3.11 Haiku from Vasile Moldovan, Romania (2)

On June 30,  Ms. Patricia Lidia, a haiku friend in Romania, kindly sent me haiku donated by Mr. Vasile Moldovan.

First of all, let me introduce Mr. Moldovan briefly.

Vasile Moldovan, born in a Transylvanian village in 1949, is co-founder (1991) and chairman (2001- 2009) of the Romanian Haiku Society. He has published five haiku books: Via Dolorosa, The Moon’s Unseen Face, Noah’s Ark, Ikebana and On a Summer Day; and together with Magdalena Dale the renku book Fragrance of Lime.

 

 

Secondly, let me take up Mr. Moldovan’s haiku book On a Summer Day.

To my great delight, I accepted his book as a present in January, 2011.

Mr.Moldova writes his haiku on the back cover of his haiku book.

 

Looking at people

listening to Nature 

 …on a summer day

 

Thirdly, let me post four haiku of Mr. Moldovan’s from his haiku book with my Japanese translations.

 

17. The Tempest　

                                             

Telling fortunes

by means of a cowry shell…

the quiet before the tempest

 

運勢を占う　

タカラガイの貝殻で．．．　

嵐の前の静けさ

　

After the scorching heat

all of a sudden

a thunder shower

 

焼け付くような暑さの後

にわかに

雷雨

 

Walking through the rain…

Only an umbrella

for two lovers

 

雨の中を歩く．．．

傘がただ一本

二人の恋人のために 

                                            

No butterflies

but so many snails…

Summer rain

 

蝶は見えず

しかし　とっても多くのカタツムリ．．．

夏の雨

 

Lastly, let me post Mr. Moldovan’s haiku donated through Ms. Patricia Lidia,Romaniawith my Japanese translations.

 

HAIKU ABOUT LONGING

 

Longing of longing…

My sweetheart’s selfportrait

is wrapped in fog

 

憧れをあこがれる．．．

私の恋人の自画像

霧の中に包まれる

 

Longing of parents-

nearby if their old gravestone

a bunch of fresh flowers

 

両親への憧れ ―

ちかくに古いお墓があるなら

新しい花束一つ

 

A handkerchief

waving in the roadstead…

Sailer’s sweetheart

 

一枚のハンカチ

停泊地で振っている．．．

船員の恋人

 

Cherry petals

falling prematurely…

the first love letters

 

桜の花びら

早過ぎるのに散っている．．．

最初の恋文

 

HAIKU

 

Fires on the hills-

under the fall sun

maple leaves

 

丘の上の火―

秋の太陽の下

紅葉の葉

 

at the root

of a dry blade of grass

the first firefly

 

根元に

乾いた草の葉の

最初の蛍

 

At cockcrow

In the stained-glass windows

the day hesitates

 

夜明けに

ステンドグラスの窓で

日がためらっている

 

Morning mist

up to the sky

caw of crows

 

朝靄

上空で

カラスの鳴き声

 

Autumn twilight-

only a chrysanthemum

lights the garden

 

秋の薄明り―

菊だけが

庭を輝かす

 

Birds and flowers-

learning to compose haiku

from them

 

鳥と花―

俳句を作ることを習っている

彼らから

 

Translating haiku

I feel in my heart

other people’s pulse

 

俳句を翻訳している

心の中で感じる

他の人たちの鼓動を

 

I breathe in too

the fresh air of autumn dawn

writing a haiku

 

私も息を吸い込む

秋の夜明けの新鮮な空気を

俳句を書きながら

 

Last hoar-frost –

granny’s hair is

as white as snow

 

最後の白霜―

おばあちゃんの髪が

雪のように白い

 

At the fireside

granny recounting

the same old story

 

炉端で

おばあちゃんが物語っている

同じ古い話

      

During all night long,

the ears of the stone statue

filled with the crickets’ song

 

一晩中

石像の耳が

コオロギの鳴き声で満たされる

 

The next posting ‘3.11 Haiku from Vera Primorac, Croatia ’ appears on November 12.

 

                              ― Hidenori Hiruta (member of HIA)