the reel world not real?
我が世界心のフィルム写し撮り夜ごとに映り実在すなり
Baker’s Bliss
sets out its morning bread
on the racks
I am drunk
on the spring breeze
朝パンを棚に並べるパン屋さん我酔いどれて春風を受く
yesterday
will be the same
for tomorrow never changes –
the kite of my days
cut from the string of Life
昨日また明日も変わらず同じかな我が世の凧は糸切られけり
if I put
a gun in my mouth
and splatter
my brain on cherry blossoms…
a timeless jisei?
口に銃桜の上の頭散る永遠の自制や起こすまじなり
my days
aren’t graphed in ideograms
but lined up
like the English alphabet –
Chinese in the promised land
我が日々は表意文字では示されぬ英文字のごと中国語なら
gazing
in the mirror
a stranger
stares back at me
a man with no eyes
鏡見る見知らぬ人が見返して我を見つめる目のない男
living alone
in a world of one color
loneliness
devours each hour
then neglects the rest
一色の世界にひとり住んでいる孤独時飲み他を無視すなり
I close
the valves of my heart
to the world of red dust
solitude and I
are now of the same race
塵の世に心臓弁を我閉じる孤独と我は今同種なり
The next posting ‘Haiku by Kaa. Na. Kalyanasundaram in India (1) ’ appears on November 6.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Tanka by Kala Ramesh in India
2010/08/07
On May 20, 2010, Kala Ramesh sent me an e-mail as follows:
Dear Hidenori Hiruta san,
Sending my work for your site.
Please take time over your translation, because I’ve sent tanka and Haibun too, which might need more time for proper translation, I feel, since they are longer.
I’m given you many poems, please choose whatever you like from each genre.
Thanking you,
warmly,
_kala
According to her self-introduction, Kala Ramesh has long had a fascination for Indian classical music and is an exponent of both Carnatic and Hindustani Classical Music styles. She was fortunate to undergo vigorous training from leading musicians. She has worked extensively on Pandit Kumar Gandharva’s compositions and Nirguni bhajans along with the paramparic bandishes of the Gwalior Gharana, under the guidance of Vidushi Smt Shubhada Chirmulay, Pune.
Kala has made a concerted effort to understand the ‘spirit’ behind Kumarji’s gayaki – incorporating the vigour and the vitality, which is so inherent in his style of singing and she has performed in major cities in India.
Coming from an extremely artistic and culturally rich South Indian Tamil family, Kala believes, as her father is fond of saying, “the soil needs to be fertile for the plant to loom”. She also feels she owes this poetic streak in her to her mother. Kala is keen to see children in India take to haiku and its genres.
Kala is the deputy editor-in-chief of The World Haiku Review; is a member of the editorial team of Modern English Tanka Press’s new anthology, Take Five: The Best Contemporary Tanka 2008/2009/2010, is on the panel of the literary e-journal Muse India, for the areas of haiku and short verse [http://www.museindia.com/feature17.asp]; and was the in-house editor for Katha, New Delhi for the book Seeking the Beloved: The Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif (2005). Since April 2009, she has acted as Katha’s Poetry Editor and, in this capacity, edited an e-book of haiku, senryu, haibun, tanka, and haiga encompassing the work of 35 Indian haiku poets–the first such book to come from an Indian publishing house!
Currently, she is also the lead poet (sabaki) of a Kasen renku with six other international renkujin: experimenting, discovering, and incorporating the traditional renku with the Rasa Theory of India (which consists of nine rasas or emotions, namely erotic, comic, sorrow, anger, valour, fear, disgust, wonder and tranquillity, traditionally known as the nava rasas). Kala heads the World Haiku Club in India. As director, she organised the World Haiku Club Meeting at Pune in December 2006. The four-day 9th World Haiku Festival she organized at Bangalore in February 2008 was sponsored jointly by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji and Sri Ratan Tata Trust
Here I present some tanka by Kala Ramesh with my Japanese interpretations.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading her tanka and appreciate them.
Tanka
Love
is an oasis
you say…
or does our thirst
play tricks on us?
