Haiku by Kirby Record (Part 3)

 

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.

 

Professor Kirby Record 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

 

 Here I post haiku about winter by Professor Kirby Record, recalling the winter in Akita.

on the window pane

the rain remains frozen

in the wind’s direction

 

風向きに雨凍れるや窓の枠

Kazamuki ni  ame kooreru ya  mado no waku 

 

 

at the sea’s edge

i stare into nothing

tasting snowflakes

 

海の縁雪片あじはふ他見えず

Umi no heri  seppen ajiwau  hoka miezu

 

 

japanese maple:

falling snow only darkens

its crimson branches

 

降る雪やイロハモミジの赤濃くす

Furu yuki ya  irohamomiji no  aka kokusu  

 

 

in this empty room

i draw back curtains to let in

cold winter stars

 

カーテンを引いて招かむ冬の星

Ka-ten o  hiite mane kan  fuyu no hoshi

 

 

something keeps falling

 brushing against the shoji

shadows of snowflakes

 

shoji : sliding paper door

 

降り止まず障子をかすむ雪の影

Furiyama zu  shouji o kasumu  yuki no kage

 

 

a woman’s shadow

   across an icy rice field

keeps calling a cat

 

猫を呼ぶ氷田よぎる影女

Neko o yobu  hyouden yogiru  kage onna

 

 

snow begins to fall

on fields already whitened

by a flock of swans

 

白鳥の群がる畑に白い雪

Hakuchou no  muragaru hata ni  shiroi yuki 

 

 

icy rain

on thawing snow

tiny holes

 

氷雨降り解けゆく雪の小穴かな

Hisame furi toke yuku yuki ni  koana kana

 

 

winter dawn

old man on bicycle pulls

dogs on a leash

 

冬の暮れバイク老人犬を引く

Fuyu no kure  baiku rojin  inu o hiku

 

first buds of winter:

beads of ice glow faintly red

japanese maple

 

冬つぼみモミジの氷赤い珠

Fuyu tsubomi  momiji no koori  akai tama

 

cold monochromes–

sky, snowfall, and waves breaking–

splinter white ice

 

単色画空雪白浪粉氷

Tanshokuga sora yuki shiranami  kona goori

 

breaths

white and shapeless

rice fields deep in snow

 

息白し雪の深田形なし　

Iki shiroshi yuki no shinden  katachi nashi

 

ice on stone

each breath pain

blows back again

 

石氷吐く息痛く吹き返る

Ishi goori haku iki itaku  fukikaeru

 

 

the December sea—

through clouds, a tiny opening

for a tiny sunset

 

師走の海夕焼け雲のすき間から

Shiwasu no umi  yuuyake kumono  sukima kara

 

sun bursts out

my shadow darkens

on fresh snow

 

太陽に我が影黒し新雪や　

Taiyo ni waga kage kuroshi  shinsetsu ya

 

 

above the sea

sunset about to snow

a brilliant white

海上の夕焼け雪を白銀に　 

Kaijo no  yuyake yuki o  hakugin ni

 

a sudden shadow

on the snow from the pine grove

becomes a crow

松林雪上の影烏なり　 

Matsubayashi  setsujou no kage  karasu nari

 

both rain and snow

falling at the same time

on the same place

雪混じり雨の降り落つ同じ地に　

Yuki majiri ame no furiotsu  onaji chi ni

 

black is black

trees at night above the snow

white is white

黒と白夜の木々立つ雪の上　

Kuro to shiro  yoru no kigi tatsu  yuki no ue

 

blurring past,

only a rabbit’s footprints

in the snow

過去おぼろウサギの足跡雪の上　

Kako oboro  usagi no ashiato  yuki no naka

 

 

 a ray of sunset

leaves a trace of crimson

on ordinary snow

夕焼けの赤き線跡雪上に　

Yuyake no  akaki senseki  setsujou ni

 

swirling snowflakes

suddenly float slow-motion

near the pine forest

雪片やうず巻きゆるむ松林　

Seppen ya  uzumaki yurumu  matsubayashi

 

newly-built houses

rooftops of different colors

under the same snow

新築の屋根色違ふ雪同じ　

Shinchiku no  yaneiro chigau  yuki onaji

picture window

turns the whole room grey

winter dusk

見晴らし窓部屋灰色の冬の暮れ　

Miharashi mado  heya haiiro no  fuyu no kure

 

snow glazing

the needles of giant pine

winter blossoms

雪冴えて松の針葉冬の花　

Yuki saete  matsu no shinyo  fuyu no hana

 

with a black leash

a dog is pulling its master

across a snowy field

黒鎖犬主人を引く雪の原　

Kuro kusari  inu shujin o hiku  yuki no hara

 

a saffron sunset

softens jagged grey ice

on the winter sea

サフランの夕焼け海の氷和す　

Safaran no  yuyake umi no  koori wasu

 

  drops-dripping

icicles from my roof

syncopation

滴落つ屋根の氷柱やポタポタと　

Shizuku otsu  yane no tsurara ya  pota pota to

 

winter night

the clock from this dream

keeps ticking

冬の夜この夢時計チクタクと　

Fuyu no yoru  kono yumedokei  chiku taku to

 

winter solitude:

in white tips of pine needles

i can see the wind

冬寂や白き松葉に風を見る　

Tojaku ya  shiroki matsuba ni  kaze o miru

  

―　Hidenori Hiruta