World Haiku Series 2019 (212) Haiku by Drago Štambuk

World Haiku Series 2019 (212)

Haiku by Drago Štambuk

 

With each koto

tone

one petal falls.

 

琴ごとに

トーン

一枚の花びらが落ちる。

 

Hakata doll

with a painted fan

points the way.

 

博多人形

絵の描かれた扇子で

道を示す。

 

Hiroshima.

Eating the mushroom

quickens my heart.

 

広島

キノコを食べながら

心臓の鼓動を速める。

 

Drop in old snow

like a bullet

dives through.

 

古い雪の中のしずく

弾丸のように

飛び込む。

 

At the lake shore

beating waves

become my heart’s beat.

 

湖岸にて

激しく打ちつける波は

私の心臓の鼓動になる。

 

Naked boughs

of the drowned oak tree

call for help.

 

裸の枝

水浸しになった樫の木の

助けを呼ぶ。

 

From the field dew

to the sea foam

rises an arch of pain.

 

野の露から

海の泡に

痛みのアーチが浮かび上がる。

 

Blind man

admires

hellebores flower.

 

視覚障害の男が

賞賛する

クリスマスローズの花を。

 

Firefly,

forget

your short life.

 

蛍よ

忘れなさい

あなたの短い人生を。

 

Butterfly

on the flower.

Another flower.

 

蝶が

花の上に。

別の花。

 

Susuki grass,

waved by the wind.

So Japanese.

 

芒、

風に揺れた。

とっても日本的。

 

— Translated by Hidenori Hiruta

 

 

Bio:

Drago Štambuk was born on the island of Brač, Croatia.

He graduated from the Medical School in Zagreb and went on to specialize in internal medicine with sub-specializations in gastroenterology and hepatology.

From 1983 to 1994 he lived in London conducting scientific and clinical research in liver diseases and experimental treatment of AIDS.

Since 1991 he has been Croatian ambassador to many countries and to Japan from 2005 to 2010.

He has published over 70 books of poetry in Croatian and foreign languages.

His book Black Wave /Kuroi Nami was released in Tokyo by Shichosha in 2009 and his first haiku book Bowed rice in Zagreb by the Croatian Writers’ Association.

He is the winner of the special prize at Warsaw Haiku Competition and from 2008 the first honorary life member of Japanese PEN.

He is the founder and the sole judge of “Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award” since 2010.

The Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star（旭日重光章）was bestowed on him in 2019.