World Haiku Series 2019 (64) Haiku by Ignatius Fay

World Haiku Series 2019 (64)

Haiku by Ignatius Fay

 

raspberries—

until my daughters

           I know not joy

 

ラズベリー　－

私の娘まで

　　私は喜びを知らない

 

first frost

the sticking sliding door

on the bookcase

 

最初の霜

くっついて離れない引き戸

本棚の上

 

late spring

the sun’s warmth

on winter-pale arms

 

晩春

太陽の暖かさ

冬の青白い腕に

 

sleeping

on top of the covers

holiday fireworks

 

睡眠

カバーの上で

休日の花火

 

first frost

smoother than my day

the clock’s second hand

 

最初の霜

私の日より滑らか

時計の秒針

 

snow day

laughing at comics

we don’t understand

 

雪の日

漫画を笑っている

私たちには分からない

 

waking

with a start

pre-dawn sparrow

 

目覚めている

スタートと共に

夜明け前のスズメ

 

afternoon sunset

trying to read

through closed lids

 

午後の日没

読もうとしている

閉じたまぶたを通して

 

the halo

of the night nurse’s flashlight

vernal equinox

 

夜間看護師の懐中電灯の円光

春分

 

melting snow

that one leaf still clings

to the hedge

 

雪解け

その葉はまだしがみついている

生け垣に

 

— Translated by Hidenori Hiruta

 

 

Bio:

Ignatius Fay is a retired invertebrate paleontologist who writes poetry in various Japanese short form styles—haiku, tanka, haibun, tanka prose and rengay.

His poems have appeared in many of the most respected print and online journals.

In 2012, in collaboration with Irene Golas, he published a collection entitled Breccia.

Ignatius designs and edits News, the monthly email bulletin of the Haiku Society of America, and is the current layout artist for frogpond.

He resides in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.