Ⅰ 大陸荒涼
Bleak Continent
| 出発 | Departure |
|---|---|
| 送る歌産院の高き窓よりも | A song to see me off from the high windows of the maternity hospital |
| どしやぶりの祖国の雨に濡れてゆく | Walking in the motherland, getting wet in a downpour |
| なつかしき雨の市電を停めてゆく | Oh! My dear! A trolley stopping and going in the rain |
| 今日よりは遺族となれる者よ濡れ | Today Those who may be the survivors! They are wet with the rain |
| 父の顔歓送群の中に濡れ | I can see my father’s face getting wet in the rain amongst all the people saying goodbye |
| 爪を切る玄海は真夜の月と風 | Cutting my nails, the moon and the wind over the Sea of Xuan Hai in the midnight |
| いのちゆれ兵団ゆれる玄きうねり | Swaying the souls and bodies of soldiers on the ship the black heaving seas |
| 古はがき読みをれば揚子江の雷 | Reading an old postcard, the lightning over the Changjiang River |
| 河港都市暮靄の烏天に浮き | Port Town in the early evening crows floating in the haze of the heavens |
| 上陸 | Landing |
|---|---|
| 背嚢おもくひとりづつおりる | Landed from the ship one by one with a heavy knapsack on the back |
| 弾痕街熱風に兵を叱る声 | Hearing the voice scolding the soldiers in a hot wind in the town with bullet marks |
| 大陸の蝙蝠よ青き兵隊に | The bats of Asia blue for the soldiers |
| 夜盲兵鼻梁を月に向け眠る | In the darkness the soldiers sleep with bridges of their noses facing the moon |
| 大陸荒涼 Ⅰ | Bleak Continent 1 |
|---|---|
| 長短の兵の痩身秋風裡 | Skinny soldiers taller and shorter in the autumn wind |
| 弾を磨く秋風の頭にひびく夜や | Polishing bullets at night get on my nerves autumn winds |
| あき風に地の凹凸を感じねる | Autumn wind lying on the earth feeling its unevenness |
| 風の中困憊の赤き河流れ | In the wind flowing a red river tired out |
| 痛みに堪へて雲の翳見てゐる | Enduring my pain looking at the shadows in the clouds |
| 江寒く蛋民の朝餉見て下る | It’s a cold day As we sail down the river looking at those who have breakfast on the water |
| 水の上後送ひと日寒く昏れぬ | A cold day on the water I’m leaving the front It’s getting dark |
| 創痕に祖国遥けし風塵期 | My scar ! So far away from home the season of the wind and dust |
| 想ひ疲れ湖よりの風に真向へり | Exhausted from thinking facing the wind from the lake |
| 暖かき赭土殺戮の日の杳くなる | Warm and red earth darkening A day of carnage |
| 風呂欲れば午後の青天雁渡る | Want to take a bath; geese crossing a blue sky in the afternoon |
| 昼の灯にうつうつ海を恋ひゐたり | The light in the daytime; thinking gloomily of my dear sea |
| 雲を愛し日日を虚しく爪のびたり | Loving clouds day by day my nails grow in vain |
| 鉄帽をかむれぬ頭青く刈れり | My newly shaven-head my iron helmet cannot be put on |
| 弾幕をくぐりし旗を垂らし病む | Being injured the barraged flags being hung |
| 松葉杖歩む樹間に落暉とどめ | Walking with crutches stopping the sunset between the trees |
| ながきたそがれ水禽のおろかなる声に | The dusk is long the stupid cries of the water birds |
| 深夜覚む松葉杖ゆく巨き響 | Woke up in the midnight vibrating the sound of the crutches |
| ねむれねば黄土の果の海恋しき | Cannot go to sleep lonely for the sea at the ultimate limits of the yellow earth |
| 楽さかん歩哨交替兵行けり | The music vigorously being played it’s time to relieve a sentry has gone off duty |
| 千人針巻き前線復帰の言短し | A soldier who binds a cloth called “ senninbari” up his body rejoins the front with a few words |
| ひさの長江濁りなつかしく溯る | Ascending the Changjiang River a good old muddy river; I haven’t seen it for a long time |
| 追撃兵向日葵の影を越えたふれ | A chasing soldier dropped down after getting over the sunflower’s shadow |
| 負傷者のしづかなる眼に夏の河 | Calm eyes of a man who is injured reflects a summer river |
| 雲灼けて動かず砲兵砲を曳く | Sunset clouds never move an artillerist pulling a cannon |