愛
オアシスであると
あなたは言う．．．
あるいは、私たちの渇きが
私たちにいたずらしているのだろうか？
surfing through
channels of thought
I tune into
the lingering memory
of mother’s favourite saris
思いを巡らしながら
様々な思考回路を通って
私は同調する
なかなか消えない思い出の中に
母さんの大好きなサリーの思い出に
she lights
the bronze lamp
each morning
a new day for mother to love
her Goddess, all over again
彼女は火を灯す
青銅のランプに
毎朝
新しい日が始まる
母が愛する女神のための日、もう一度最初から
a hundred lies
just to cover
the first
his conscience
allowed him to say
百ものうそ
まさに最初のうそを隠すために
彼の良心が
彼に言わせたのだ
my family wept
over our dog’s death
I weep
for those days I grudged him
his early morning walk
私の家族は泣いた
私たちの犬の死に
私は泣く
あの日々のために
私が早朝の散歩にしぶしぶ連れて行った日々のために
draped in fragrance
the jasmine withers . . .
my breath
through the flute, cherishes
each note as it fades
芳香の中に優美に垂れ
ジャスミンは色あせる．．．
私の息は
フルートを通して、心に抱く
萎んでゆく時の調べのそれぞれを
autumn fields
a fork in the road
widening
our shadows
even farther
秋の畑
路上のくま手
広げていく
私たちの影を
さらに遠くへ
worn out sandals
the cobbler finds them
difficult to mend
and I find them hard
to discard
すり切れたサンダル
靴直しが修理は難しいと見る
だけど私は手放し難いと思う
rain in the city
unrelenting
through the long night
my life hangs
on your laboured breath
都会の雨
容赦なく
長い夜を通して降り続ける
私の命はすがりついている
あなたの骨折って働いている息に
laughing
over old stories . . .
suddenly
I feel that mother
is young again
笑っている
古い話に．．．
突然
私は感じる
母がまた若くなっていることを
for eons, waves
have danced the pebbles
to perfection . . . still
it’s the sand between my fingers
that leaves me spellbound
イーオンのために、波が
小石を飛びはねさせてきた
完成へと．．．さらに
私の指の間の砂である
私をうっとりさせるのは
it is possible
I tell myself
to feel
the depth of the sky
from within me . . .
可能です
自分に言うのは
感じるように
天の深さを
私の心の内から．．．
CREDITS:
love (Nov 2009 Simply Haiku)
surfing through(Nov 2009 Simply Haiku)
she lights (Nov 2009 Simply Haiku)
a hundred lies (Fall issue of Ribbons, 2009)
my family wept (Nov 2009 Simply Haiku)
draped in fragrance (Eucalypt May 07)
autumn fields (Magnapoets July 09)
worn out sandals (Loch Raven Review Fall 05)
rain in the city (Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in MET. summer 09)
laughing (Notes From the Gean – Sep 09)
for eons, waves(Simply Haiku – Spring 07)
it is possible (Tanka Online Jan 2010)
The next posting ‘Haiku by Michael Dylan Welch (2)’ appears on August 14
.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku by Hidenori Hiruta in Japan (2)
2010/07/17
First of all, I present you the following haiku I wrote when I visited 角館（かくのだて）(Kakunodate), Akita.
Hyakusui’s monument
stands in beauty
cherry blossoms
さくらばな百穂の碑を飾りけり
Sakurabana Hyakusui no hi o kazari keri
This is a monument inscribed with two tanka poems written by平福百穂（ひらふく ひゃくすい）(Hirafuku Hyakusui)(1877 – 1933), who was a Japanese-style painter as well as a tanka poet. He was born and brought up in 角館 (Kakunodate) , which is famous for the birthplace of 小田野直武 （おだの なおたけ）(Odano Naotake)(1750 – 1780), one of the greatest painters of Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) , also known as the Akita-ha (秋田派).
平福百穂 (Hirafuku Hyakusui) was greatly influenced by Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) and earnestly tried to introduce and spread its style, in which the Akita painters for the most part painted traditional Japanese themes and compositions using Western-style techniques and an approximation of oil paints.
The monument for Hyakusui’s tanka poems was erected in 角館 (Kakunodate) on September 9, 1944, with the two following tanka poems inscribed with.
うつろへる川の流れを見るにさへ
年ふりにけり国を出しより
Seeing the current of the river moved in different sites,
I realize what many years have passed since I left hometown.
ひと時に芽吹き立ち匂ふみちのくの
明るき春にあひにけるかも
How lucky I have felt to be in such a bright spring of the Tohoku district,
where trees have just begun to bud all at once, giving nice smells!
