Haiku by John McDonald for Int’l Haiku Spring Festival 2010 (5)

 

On July 15, 2009, I received two comments from John McDonald in Edinburgh, UK.

He was the first haiku poet to send us comments, saying “Good Luck” and encouraged us to continue posting haiku or articles on haiku.

John also presented me with his haiku book, whose title is ‘THE THROU-GAUN CHIEL’.

 

 

He has a web-page of Scots haiku http://zenspeug.blogspot.com which he tries to update daily, and from which most of the enclosed have been taken.

 

In April, 2010, John kindly made a booklet of haiku for me in celebration of the 1^st anniversary of the opening of Akita International Haiku Network.

Its title is ‘Seasons in Akita （秋田の四季）’ , in which he translated my haiku into Scots.

 

The haiku of mine are written in English as well as in Japanese and they are posted at the blog: http://akitahaiku.blogspot.com/, some of which appeared in the Asahi Haikuist Network by David McMurray.

John says in his e-mail as follows:

 

Dear Hidenori San,

I expect to send your little booklet tomorrow. I’ve called it Seasons In Akita  (not  – the seasons in Akita) because it does not follow the usual layout of seasons etc. it is simply recording the haiku you have written taking an example from each season so I hope you like it please let me know if everything is ok ;if so,  I will put two copies into the scottish poetry library and one into the national library of scotland (as I do with all my booklets). Hope you are all well in Akita

aye   John

John McDonald also contributed kindly another book of his, whose title is ‘FUME O PEAT REEK’  ,or ‘fragrance of peat smoke’  in English to me for our festival.

 

 

I present some of his haiku to you with my Japanese translations.

 

The peerie moose ― 

scartin scartin

a thirl i ma sloom

 

 

the little mouse ― 

scratching scratching

a hole in my sleep

 

子ネズミのひっかく音に目を覚ます

Konezumi no  hikkaku oto ni  me o samasu

 

 

mappie’s

brakfast o gowans:

sinny-sides up

 

 

rabbit’s

breakfast of daisies:

sunny-sides up

 

うさちゃんの朝食ヒナギク目玉焼き　

Usa chan no  choushoku hinagiku  medamayaki

 

 

her cot fauldit

on the strand ― 

the souchin chingle

 

 

her coat folded

on the shore ― 

the sighing shingle

 

(for Margaret)

 

ため息の浜辺の小石コートのみ

（マーガレットのために）

Tameiki no  hamabe no koishi  kouto nomi

 

 

voar mornin

the daffins

thair gowden craigs

 

 

spring morning

the daffodils

their golden throats

 

春の朝水仙ののど金色に

Haru no asa  suisen no nodo  konjiki ni

 

 

in the daurk

the bed shaks ―

her guid freen’s wun awa

 

 

in the dark

the bed shakes ―

her best friend has died

 

闇の中ベッド揺れ動き友が逝く

Yami no naka  beddo yureugoki  tomo ga yuku

 

 

zen gairden ―

ma sheddae switters

ower the chingle

 

 

zen garden ―

my shadow ripples

over the shingle

 

禅の庭影さらさらと石の上

Zen no  niwa  kage sarasara to  ishi no ue

 

 

the gairdner

heelds ower’s flooers ―

they gove up at’m

 

the gardner

leans over his flowers ―

they gaze up at him

 

寄りかかる庭の主見る花々や

Yorikakakru  niwa no nushi miru  hanabana ya

 

 

sundoon ―

she rugs a reid threid

throuch her flooerin

 

 

sunset ―

she draws a red thread

through her embroidery

 

夕焼けに赤い糸引く刺繍かな

Yuuyake ni  akai ito hiku  shishuu kana

 

 

moch

thrabs on the lozen

ayont: the muin

 

 

moth

pulses on the pane

beyond: the moon

 

窓枠で脈打つ蛾の涯月かかる

Madowaku de  myaku utsu ga no hate  tsuki kakaru

 

 

…sodgers’ sheddaes

athort his

govein een

 

 

…soldiers’ shadows

across his

staring eyes

 

兵たちの影横切れり彼の目に

Heitachi no  kage yokogireri  kare no me ni

 

 

gean flourish

fleets on the burn

…plowp o a troot

 

 

cherry blossom

floats on the stream

…plop of a trout

 

桜花流れ漂う鱒の音

Sakurabana  nagare tadayou  masu no oto

 

 

waukrife nicht ―

thrawin stanes

intae the derkness

 

 

sleepless night ―

throwing stones

into the darkness

 

眠れぬ夜石を投げたり暗闇に

Nemurenu yo  ishi o nagetari  kurayami ni

 

 

voar sinsheen ―

bummer waukens me

dunnerin at the winnock

 

 

spring sunshine ―

bee wakens me

banging at the window

 

春光に蜂目覚ますや窓を打つ

Shunkou ni  hachi mezamasu ya  mado o utsu

 

 

muinlicht dookin:

snail

on the funtain-nude’s erse

 

 

moonlight bathing:

snail

on the fountain-nude’s bottom

 

月光浴泉の底のカタツムリ

Gekkouyoku  izumi no soko no  katatsumuri

 

 

roses’ heids

abuin the wa

…geeglin

 

 

roses’ heads

above the wall

…giggling

 

バラの顔くすくす笑う壁の上

Bara no kao  kusukusu warau  kabe no ue

 

 

fawin intae the scug

o the speengie rose ―

the speengie’s petals

 

 

falling into the shade

of the peony ―

the peony’s petals

 

 

しゃくなげの影に散りゆく花弁かな

Shakunage no  kage ni chiriyuku  kaben kana

 

 

Last of all, let me decorate our on line festival with the photo flower presented by Patricia Lidia, a haiku poet, in Romania.

 

 

 

― Hidenori Hiruta