Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (3)

 

On August 1, 1689, Basho visited Kisakata （象潟）, Akita Prefecture　（秋田県）,  Northern Honshu, on his journey.

Basho wrote about Kisakata in his travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』 as follows:

 

江山水陸の風光数を尽くして、今象潟に方寸を責。酒田の湊より東北の方、山を越、磯を伝ひ、いさごをふみて其際十里、日影やゝかたぶく比、汐風真砂を吹上、雨朦朧として鳥海の山かくる。闇中に莫作して「雨も又奇也」　とせば、雨後の晴色又頼母敷と、あまの苫屋に膝をいれて、雨の晴を待。其朝天能霽れて、朝日花やかにさし出る程に、象潟に舟をうかぶ。

先能因島に舟をよせて、三年幽居の跡をとぶらひ、むかふの岸に舟をあがれば、「花の上こぐ」とよまれし桜の老木、西行法師の記念をのこす。

 

Here is a painting of Kisakata in those days.

 

 

 

Photo courtesy; as per original copyright at:

http://www.touhoku.com/0a-03-kisakata.htm

 

Donald Keene translated this section into English as follows:

 

  After having seen so many splendid views of both land and sea, I could think of nothing now but Kisakata. We journeyed to the northeast from the port of Sakata, climbing over hills, following along the shore, plodding through the sand, a distance of about twenty miles in all. As the sun was sinking in the sky a breeze from the sea stirred up the sand, and a misty rain started to fall, obscuring Chokai Mountain. We groped ahead in the darkness. I felt sure that if Kisakata was exquisite in the rain, it would prove no less wonderful when it cleared. We squeezed into a fisherman’s thatch-covered hut and waited for the rain to stop.

  The next morning the weather cleared beautifully. When the morning sun rose in all its splendor, we took a boat out on the lagoon of Kisakata. We put in first at Noin Island, where we visited the remains of the hut in which Noin lived in seclusion for three years. On the opposite shore, when we landed from our boat, we saw the old cherry tree that stands as a memento of Saigyo.

 

In fact, there were 99 small islands and 88 lagoons in Kisakata in those days and the people enjoyed beautiful sceneries or fishing by boat around the islands.

 

However, on July 10, 1804, a big earthquake occurred in Kisakata about 105 years after Basho’s visit there. The earthquake caused upheaval of ground by 2.4 meters. As a result, the lagoons were changed into dry land.

Now most of those lagoons have turned into rice fields or residential areas, but there are the remains of those days left there.

You can see such remains as the Noin Island, the boat-tying stone, or small islands in the article Basho’s Stay in Kisakata (1) at the site : http://akitahaiku.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/

 

Here is a photo of present-day Kisakata, 200 years after the earthquake, which was exhibited at Kisakata Local Museum in Nikaho-city, in June , 2004.（にかほ市象潟郷土資料館企画展２００４年６月）.

 

 

 

As posted already above, Donald Keene, the ex- member of the President’s Advisory Board at Akita International University(AIU)（国際教養大学）, kindly contributed part of his English translation for Matsuo Basho’s travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』 to our network.

This is because AIU President Mineo Nakajima (中嶋嶺雄) asked Donald Keene for his permission for us to use part of his translation.  

 

Kirby Record, a professor at AIU, teaching as director of English for Academic Purposes, also contributed his haiku to us. 

Haiku by K. Record

On the Earthquake

 

Villages of rubble　　　　　　　　瓦礫の村々

Everything washed away　　　　何もかも流される　

But the still-blue sky　　　　   　しかし静かで青い空

 

 

Clutched in the hand　　　　　手でしっかりとつかんでいる

Of a child, floating face down—

　　　　　　　　　　　　　子供の手に、顔を下にして浮かんでいる―

Her favorite doll　　　　　　　　彼女の大好きな人形

Yukari Sakamoto　（阪本縁）, a graduate from AIU, wrote haiku on the earthquake.

なごり雪大地が動き沈黙す

Unseasonable snow 
In silence
While the earth quakes
 

水仙が顔を差し出すがれきの山

Blooming daffodils

Alongside
A heap of debris
 

 

Susan Smela, who studied at AIU in 2010, is now a student at Beloit College in Wisconsin, USA.

