まだ知らぬ自分に会ひたし路二つ会ふＹ字路に余光さしゐて
I wish to meet my
unknown self at Y-shaped point
where two roads meet
in the evening glow.
ある朝目覚めしわれは橙黄の光の花粉にまみれてをらむ
One morning when I awake,
I will find my self
drenched with orange yellow
pollen of light.
川上へ水はゆけぬと言ひ切りし片明かりせる頬のさびしさ
When he said
“a river can never flow upward”
the lighted-side of his face
looked lonely.
サンフランシスコ 芦屋 保土ヶ谷坂多き街をわれら住みつぐ
San Francisco,
Ashiya, and Hodogaya—
I got to live in hilly towns,
one after another.
砂時計逆さにしても帰らない蝙蝠の飛ぶ街川の路
Even though I turn the hourglass
upside-down, the time I walked
along the canal, bats flying above
will never come back.
一粒の砂目に入れば地下道を出でたる街にダリの時計が
Coming out of the subway,
a grain of sand lodges in my eye,
the town clock turning
a Dali’s painting.
山の茸育てる 雲押す 君が窓ほとほとたたく 風のわたくし
I raise mushrooms in the mountain,
puffing clouds,
tapping your windows softly—
I am violet wind.
まあるくも四角くもなるゆわゆわと蒸気にもなる 水のわたくし
I can become round,
square,
vapors whirling white —
I am water.
物たちがたしかにその位置を占むる部屋フェルメールの絵の光のなかに
In my room
each object occupies its own place
in the light,
as if of a Vermeer painting.
朴の落葉を踏むガリヴァーの靴の音尾長のさわぐ林を抜けて
I hear the sounds
of Gulliver’s footsteps
treading on fallen leaves of Hou-trees
through the forest magpies cawing.
湯あがりのうすくれなゐに匂ふかなに光る一樹のさくら
Cherry blossoms
shine palely scarlet in the sunny rain
scenting graceful
like skins after bathing.
静かさは殻光らせてあぢさゐの茎のぼりゆくまひまひつぶり
The most quiet thing
is a snail
ascending a hydrangea stem,
its ting shell shining.
「わたしのことはわたしが決める」青火花応ふる眉と眉の間に飛ぶ
When I say
“I’ll decide my concerns myself ,”
blue sparks flash
between my eyebrows.
寒天に閉ぢこめられてゐるやうなわが歳月に光る手の来よ
Time and tide
as if in gel confined —
I wish a brilliant hand
would come to appear.
稜線に乱るる雲の裂け目より屹と投げかへされたる光
From the gap in the wild clouds
rolled beyond the ridge,
shafts of strong beam
are thrown back at me.
夕星がひとつふたつと見えてくるゆつくりと死がちかづいてくる
An evening star,
and two
come appearing visible —
Death threatening slowly.
寂しさは夕べの雨の屋根の色この電車には行く先がある
A lonely color is
rain on roofs reflecting
evening twilight
this train
has a destination
変へられぬ過去いふなかれゆく秋の夢違観音近づきたまふ
Don’t regret
your unchangeable past
Yumetagae kannon
approaches me,
autumn passing
春浅き鳴門海峡の渦潮のその藍いろに身は捲かれたし
Early spring
wishing to be engulfed
by the indigo
of eddying currents
at Naruto Strait
万年雪残る斜面の岩穴に雫は日月を映ししたたる
On mountain slope
perpetual snow in summer
in rock cave
drops of water drip reflecting
sunbeam and moonlight
地の闇に生れたる雫は宿すなり水の精霊われの魂
The water born
from the darkness of earth
every drop
is the spirit of water
and also my soul
欠けしもの惜しみて孤り悲しむは孤悲ぞと晶しき水面の風告ぐ
Lament alone
with the feeling of missing,
cool breezes like crystal
on the waters tell me
“Love”
東の暗き山より月生れて川の流れを蒼く照らせり
The moon
appears in the east
behind dark mountains,
pale reflection
on the surface of the brook
傷つきしわれなり山の春霞むらさきただよふなかに紛れむ
Broken-hearted
I’m going to vanish
into the purple
of the spring mist
drifting through the mountains
流氷の海駆る風はアラバスタ−の冷たさ 傷心のわれを凍らす
The biting wind
drives across
the ocean of ice,
its alabaster chill
freezes me, broken-hearted
かぎりなき桜花びら吹き上げて夜も日も風は酔ひ心地なり
Blowing up
myriad petals
of cherry blossoms
the wind seems tipsy
morning and night
「さびし」とぞそこに声あげゐるは誰風はそちらへ駆けてゆくなり
Who’s there?
who says “lonely”
out loud?