| 暑き青空流弾の音と鳶澄みゐる | Hot and blue skies clear the sound of shooting bullets and kites |
| 棉の原文学もなし死に隣る | Death next to me without thinking of literature in a cotton field |
| 掌の棉や逃亡の顔をつひに見ず | Cotton on my palm never have I seen again the face of a man who had escaped from the front |
| 流弾がぷすりと棉の花月夜 | A shooting bullet gets in a trunk of cotton flowers a moonlit night |
| 兵燹や太古のごとき夕まぐれ | Fire in the battlefield An evening like an ancient evening |
| 乾麺包よわが狙撃手の名も古りぬ | Hardtacks! The name of my dear sniper has become old |
| 月の視野けぶり編隊頭を還る | The sight of the moonlight hazing a formation came back passing me |
| 大陸荒涼 ２ | Bleak Continent 2 |
|---|---|
| 壕を掘る秋夜の風に背を吹かれ | Trenching; the wind of autumn night blowing on my back |
| 壕を掘る深夜の白き雲流れ | Trenching; white clouds floating in the midnight |
| かなしければ壕は深く深く掘る | So sad; trenching deeper and deeper |
| 流弾と母の手紙はかかはりなし | My mother’s letter has nothing to do with a shooting bullet |
| 渡河地点暁風に独立工兵の旗 | The point where we are about to cross the river dawn wind is blowing the flags of the pioneers |
| 秋の虹幾日洗はぬ顔ならべ | Autumn rainbow these days the faces line up which haven’t been washed |
| 昼のこほろぎ塹壕に死者還る | Crickets in the daytime take back the dead to the trenches |
| ちちろ鳴く背をよせ合うてねるばかり | Crickets chirping the only thing to do is to sleep with our backs to each other |
| ねて見るは逃亡ありし天の川 | Lying and looking at the Galaxy someone escaped from here |
| 江の風血便の闇を深くする | The wind from the river deepens the darkness where a bloody nature is eased |
| 吸殻がちらばり占領地区の風 | The wind litters cigarette butts in the occupied area |
| 夕日のなか時には認識票磨く | Evening sunlight sometimes I polish my number plate |
| 月紅し枯死の大樹に鳴く鴉 | The moon is red a crow is croaking on a big dead tree |
| 大陸荒涼 ３ | Bleak Continent 3 |
|---|---|
| 瞑れば弾子散らばる地の起伏 | Closing my eyes feeling the rolling of the earth where bullets scattered |
| 密偵が消えてゆく雲の地平線 | An emissary disappearing into the cloudy horizon |
| 秋の河鯰は雲の影にゐる | On autumn river a catfish is in the shadow of a cloud |
| 秋深みひとりふたりと逃亡す | Late autumn soldiers escaped one by one |
| 秋の軍隊 | Autumn Troops |
|---|---|
| 暁の鶏鳴とどく秋の軍隊 | At an autumn sunrise the rooster’s cries reach the troops |
| 砲兵に髯のび雨降りつづく | The whiskers of an artillerist is growing It has been raining |
| 蟋蟀の地に斃れては髭のびる | As often as I fall down on the ground where crickets are chirping my mustache is growing |
| 雨の中軍医撃たれて地にころがる | In the rain an army surgeon was shot, his body rolling around the earth |
| 秋の風歩兵の私闘見てあれば | Autumn wind looking at a foot soldiers’ grudge fight |
| 天の川喧嘩別れて死に訣れ | The Galaxy quarreled and broke with him and I’ve never seen him because of his death |
| 哨兵と傷兵が醒め野分の夜 | Both a sentry and an injured soldier are awake at the night of a typhoon |
| 霧寒したそがれて友を焼きに行く | Cold fog in the dusk going to burn my friend’s dead body |
| 友を焼く夕霧寒き丘の襞 | Burning my friend’s dead body there’s a cold evening fog over the uneven hill |
| 疲れたり深夜を覚めて驢馬身ぢか | Tired out awake in the midnight a donkey is close to me |
| 新戦場寒き鉛筆を尖らする | A cold and new battlefield sharpening a pencil |
| 泥濘をゆき泥濘に立ち啖ふ | Marching in the mud standing in the mud eating |
| 夜の雪逃亡の喇叭渡りゆく | Snow in the evening a bugle sounds to announce someone’s escape |
| まどろめば第五戦区の雪つむ音 | Slumbering the sound of snow falling on the 5th battlefield |
| 孤独 | Loneliness |
|---|---|