On March 25, 2011, Susan sent me an e-mail , saying that they all heard about the huge earthquake in America, and many of them are raising money to help Japan.

Susan also said that she introduced haiga in America, and that she was able to hold a haiga meeting with students from her university (Beloit College in Wisconsin) and teach some basics of haiga and haiku.

It was a great time and the copies she made from my book really helped illustrate what she was talking about. They did some practices, then went in a circle, with 3 people writing one line of a haiku and the 4th person drawing a haiga-style picture.

Here are some photos Susan’s friend took from the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yasushi Sato （佐藤康）, a member of Akita International Haiku Network, contributed his haiku to us.

 

大地震に無慈悲の限り春の雪

spring snow
mercilessly falling on
earthquake-devastated towns

 

大津波言葉空しく春寒し

so devastating tsunami
any words powerless
spring　relentlessly cold

 

 

Junko Masuda （桝田純子）, a member of Akita International Haiku Network, contributed her haiku to us too.

 

復興の未来信じて花ひらく

 

sakura  sakura  bloom

believing in the future

Tohoku region

 

 

Last of all, let me post my haiku.

 

舟止めは夢のまた夢ねぶの花

 

tying a boat

i cannot even dream

mimosa blossoms

 

The next posting ‘Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (4)’ appears on May 21.

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku by Students at AIU ( Part 4 )

CRESI (Center for Regional Sustainability Initiatives) at AIU (Akita International University)（国際教養大学）held AIU HAIKU CONTEST and gave workshops on haiku in English as well as in Japanese in 2009.

Professor Kirby Record at AIU gave workshops on haiku in English, where participants including students and citizens studied about how to write haiku in English and translated Japanese haiku sent to the contest into Japanese with him.

He also played a role as the selector for English haiku at the contest.

 

 I post some haiku written by AIU students, who won prizes at AIU Haiku Contest.

The first haiku was written by Ms. Mei Hashimoto（橋本芽衣）, a graduate student at AIU. She won Honorable Mention, English Section and translated it into Japanese.

In the grey eyes

Full of memories

On a small chair

 

イスにかけ瞳に浮かぶ思い出が

 

Isu ni kake  hitomi ni ukabu  omoide ga

The selector, Professor Kirby Record, gave the following comment to this haiku:

This haiku for the most part conveys its feeling through an objectively stated imagery and allows the reader to participate in the experience by constructing the scene in his own way. That is one of the essential qualities of a real haiku.  Though an element of the poet’s interpretation is evident in the “full of memories,” it is balanced by the final line of “on a small chair.”  It reminds me a little of the sentiment in Yeats’ little poem that begins “when I am old and grey and full of sleep/ and nodding by the fire, take down this book.”  One might question its ungrammatical and semantic deviance, but to me this is the part of charm and effectiveness of the feeling.  We need to conjure in our imaginations a person who has the grey eyes, the memories and sits on the small chair.  Could this be a grandmother, perhaps, whom the speaker evokes?  We don’t know but we can always imagine, and that is the power and delight of haiku.

Ms. Mei Hashimoto won Notable Mention, Japanese Section for University Students too.

帰り道たれる稲穂の赤黄金 

 

Kaerimichi  tareru inaho no  aka kogane

 

Back to home 

Rice ears heading down

Reddish Gold Sky

 

Next, I post haiku by Ms. Yukari Sakamoto（阪本縁）, a graduate student at AIU.

She received three awards, First Prize, Honorable Mention and Notable Mention, Japanese Haiku for University Students.

Haiku of First Prize is this:

ラベンダー蜂と私の異空間

 

Rabendah  hachi to watashi no  ikuukan

 

the bee and I

in the world of lavender

each in our own space      

                                                  Kirby Record

 

 

Haiku of Honorable Mention is this:

 

新緑の中を駆け抜け登校す

 

Shinryoku no  naka o kakenuke  toukou su

 

I’m riding

through such fresh spring green

to school

Kirby Record

 

 

Haiku of Notable Mention is this:

朝露にじゃがいもの花煌めいて

 

Asatsuyu ni  jagaimo no hana  kiramei te

 

Potatoes:

Of those flowers

Glistening with morning dew

 

I, Hidenori Hiruta（蛭田秀法）, attended the workshops and sent haiku to the contest.

My haiku won Notable Mention.

