Akita International Haiku Network

 

Professor Kirby Record teaches as director of English for Academic Purposes at Akita International University(AIU)(国際教養大学) in Akita.

He also writes haiku. He is a fellow haiku poet of mine.

 

On October 11 and 12, we participated in AIU Festival and exhibited works of haiku posted on the website, giving haiku activities, such as some haiku quiz.

During the event, Professor Kirby Record joined our activities and contributed his  book of poetry titled “A Welcome Coolness” to me.

 

I post poetry in his book, dividing them into some parts and giving them a Japanese translation, which isn’t sometimes literal. It’s me, Hidenori Hiruta who translated his poetry into Japanese.

The title of his book is derived from the following haiku:

 

a sudden breeze

in bright winter sunlight, leaves

a welcome coolness

冬光に　爽涼迎ふ　風そよぐ

toko ni  soryo mukau  kaze soyogu

 

春は花　　　　　　　　　Haru wa hana

夏ほととぎす             Natsu hototogisu

秋は月                   Aki wa tsuki

冬雪さえて               Fuyu yuki saete

すずしかりけり    　　　 Suzushi kari keri

 

道元禅師 

 

This poetry is Waka (和歌literally “Japanese poem”) written by Dogen Zenji (道元禅師)(1200-1253), a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyoto, and the founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan.

Professor Kirby Record translated it into English as follows:

 

“To everything there is a season.” 

 

Ecclesiastes

 

In Spring, cherry blossoms

In Summer, the cuckoo,

In Autumn, the moon,

In Winter, the snow,

Cold and clear.

 

Dogen　Zenji

 

Here I post haiku about autumn by Professor Kirby Record.

 

after rain  the ferns in the window  turn gold

 

雨の後　窓辺のシダや　金色に

ame no ato  madobe no shida ya  konjiki ni 

 

 

sleeper car  the clacking of rails  october rain

 

寝台車　レールのカタットといふ音　十月の雨

shindaisha  re-ru no katta to iu oto  jugatsu no ame

 

 

scent  of the rice harvest  at dawn

 

刈り入れの　稲の匂ひや　暁に

kariire no  ine no nioiya   akatsuki ni

 

 

first october frost

just cold enough to feel good

with hands in pockets

 

十月の初霜　　ほど良い寒さに　　ポケットに手を

jugatsu no hatsushimo  hodo yoi samusa ni  pokketo ni te wo

 

 

japanese maple

 brighter than bright sunlight

all around it

 

イロハモミジ　　日光よりも鮮明　　周囲悉く

iohamomiji  nikkou yorimo senmei  shui kotogotoku

 

 

autumn moon glowing

   nearly as bright as the sun

sinks into sunset

 

秋の月　夕日のごとく　鮮やかに

aki no tsuki  yuhi no gotoku  azayaka ni

 

 

the autumn colors

on those nearby mountains, blur

into pure whiteness

 

近山の　秋色かすみ　純白に

kinzan no  shushoku kasumi  junpaku ni

 

 

climbing the mountain

how quickly it is passing

forty-sixth autumn

 

山登る　４６度目の秋 　速し

yama noboru  yonjurokudome no aki  hayashi

 

 

late october rain

on rice fields’ empty stubble:

orange persimmons

 

１０月の晩雨　稲田の刈り株　柿オレンジ色

jugatsu no ban u  inada no karikabu  kaki orenji iro

 

 

Next I post some haiku of mine and some photos of autumn.

 

Autumn high skies

Mt. Taihei coloring

purple

 

天高く　紫深し　太平山

ten takaku  murasaki  fukashi  taiheizan

 

 

Snow-capped mountain

leaves coloring ―

late autumn

 

晩秋や　山 雪帽子　紅葉に

banshu ya  yama yukiboshi  momiji ba ni

 

 

Japanese maple

brightening the garden ―

samurai premise

 

映える庭　イロハモミジの　武家屋敷

haeru niwa  irohamomiji no  bukeyashiki

 

 

The autumn colors ―

gingko accompanies  

Japanese maple

 

秋色や　イロハモミジに　イチョウの木

shushoku ya  irohamomiji ni  icho no ki

 

  

Fallen leaves

into the water ―

Lake Tazawa

 

秋更ける　田沢の湖に　散る落葉

aki fukeru  Tazawa no umi ni  chiru ochiba

 

 

Princess Tatsuko

sees fallen leaves ―

how many years ?

 

辰子姫　落葉見しより　幾年ぞ

Tatsukohime  ochiba mishi yori  ikutose zo

 

 

 

Last of all, I post my favorite haiku of Basho’s, translated into English by Donald Keene.

Along this road

There are no travellers ―

Nightfall in autumn

此の道や行人なしに秋の暮　

kono michi ya  yuku hito nashi ni  aki no kure

 

Autumn has deepened

I wonder what the man next door

Does for a living ?

秋深き隣は何をする人ぞ　

aki fukaki  tonari wa nani wo  suru hito zo

 

―　Hidenori Hiruta