| 愛遠し雪のたそがれを渇きゆく | Far away my love going in the snowy dusk |
| 飯盒を鳴らし喰ひゐる寒き闇 | Eating rice in a dixie almost silently in the cold darkness |
| 星寒し明日への飯を残しけり | Stars look cold left some rice for tomorrow |
| 十二月湖北の奥に手紙来る | December received a letter in the back of Hubei Province |
| ちちははに遠く年逝く風を聴けり | Far away from Mother and Father listening to the wind this year is passing away |
| 雪降ると記す湖北省の奥 | Write down it’s snowing in the back of Hubei Province |
| 皮酒飲む冬青天の鬚ばうばう | Drinking beer blue winter sky my beard is growing |
| 鋼琴は無綫電紅衣少女の肩に江 | A piano melody from a radio I saw a river over the shoulders of a girl in red |
| 会ひ別る占領都市の夜の霰 | Hello and good bye we are in an occupied city hailstones fall at night |
| 砲艦がゆく高階の熱き珈琲 | Looking at a gunboat leaving enjoying a cup of hot coffee on the higher floor of a building |
| 幾曲り氷雨の街を来て坐る | Turn and turn; at last sit down in the cold rainy town |
| 将軍の前一個の蜜柑喰ひ終り | Finished eating a mandarin before a general |
| 砲座錆び雨の風景ただ昏れゆく | The cannon has rusted up the view is getting rainy and dark |
| 墓標点点草枯れ鳴くと見しは鴉 | Grave markers are scattered like dots the grass has died off crows croaking |
| 壕枯れぬはらからはこの地続きに | The trenches have dried up my brothers may be on this adjoining land |
Ⅱ 海のない地図
A map with no seas on it
| 大陸への別辞 | Farewell to the Continent |
|---|---|
| 大陸に別るる雪の喇叭鳴り | Departing from the continent a bugle blasting snow |
| 寒木に苦力をたたせ遠ざかる | A coolie under a tree in the cold day I’m going away |
| 汗の兵団ひねもす鱶のさをの海を | A troop of sweating soldiers all day long going on the blue sea where sharks are swimming |
| ゆれる船団洋の夕日に呆けたち | A fleet on the rolling ocean looking at the setting sun in a daze |
| 海しづか家への無沙汰思ふ日の | The ocean is calm on this day it’s been a long time since I have written my family |
| 機関がひびくがツとおけさをどなりし顔 | The fleet engines are vibrating look at the soldier’s face who is singing a folk song |
| つつがなく母の写真とともにゆく | Safely going along with my mother’s photo |
| 帽振るは先遣隊員椰子林 | Waving their caps some soldiers go ahead woods of palm trees |
| 椰子を吸ふ戦闘帽も古りにけり | Sucking a palm my battle cap has become older |
| 前線基地 | The front |
|---|---|
| うつうつと砲音に午が来てゐる | Gloomily the daytime has come with the sounds of shots |
| 汗し炊く初年兵の背に見し黒子 | A new soldier sweating and boiling I saw a mark on his back |
| 交る蜥蜴弾道天に咲き匂ふ | Lizards making love flying bullets blooming and smelling over my head |
| 喉渇くをちの空爆身にひびき | I’m thirsty aerial bombing far away from here affects me |
| 回想を風にさらして歯を磨く | My memory in the wind brushing my teeth |
| 死と倦怠の記録 1 | A record of death and boredom 1 |
|---|---|
| いつ死ぬか—樹海の月に渇きゐる | When shall I die? I’m dried up in the sea of trees looking at the moon |
| 月明の別辞短し寝て応ふ | Moonlight his farewell is short I answer it, lying |
| 哨兵の鉄帽よ雨降らぬ天 | An iron helmet of a sentry! The heavens it never rains |
| 狙撃兵マンゴの黄と撃たれ墜つ | A sniper was shot and fell down together with yellow mangos |
| 落暉無風煮えゐしは糧の青バナナ | Sunset it’s calm green bananas are boiling as food |
| 射ち疲れキニーネなりわかち嚥む | Tired from shooting, share and chew quinine |
| 弾道学負傷者笑ひ捕虜笑ふ | The wounded are laughing prisoners are laughing studying the flying bullets |
| 深夜砲声斥候に行くと飯喰ひゐる | In the midnight the sound of cannons a soldier is eating, saying that he is going to scout |
| 遺品あり岩波文庫「阿部一族」 | A relic- it’s a pocket book “Abe Family” published by Iwanami |