Rogetsu’s hometown

sending haiku all over

autumn festival

 

秋祭り露月のホーム句を送る

 

Akimatsuri  Rogetsu no houmu  ku o okuru

 

 

Professor Kirby Record gave his comment to this haiku as follows:

I chose this haiku/senryu because it links the world of Rogetsu’s haiku to autumn festivals, including AIU’s.  Ishii Rogetsu（石井露月） was one of the respected haiku poets after the death of Masaoka Shiki（正岡子規）, and was born in the Yuwa（雄和） area, Akita, and to whom this haiku contest is dedicated.  The haiku among those referred to in this haiku include those being recognized today at the AIU festival.  So even now the spirit of Rogetsu’s haiku is present and living among us.

The next posting ‘Haiku at International Haiku Spring Festival 2010 ( Akita, Northern Honshu, Japan ) ( PART 1)’ , appears on May 12, which continues till May 23 every day.

― Hidenori Hiruta

 

 

Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 3)

Professor Alexander Dolin teaches Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies at Akita International University(AIU). He also writes haiku.

 

Professor Alexander Dolin taught haiku to the students in his class of Japanese Literature and contributed their haiku to our website.

 

 

Ms. Yukari Sakamoto（阪本縁） kindly translated English haiku by Nick Corvinus into Japanese.

She is a graduate student at AIU and sometimes writes haiku in her academic career.

Firstly, we post English haiku by Nick Corvinus and their Japanese translation by Ms. Yukari Sakamoto.

 

Haiku by Nick Corvinus (USA)

Nick Corvinus, a student at Colorado University at Boulder, wrote haiku on November 24, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

Autumn Haiku　　秋に寄せて

                                           Aki ni yosete

Four hours I walk,

The leaves crunch and split apart

Someone is coming.

 

散歩道落ち葉踏みしめ人が行き交う

Sanpo michi  ochiba fumishime  hito ga yukikau 

 

 

As the fire rises

You sit and smoke, while your breath

Goes on forever.

 

落ち葉焚き座って一服煙棚引く

Ochiba taki  suwatte ippuku  kemuri tanabiku

 

 

Where has the sun gone?

It used to follow me home

I’ll drink with the moon.

 

陽(ひ)が隠れ今夜は一人月見酒

Hi ga kakure  konya wa hitori  tsukimizake

 

In my quilted coat

There is an old camera

But no color film!

 

外套と古いカメラとモノクロフィルム

Gaitou to  furui kamera to  monokurofirumu

 

The days are shorter

And while you dress, I see that

You take much longer.

 

一日短かし君の装いひとひの如し

Ichinichi mijikashi  kimi no yosooi  hitohi no gotoshi

 

 

Haiku by Ye Ran Lee (ROK)

Ye Ran Lee, a student at Sogang University, wrote haiku on November 24, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

1.

The thing falling down

Is the sound of rain drops

The red autumnal leaves

 

散り行くは雨の降る音赤紅葉

Chirikuku wa  ameno furu oto  aka momiji

 

 

The thing which is dyeing

Fallen water of rain

Turning into the red

 

染まるのは落ちた雨水赤色に

Somaru no wa  ochita amamizu  akairo ni

 

 

2.

A golden plain

Of the sunset moment

Shines

 

夕暮れの黄金の原輝きに

Yugure no  kogane no hara  kagayaki ni

 

 

 

Now setting,

From the Setting sun

The given thing

 

沈み行く太陽からの贈り物

Shizumi yuku  taiyou kara no  okurimono

 

 

Or it is

The thing which abundant prosperity

Yields by itself

 

さもないと満ちた豊穣産みし物

Samonaito  michita houjou   umishi mono

 

 

3.

The chilly wind

Causes loneliness, though,

The color itself is warm

 

冷えた風寂しくも色温かな

Hieta kaze  sabishikumo  iro atatakana

 

Haiku by Ayuko Nagata (JAPAN)

Ayuko Nagata, a student at AIU, wrote haiku on November 25, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at Professor Dolin Alexander’s class.

