Haiku by Chen Xiaoou in China (4)

quiet night
a duck ripples the moon
in the lake 

静かな夜
鴨が月を揺らす
湖で 
 
weeping willows
reach to lake water
to tease fish

枝垂れ柳
湖水に達する
魚をからかう        
 
even the dust
on ancient books
smell nice

ほこりさえも
古代の本に
良い香り
 
my boy spreads out
storybooks on the floor
and reads the carpet

私の男の子が広げる
床に童話の本を
そしてカーペットを読む
 
should I see you
only in dreams, I would
sleep a long sleep

万一あなたに会えるなら
夢の中でのみ、私は
永遠に眠るだろう

("sleep a long sleep" means to sleep forever)
 
writing to my love
moonlight shines on
“I miss you”

恋人に書いている
月光が輝く
「あなたが恋しい」に
 
the flower
hardly speaks a word but
forget-me-not

花は
ほとんど一言も話しません
忘れな草
 
mountaineers
climbing up there
in the clouds

登山家が
そこに登る
雲の中に

who passes my window
the sound of raindrops
on an umbrella

(published by Japan Society (UK) as Haiku of the Week)

窓を通り過ぎる人
雨滴の音が
傘に

constant eavesdrops
a deep hole in the
stair stone

         (published by Haiku Foundation)

ひっきりなしに落ちる軒水
深い穴が
階段の石に

ー　Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta

Tanka
 
a gust of wind
countless cherry petals
dancing in the air
and the ground waits to
become soft and gentle

突風
無数の桜の花びら
空中で踊っている
そして地面は待つ
柔らかく優しくなる
 
wandering elephants
sprinkle soil onto their backs
to prevent sunburn
a lady roaming about
the cosmetics store

さまよう象
背中に土をふりかける
日焼けを防ぐために
歩き回っている女性
化粧品店を

– Japanese dictionaries at Chen Xiaoou’s World Dictionary Exhibition

– The 20-volume Great Japanese Dictionary collected by Chen Xiaoou

– Painting by Chen Xiaoou’s friend Liu Jinlan who lives in Yanqian, China

– Calligraphy piece by Chen Haoyu, a child who is 8 years old