the wind
rushes toward us
仲間はずれにされて泣きゐる幼な我の頬にも黄砂の風はとどきぬ
Wind borne
the yellow sand from China
reached even my cheeks
wet by tears
of childhood exclusion
わが意志と偶然が決める運命の風受け止めむディアナのごとく
Like Diana
I’ll receive the wind
of destiny
determined by my will
and chance
君が雨粒わが雨滴のあひよりて蜜の露となる和草の上
Your raindrop
and my raindrop
become one
to rest on the soft green grass;
honey drops of dew
美しと心奪はれしその時に虹のやうにぞかき消ゆるなり
The moment
we are captured by
beauty,
it is lost
like a rainbow
恋ふならば激しく恋へといひたりき虹の七彩の秩序を越えて
“If you fall in love
love passionately”,
it is said,
as if through a rainbow
with a spectrum of colors
幼稚園よりもらひしひまはりの種蒔けばの見上ぐる高さになりき
So tall
these sunflowers sprung
from my kindergarten seeds
this little girl
looks up so long ago
無花果の大き木の陰弟と乳にじむ実をとりままごとをせり
Within the shade
of the large fig tree, I played
at housekeeping
with my brother picking figs,
milky white oozing from the fruit
テニスして君と歩めば生垣のすひかづらの花夕闇に匂ふ
After tennis
with you I walked along
honeysuckle hedge,
the fragrance growing
sweeter at dusk
誕生日に幸せ約し君のくれしバカラの青き鳥 つねにの上
Your gift
on my birthday,
a Baccarat Blue Bird,
promise of happiness,
always sits on my desk
絹のごとき夜闇の語らひ終はらむと明けの水辺に蛍光りき
Lovers’ whispers
in silken darkness
over now—
flickering glow of fireflies
by the waters’ edge
小さき火を乗せし笹舟を流したり亡き人のみちびかれ来よ
Set a leaf-boat
adrift on the stream
carrying a tiny fire
so that the souls of the deceased
may be led back home
椰子の木の路連れだちぬ銀婚の日の海からの風の涼しき
We walk
along the street bordered
by coco palms
cool ocean breeze
on our silver wedding
緑濃き島よりきたりて湾に舞ふかもめは空のま白なる花
A seagull
coming from the green island
circles
over the bay
a white flower in the sky
今日といふは昨日にかさねるしろがねの箔なり明日へ光放ちて
Today is
a silver film of passing time
overlaid
on yesterday
glowing toward tomorrow
松生ふる小島をあまた抱きつつ湾は大いなる光の揺籃
Embracing
many small islands
embedded
with pine trees, the bay
is a huge cradle of sunlight
はるかより渦巻き見ゆる火の山の煙に島の在り処知らるる
From afar
great billows of
volcanic smoke
unmistakable sign
of the island
島山に集ひし雲より降る雨の水晶の水 島を養ふ
Clouds gather
around island mountains
bringing showers
crystallized fresh water
nourishing the island
とめどなく寄せて退く波 緑濃き島は茫漠の海の核なり
In the middle of
the endless movements of waves
this green island
the very core
of the boundless sea
この角を残して命終へし鹿朝霧に濡れみどり食みしを
Antlers
the only remains of the stag
who got wet
eating green grass
in the morning fog
しんじつの飢渇を忘れし獣園のキリンは寂しき首を延べゐつ
The giraffes in a zoo
no more suffer from
real hunger and thirst
look lonely
with their stretched necks
サヴァンナの岩にすわりて夕日浴むライオンはスフィンクスのごとし
The lion
of the savanna
crouched on a rock
looks like a Sphinx
in the setting sun
わが犬と野鳩が同じ陽だまりに 民族の争ひかなしめる日に
My dog and wild pigeons
share the same sunny spot
a day when
I am grieving
over racial conflict
猫なるか狐か知らず夕立の荒草むらに紛れゆきしは
Was it a cat
or a fox?
a figure
vanished into the bushes
in the downpour
川面より生れし蛍がゆらめける光の柱となるを訪ひたし
I wish to visit
the river where fireflies
emerging
from the surface become
a wavering pillar of light
毒針をもつ足長蜂みづからの白き泡もて巣をひろげをり
Long-legged wasps
carrying poisoned needles
enlarging
their nest
with white foam from their mouth
群るるなき銀のやんまは卵生みし池を後にし空に消えたり
After laying eggs
the solitary
silver-dragonfly
left the pond
vanishing into the sky
目覚めむとする体よりひぐらしの翡翠の胴のゆらり飛びたつ
From my body
on the verge of awakening
a jade-green
higurashi* cicada
seems to have slipped out
*clear-toned cicada
耳の奥に蝉鳴きたつる痛さなりき 幼くて病みし中耳炎は
Such a pain it was
a cicada sounding furiously
within my ears!
the inflammation of tympana
in my childhood
森すべて開発されしニュータウン蝉の声なく沈黙の夏
All the woods
have been developed
into a new town
silent summer
with no more cicada voices
人も星もおのれの軌道もつことの誰が決めたるさびしき摂理
Stars
and men
have their singular orbits—
who decided
this lonely dispensation?
しづかなる手が金の箔銀の箔おきゆくごとし星光そむ
As if a gentle hand
placed
silver and gold leaves
in the sky
stars begin to twinkle