身にしみる風が伝える過ぎし秋

mini shimiru   kaze ga tsutaeru   sugishi aki

 

being pierced by the icy wind

the wind tells us

autumn is gone

 

初雪が教えてくれる冬来ると

hatsu yuki ga  oshiete kureru  fuyu kuru to

 

 it is the first snow

that tells us about the fact

winter is coming soon

 

 

秋風と雨雪耐える揺れる柿

aki kaze to  ame yuki taeru  yureru kaki

 

 tolerating the autumn wind

tolerating rain and snow

persimmon is waving

 

The next posting of ‘Haiku by Professor Kirby Record (Part 3) ’  appears on February 20.

 

 

―　Hidenori Hiruta

 

Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 2)

Professor Alexander Dolin teaches Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies at Akita International University(AIU). He also writes haiku.

 

Professor Alexander Dolin taught haiku to the students in his class of Japanese Literature and contributed their haiku to our website.

 

 

Ms. Yukari Sakamoto（阪本縁） kindly translated English haiku by Sidney Schaben into Japanese.

First of all, let me introduce Ms. Yukari Sakamoto and her haiku to you.

She is a graduate student at AIU and sometimes writes haiku in her academic career.

She won Honorable Mention at AIU HAIKU contest, Japanese Section for Students, by CRESI’s “Kokyo Yuwa” （「交響雄和」実行委員会）on October 11, 2009.

新緑の中を駆け抜け登校す 

Shinryoku no   naka o kakenuke  tookou su

 

I’m riding

through such fresh spring green

to school

 

Secondly, we post English haiku by Sidney Schaben and their Japanese translation by Ms. Yukari Sakamoto.

Haiku by Sidney Schaben (USA)

Sidney Schaben, a student at St. Cloud State University, wrote haiku on November 30, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

When summer passes

The din of the cicada

No longer is heard

 

  夏過ぎて   蝉の鳴き声   遠のいて 

Natsu sugite    semi no nakigoe    toonoite

 

When the grass turns brown

And the ground begins to freeze

The world sleeps soundly

 

草枯れる  大地が凍る    冬籠る

   Kusa kareru   daichi ga kooru   fuyu komoru

 

Soon the trees will shed

And the absence of their leaves

Creates new music

 

木の葉落ち   裸の冬木     新たな息吹

Konoha ochi    hadaka no fuyugi  aratana ibuki

 

The flood waters come

And by the end of each day

The world is cleansed

 

秋出水     その日が終わり  世事浄化せり

Aki demizu      sono hi ga owari      seji jouka seri

 

When the sun and moon

Live together in the sky

The air grows colder

 

太陽と月   ともに浮かべば   冬近し

  Taiyou to tsuki    tomo ni ukabe ba     fuyu chikashi 

 

As the leaf falls down

It traces a mournful path

Soon it will be dead

 

舞い降りる  落ち葉行く路  地に帰る

 Mai oriru       ochiba yuku michi   chi ni kaeru

 

　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Haiku by Kim Pool lib (ROK)

Kim Pool lib, a student at Sogang University, wrote haiku on November 30, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

秋が来た   何をするかな   雲の横

        Akia ga kita    nani o suru kana   kumo no yoko

 

Autumn has come

What am I going to do?

Beside the clouds

 

 

果てしない   自然の変化  今度は秋

  Hateshinai       sizen no henka   kondo wa aki

 

Endless

Change of season

This time is autumn

 

赤い山   一人で感じる  雲と鳥

    Akai yama   hitori de kanjiru   kumo to tori

 

Seasoning mountain

Feeling it by myself

Clouds and bird

 

 

Haiku by Eunji Sohn (ROK)

Eunji Sohn, a student at Seoul National University, wrote haiku on November 30, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

赤い葉や　あなたを見たら　恥ずかしい

Akai ha ya   anata o  mitara      hazukashii

 

Oh, red leaves

I feel shy

when I see you

 

秋空は    どんな匂いが するのかな

Akizora wa      donna nioi ga    suru no kana

 

 What does autumn sky smell like?

 

秋溝は    落葉たちの  お風呂かな

Shukou wa  ochiba tachi no  o furo kana

 

 Is autumn ditch

the bath of fallen leaves，

maybe?

 

 

The next posting of ‘Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 3) ’  appears on February 13.

 

 

―　Hidenori Hiruta

 

Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 1)

Professor Alexander Dolin teaches Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies at Akita International University(AIU)（国際教養大学）（秋田）. He also writes haiku.

