Scots haiku by JOHN McDONALD (Part 2)

 

On July 15, we received two comments for ‘Akita International Haiku Network’ from Scotland. Mr. John McDonald sent his comments to us for encouragement, saying ‘Good Luck!’. He was the first haiku poet to send us comments and presented us with his haiku books.

 

 

I’d like to take up one of his haiku books, whose title is ‘THE THROU-GAUN CHIEL’.

I post some of his haiku, showing my free translations of them in Japanese to you.

 

 

In his e-mail, Mr. John McDonald noted: In Scotland we have two languages one is Gaelic(which is a Celtic language) and the other – the one I write in – is a Germanic language brought to the British isles from Saxony ( old German ) It was the original english language and the original Scottish language ( in the lowlands of Scotland only – Gaelic was in the highlands )  The language was then refined in England, to become present day english, but in scotland it remained for many years ( mainly 17^th, 17^th centuries and then was replaced by present day english.) but a few of us like to keep the old language alive hence my poetry ( and some of it indeed still spoken in some areas).

  Here I’d like to show you some scots haiku in his native language as well as in English, and my free translations of them in Japanese. I hope that you’ll enjoy scots haiku.

 

slaw watter

takkin in the licht

jowellin the troot

 

slow water

taking in the light

jewelling the trout

 

暖流のトラウト飾る暗き地に 

danryuu no  torauto kazaru  kuraki chi ni  

 

 

drameit o a draigon –

the riven bouk

clootit wi a haiku

 

dreamt of a kite –

the torn body

patched with a haiku

 

凧の夢千切れ繕う一句かな                                            

Takono yume  chigire tsukurou  ikku kana

 

 

in the clessroom winnock

new bulbs

sprootin

 

in the classroom window

new bulbs

sprouting

 

教室の窓に芽をふく新根かな 

Kyousitsu no  mado ni me wo fuku  sinne kana

 

 

thigger wifie –

her sheddae

skiffs me

 

beggar woman –

her shadow  

touches me

 

物乞い女私に触れる影法師 

Monogoi me  watashi ni fureru  kageboushi

 

 

cumulus cluds

…swans

pander by

 

cumulus clouds

…swans

drift by

 

わた雲に白鳥の群れ浮かびけり 

Watagumo ni  hakuchou no mure  ukabi keri

 

 

―　Hidenori  Hiruta