Haiku by Chen Xiaoou in China

falling blossom pauses

hesitating between continuing

and returning

散ってくる花が止まる

ためらっている

続行するか戻ろうか

ancient pond

in still water is a moon

far more ancient

古代の池

静水に月

はるかに古代

earth! if we should

descend to you and share

your world of sakura

地球！ 万一

あなたのところに降りて分かちあうなら

あなたの桜の世界を

fish out of water

feel happier in the sea of

sakura petals

水から出た魚

海で幸せを感じるだろう

桜の花びらの

fish leaping out of water

pauses in the air

snapshot on my camera

水から跳び出る魚

空中で一時停止

私のカメラでスナップショット

swing hangs from lune

swinging from Japan to China

haiku flies

ブランコが月からぶら下がる

日本から中国へ揺れ動いている

俳句が飛ぶ

walking home, baby says

shall we take a look at our

rabbit’s resting place

家に帰ると、赤ちゃんが言う

見ようよ

うさちゃんのお墓を

he feels desperately lonely

in this crowded world

hundred and twenty years

彼は必死に孤独を感じている

この混み合った世界で

百二十年

old house of childhood

pillow wetted with

dream tears

子供の頃の古い家

濡れた枕

夢の涙で

The following haiku was published on Haikuniverse

I would like to share it again.

when care kills the cat

all the mice and every rat

laugh a long laugh and grow fat

心配事で猫が死ぬとき

すべてのマウスとあらゆる鼠が

長く笑って太る

TRANSLATED 16 CHARACTER POEM

by Chen Xiaoou

the mountain

thrusts through the sky, its edge unbroken

supporting the welkin

to prevent its collapsing

ORIGINAL POEM

by Mao Zedong (1893-1976)

山，

刺破青天锷未残。

天欲堕，

赖以拄其间。

山

空を突き抜け、その端は壊れていない

天を支えている

その崩壊を防ぐために

NOTES TO 16 CHARACTER POETRY

by Chen Xiaoou

16 Character Poetry (Shiliu Zi Ling), also known as Cangwu Ballad, Guiwu Ballad or Guizi Ballad, is the shortest form of Chinese poetry, very similar to Japanese Haiku.

It is composed of 16 Chinese characters, arranged in four lines, 1-7-3-5 respectively, with the first character as the theme word, (in the above poem, for instance, SHAN, meaning mountain) which is similar to the seasonal word in Haiku.

In a typical 16 Character Poem, the first, the second and the final lines rhyme with each other.

― Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta

Bio:

Chen Xiaoou lives in Kunming, China.

He devotes almost all his leisure time to haiku learning and composing, his best-loved traditional haikuists include Yamazaki Sōkan, Arakida Moritake, Uejima Onitsura as well asBashō.

Some of his haiku have appeared on Haikuniverse and Australian Haiku Society Network.

Chen Xiaoou has been in Japan twice and loves the Land of Cherry Blossoms.

He is a collector of Japanese dictionaries and his publications includes 8 articles on Japanese lexicology.