Secondly, I present some of my haiku I wrote when I visited 男鹿半島(Ogahantou), or
the Oga Peninsula in English.
Driving straight
down the coastline
sweetbriers
ドライブの海岸線の野バラかな
Sailing boat
through the islands
off bonds
島巡り絆を後に走りけり
Summer colours
call ogres
the Oga Peninsula
夏の色ナマハゲを呼ぶ男鹿半島
Diving
into cobalt blue water
the Oga Isles
男鹿島や群青の海に飛び込めり
Thirdly, I present some haiku about summer.
Humid night
staring the cool
summer moon
夏の月湿った夜の涼味かな
Summer’s dream
someone sits in shade
Buddha’s posture
夏の夢仏陀が影に座りけり
Buddha’s rise
from the pond
lotus flower
池中より出づる仏陀や蓮の花
Falling winds
Hiroshima no more
prayers ring
風よわりヒロシマの祈り聞こえけり
Lastly, I present the latest haiku from my own blog: http://akitahaiku.blogspot.com/.
Permanent snow
cools the air
summer solstice
夏至の空万年雪の涼気かな
The shade
bathes in the water
summer isle
夏の島影水中に浴しけり
The next posting ‘Haiku by Brian McSherry in Japan (2) appears on July 24.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku by Richard Stevenson in Canada
2010/06/26
On June 1, 2010, we received an e-mail from Richard Stevenson in Canada, whose subject is Haikai Submission to Akita International Haiku Network site.
He says in his e-mail:
Greetings from Southern Alberta!
Thought I’d send along a few things. ( A bio note is included at the end):
Bio Note
Richard Stevenson lives in southern Alberta, Canada, and teaches English and Creative Writing at Lethbridge College. The most recent of his 24 published books are Wiser Pills (Frontenac House, 2008), Tidings of Magpies (Spotted Cow Press, 2008), and The Emerald Hour (Ekstasis Editions, 2008) and a first collection of tanka and kyoka, Windfall Apples (Athabasca University Press, 2010).
I have been interested in The Emerald Hour among his published books.
Part of Its introduction is as follows:
In The Emerald Hour, poet Richard Stevenson returns to the Japanese forms of haiku and tanka, seemingly the simplest yet most precise of poetic forms. This is his third book of Japanese forms published by Ekstasis Editions. In the first of the series, Hot Flashes, explored Stevenson’s experience of living and teaching in Africa, using haiku to capture the essence of that colourful world. In A Charm of Finches the poet returned home to Alberta, a land more familiar but no less exotic when viewed through the lens of haiku. Now in The Emerald Hour Richard Stevenson focuses clearly on nature, the traditional subject of Japanese forms. From settings such as idyllic Henderson Lake, shown in evocative photographs by Ellen McArthur, to interior British Columbia and hometown of Lethbridge, Stevenson, offers monuments to moments, even Basho would enjoy.
young robin chortles –
the kitten’s gray flanks ripple
in waves in response
幼いコマドリがクスクス笑う ―
子ネコの灰色のわき腹がぴくぴく動く
応えて波立てて
dog days of summer –
do I water the plants
or write a haiku?
夏の土用 ―
植物に水をかけようか
または、俳句を詠もうか？
harvest moon –
my wife’s keister competes
between the sheets
中秋の名月 ―
私の妻のお尻が張り合っている
二つのシートの間で
Got a metal Christ
on a sculpted cross
in the new restaurant.
Gotta fire pole
centre stage!
金属製のキリストを得た
彫刻された十字架に
新しいレストランで。
火柱を持っていた
中央の舞台！
roadie puts a
tambourine on the
skeletal sculpture
of Christ on a cross
in a fire hall restaurant!
ローディーが置く
タンバリンを
骸骨の彫像の上に
十字架のキリストの彫像
消防署のレストランで！
most blossoms bolted –
the day lilies’ megaphones
announce themselves
たいていの花が早咲きの花を咲かせた ―
キスゲのメガホンが
表明している
apples red-cheeked –
a cabbage white rummages
among the leaves
赤色のほおをしたリンゴ ―
白いキャベツがくまなく捜している
葉の間を
firepole centre stage –
what was once a fire hall
is now a restaurant!