| 夜明けたり日課始めの砲轟く | Dawn a cannon sounds the routine begins |
| 倦怠や戦場に鳴く無慮の蝿 | Boredom! A fly chirping in the battle field |
| 小休止眠る兵科のかなしき性 | A break soldiers are sleeping that’s the sad nature of soldiers |
| 咽喉かれて黄昏の雲を射ち終る | Thirsty we finished shooting at the clouds in the twilight |
| たそがれ | Dusk |
|---|---|
| 風を聴き夕日の金に染まつてゐる | Listening to the wind the golden sunset bathes my skin |
| をかしいから笑ふよ風の歩兵達 | Foot soldiers are laughing because something feels funny |
| 歯を磨く大夕焼の頸かしげ | Brushing my teeth tilting up my neck to a great sunset |
| 風が出てきた戦死者の飯も炊けよ | The wind has begun blowing let’s cook rice for the dead soldiers of war |
| 風となり分隊が飯くつてゐる | In the wind the squad is eating rice |
| 死角出て大夕焼に消えにけり | A soldier came out of a dark corner and disappeared to an evening glow |
| 闇 | Darkness |
|---|---|
| 低き逓伝負傷者来る道をあけ！ | In a whisper they said a wounded soldier is coming make way for him |
| 夜のジャングル負傷者退り来るに遭ひ | At night in the jungle I saw the wounded coming back |
| 闇ふかければ包帯の白きかな | The deeper the darkness the whiter the bandage |
| 地の担架ジャングルは不発弾の闇 | Stretchers on the ground dud weapons in the darkness of the jungle |
| 傷者去りジャングルは寥と闇の闇 | The wounded have gone lonely darkness left in the dark |
| 悲歌 | Elegy |
|---|---|
| 蜿蜒と炎炎と灼け雲を置く | Marching in the heat in a line like a snake clouds can be seen from far away |
| 戦車行き駄馬行き眠る歩兵達 | Tanks passing work horses passing foot soldiers sleeping |
| 耳汚れ炎昼の膝を抱きねる | A hot afternoon my ears are dirty holding my knees as I sleep |
| 砲いんいん口あけてねる歩兵達 | The rolling sound of cannons foot soldiers with their mouths open |
| 腹へらぬ者になりたし戦車の蔭 | I want to be one of them who never feels hungry in the shade of a tank |
| のそと起き黄塵をがぼがぼと行く | I got up slowly marching , gurgling in the yellow dust |
| 夕焼へ墓標たてもう汗も出ない | Sunset set up a grave post I will never sweat again |
| 荒涼たりむきむきに飯食へる顔 | It’s dismal each face! Separately eating rise |
| 海のない地図書き甘きものを欲る | Drawing a map with no seas on it I want to have something sweet |
| ささやけば炎暑の弾が頭を越えゆく | Whispering a bullet passing over my head in the intense heat |
| 空冷式チェコ機関砲葉を降らす | An air cooled Czech machine gun makes the leaves fall |
| 死と倦怠の記録 ２ | A record of death and boredom 2 |
|---|---|
| 個個にゐて大夕焼に染りゐる | Standing as an individual the sunset shines red on me |
| われを狙ひし弾が樹幹を削る音 | The sound! A bullet aimed at me has chipped a tree trunk |
| 絶望のかかるときにも蜥蜴鳴く | Lizards are chirping I’m in such a hopeless situation |
| ひとりづつ射角を馳ける背に残照 | Running to his own position the afterglow on the soldier’s back in the battlefield |
| 水あれば飲み敵あれば射ち戦死せり | Finding the water, he drank finding an enemy, he shot and was killed in the war |
| 夕ぐれの見えざるものを撃ち渇く | Shooting at what cannot be seen I feel empty in the evening |
| 爆震の死角の蟻を掌に遊ばす | In a blind spot I’m trembling because of the bombing let an ant play on my palm |
| 黒土帯右腕関節が血をたらす | On the black soil blood running from the joint of my right arm |
| 射たれたりおれに見られておれの骨 | I was shot! I can see my bones |
| 包帯やわがこと終るマンゴの下 | Bandage! I may be dying under a mango tree |
| 墓標かなし青鉛筆をなめて書く | Sad grave markers I write in blue pencil as I lick it |
| 帰還 | Return |
|---|---|
| 瞑れば谷流れ血の赤きなど | Closing my eyes the scene of a mountain stream and red blood |
| 英霊とゆられまぶしき鱶の海 | Swaying on a ship with the spirits of the dead killed in the war sharks are swimming in a dazzling sea |
(Translated by Akiko TAKAZAWA)