 

Professor Alexander Dolin taught haiku to the students in his class of Japanese Literature and contributed their haiku to our website.

 

Ms. Yukari Sakamoto（阪本縁） kindly translated English haiku by Rebecca Cox into Japanese.

First of all, let me introduce Ms. Yukari Sakamoto and her haiku to you.

She is a graduate student at AIU and sometimes writes haiku in her academic career.

She won first prize at AIU HAIKU contest, Japanese Section for Students, by CRESI’s “Kokyo Yuwa” （「交響雄和」実行委員会）on October 11, 2009.

ラベンダー蜂と私の異空間 

Ravendaa  hachi to watashi no  ikuukan

 

the bee and I

in the world of lavender― 

each in our own space

 

Secondly, we post English haiku by Rebecca Cox and their Japanese translation by Ms. Yukari Sakamoto.

Haiku by Rebecca Cox (USA)

Rebecca Cox, a student at the University of New Mexico, wrote haiku on November 19, 2009, while studying about Japanese Literature at AIU.

Autumn Haiku             　　　　　    秋に寄せて

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Aki ni yose te

 

 

The Many Motions of Fall　　　　　　　　　　　　秋の多彩な動き

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Aki no tasai na ugoki

 

 

The rain trickles

The red leaves tumble down

Fall has many acts!

　　　　　　　　　　　　

雨しずく  紅葉舞い散る  舞台が回る

Ame shizuku  momiji mai chiru  butai ga mawaru

 

（阪本のコメント：秋の多彩な動きや表情について。秋を舞台となぞらえて、幕＝場面の動きを表現しました。）

View from a Window　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　窓からの眺め

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mado kara no nagame

 

 

The dark green trees

Red, yellow and orange leaves

against a sad sky.

 

針葉樹    紅葉の彩り    空哀し

Shinyouju  momiji no irodori  sora kanashi

 

 

（窓をフレーム、情景を絵として表現しました。針葉樹と紅葉の対照。）

Thoughts　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　物思い

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mono omoi

The leaves die and fall

Autumn’s strange beauty wakes

I think of my home.

 

枯れ葉落ち  　自然の移ろい   故国想う

            Kareha ochi        shizen no utsuroi    furusato omou

 

（秋の季節、気付かなかった自然の趣を呼び起こしてくれる感動を詠んでいると思います。日本語訳は、それを「自然の移ろい」と訳しました。また留学生なので故国を「ふるさと」と読ませました。）

 

Haiku by Yui Suzuki  (Japan)

She wrote haiku at AIU on November 25, 2009.

懐かしき本よりひらり紅葉かな

Natsukashiki  hon yori hirari  momiji kana

 

When I opened my good old book,

one red maple leaf

beautifully fell from it.

 

 

稲を割き秋雨は行くまだ遠く

Ine o saki  akisame wa yuku  mada tooku

 

Going through rice fields,

autumn rain continues

further and further…

 

リリヤンを繰る手赤らむ秋の夜

Lily-yarn o  kuru t e akaramu  aki no yoru

 

While I am playing with lily-yarn,

my hands turn red

because of the autumn cold night.

 

*Lily-yarn（リリヤン）is Japanese-English.  This is the name of toy in old days, which can knit lace by using colorful yarn.

Haiku by Nanase Inoue (Japan)

She wrote haiku at AIU in fall, 2009.

秋雨のしずくとともに木の葉散る

Akisame no  shizuku to tomo ni  konoha chiru

 

Leaves fall

from the trees

with drops of the autumn rain

 

I think that autumn leaves falling with rain is very beautiful and a little bit sad.  I think it represents the ending of autumn.

秋の夜涼しい風と虫の声

Akino yoru  suzushii kaze to  mushi no koe

 

I felt cool breeze

and heard songs of bugs

at autumn night

 

In Japan songs of bugs represent autumn, so I always feel the changes of season summer to autumn with songs of bugs.

甘栗をむきつつ過ごす秋の午後

Amaguri o  muki tsutsu sugosu  aki no gogo

 

All autumn afternoon

I spent eating

sweet chestnuts

 

In autumn sweet chestnuts are sold everywhere, so it is a pleasant time for me to spend  doing nothing but to eat sweet chestnuts.

The next posting of ‘Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 2) ‘  appears on February 6.

 

 ―　Hidenori Hiruta