火柱の中央の舞台 ―
かって消防署であったところ
今はレストラン
On June 22, I received another e-mail from Richard Stevenson as follows:
Dear Hidenori,
It would be an honour to appear on your web site in Japanese translation. Thank you so much! Of course I’m happy with your suggestions. Indeed, if you’re interested, I might even be able to get my photographer friend, who did the beautiful black and white photos for The Emerald Hour, to send along some photos of our lovely Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens — a gift of the Japanese to the citizens of my fair city of Lethbridge ( See http://www.nikkayuko.com/ ).
You might want to go online and have a look at the place. It’s one of the most beautiful sites in the city, a place I like to go often in the summer months when I’m not teaching. I’ll be launching my new book, a collection of Tanka and Kyoka, Autumn Windfalls (Athabasca University Press, 2010) there in a few weeks. 
Thanks for all your support.
Richard
Here I would like to refer to the Nika Yuko Japanese Garden a little and present some photos of the garden to you.
The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden offers you an unforgettable experience, combining the beauty of nature in a serene setting. From the first spring blossom to the final autumn leaf, the Garden is an oasis of tranquility. Step through the entrance gate, leave the bustle of everyday city life behind, and refresh your senses. A host or hostess in traditional Japanese clothing will greet you and highlight the Garden’s many features, or give you a guided tour.
Established during Canada’s Centennial in 1967, Nikka Yuko was built to recognize contributions made by citizens of Japanese ancestry to the multi-cultural community of Lethbridge, Alberta, and as a symbol of international friendship. Its name was created from the Japanese words Ni (from Nihon meaning Japan), ka from Kanada or Canada, and Yuko, which translates as “friendship” to mean “Japan-Canada friendship”.
Last of all, I show you some Japanese translations of parts of the introduction of The Emerald Hour.
『エメラルドの時間』 の紹介の一部の和訳は次の通りです。
『The Emerald Hour（エメラルドの時間）』 の中で, 詩人リチャード・スティブンソンは俳句と短歌の日本の詩型に帰っている、見た目では、詩型の中で最も単純ではあるが、最も明確なものである。 これは、エクシスタス版で出版された日本の詩型の第３番目の本である。そのシリーズの最初では『Hot Flashes,（暑いきらめき』は、アフリカでスティブンソンが生活し、教えた体験をくまなく調べ、その色彩に富んだ世界の本質をとらえるために俳句を使用した。 『A Charm of Finches （フィンチの魅力）』では、詩人は故郷のアルバータに戻ってきたが、俳句のレンズを通して眺めるともっと親しみを持てて以前に劣らず魅惑的な所となっている。この度、『The Emerald Hour（エメラルドの時間）』 の中でリチャード・スティブンソンは明らかなことに日本の詩型の伝統的な主題である自然に焦点を当てている。エレン・マッカーサーによる自然の牧歌性を呼び起こさせられるような写真に示されているが、田園詩的なヘンダーソン湖のような背景から、ブリティッシュ・コロンビアの内地や故郷であるレスブリッジにいたるまで、芭蕉でさえ楽しむだろうと思われるように、素晴らしい様々な感動の瞬間に記念碑をささげている。
日加友好庭園（The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden）について
― その一部の和訳 ―
日加友好庭園（The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden）はあなたがたに忘れがたい経験を提供し、落ち着いた背景の中で自然の美を組み合わせています。 最初の春の花に始まり、最終の秋の紅葉にいたるまで、庭園は静寂のオアシスである。
入口の門から歩み始め、日常の都市生活の喧噪を後に残し、あなたの感覚をさわやかに一新させてください。伝統的な日本の着物姿の男性、あるいは女性の案内係があなた方にご挨拶し、庭園の多くの呼び物に脚光を当てながら説明し、また、ガイド付きのツアーも行っています。
１９６７年カナダの百周年祭の期間に日加友好が確立され、庭園は日本人を先祖とする市民たちによるアルバータのレスブリッジの多文化共同体社会への貢献を認識するために、そして国際友好の象徴として造園されました。 庭園の名前は（Japan を意味する日本から取った）日本語の‘日（Ni）’とKanada or Canada から取った加 (ka) を合わせて命名されました、そして Yukoは日本とカナダの友好という意味の”friendship”(友好)として翻訳されます。
I sincerely hope that you will visit the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, and that you will write haiku or tanka there.
I also hope that you will enjoy reading the works of poetry by Richard Stevenson.
The next posting ‘Haiku by Vishnu P Kapoor in India’ appears on July 3.
― Hidenori Hiruta
