Haiku by Kirby Record at AIU in Japan ( Part 4 )

 

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  Japanese translations or interpretations. 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 some haiku by Professor Kirby Record from his haiku book.

summer breeze

ripples mountains in the water

of the rice paddy

　 

夏のそよ風が水田の水面に映る山々を揺らす

 

 

willows are bending

round the bend of the river

toward the waterfall

 

柳が川の曲がりで滝の方に曲がっている

 

 

lilac and pine

beyond the sign marked

“do not enter”

 

「入るべからず」という標識の向こうにライラックと松の木

 

as sunset lingers

the waterfall plunges faster:

mogami river

 

日没がぐずぐずしているのに滝は急速に落ち込んでいる：最上川

 

 

misty august rain

as fishermen stand and stare:

water over rock

 

八月の霧雨

漁師たちが立ってじっと見つめる：岩の上の水しぶきを

 

 

a shrine to Basho —

where he wrote of silence pierced –

crowded with tourists

 

芭蕉を奉る神社―そこでしみ入る静けさを詠んだー

観光客が詰めかけていた

 

 

japanese garden

stones-in-sand and shadows all

together with us

 

日本の庭

砂地の中の石と影全てが私たちと共にある

 

 

under a street lamp

the gold glow of a firefly

suddenly goes out

 

街灯の下

蛍の金色の輝きが突然消える

 

 

two shadows crossing,

as scarlet dragonflies light

on a bamboo pole

 

二つの影が交差している、

緋色のトンボが竹の棒の上で輝きながら

 

 

blushing rose-purple,

a strutting, hopping pigeon

pursues a mate

 

バラのような緋色に顔を染めている、

尾を立てて誇らしげに歩き、ぴょんぴょん跳びはねるハトが

連れを追い求める

 

 

my eyes open –

how dark the cicada’s call

in this empty room

 

私の目は開いている　―

セミの鳴き声は何て陰気なんだろう

この空っぽの部屋の中で

 

 

summer storm:

the leaves

keep raining

 

夏の激しい雨：

葉が雨のように散り続ける

 

 

we look and are gone

in the spot where we once stood

an iris and a stone

 

私たちは見て去る

かって立っていた地点に

一本のアイリスと一個の石

 

I sincerely hope that you will appreciate haiku by Professor Kirby Record at AIU in Japan.

The next posting ‘Haiku by Hidenori Hiruta in Japan (2)’ appears on July 17.

―　Hidenori Hiruta