Haiku beyond Earth「天上俳句会」Haiku by Vladislava Simonova (6)

Haiku by Vladislava Simonova (Ukraine)

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Пишу на песке.

Вновь утащила волна

хайку в дальний путь.

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Writing on the sand –

and again a wave drives my haiku

So far away.

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砂上の句再び波の持ち去れり

Winner of JAL Foundation Award（JAL財団賞) in the Russian section of the 7th Japan-Russia Haiku Contest 2018.

HAIKU to Akita’s “Haiku Beyond Earth”

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A cheeky wind 

taking a liking to my hat — 

barely holding on!

我が帽子生意気な風お気に召す

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Not even 

the guard dog stirs — 

such a scorching day…

極暑かな番犬でさえ動かない

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The Milky Way –

without watching my step, 

I stumbled…

天の川足元見ずにつまずけり

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Drinking tea, 

I tilt my head back — 

the sky full of stars

お茶を飲み後ろに頭傾ける満天の星空に煌めく

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A grandpa 

feeds his beard

with the fresh bun

祖父の髭焼きたてのパン食べている

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My bonsai 

viewing through the window 

its giant brothers

盆栽の兄弟見える窓越しに

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A line of ants 

stretching along the path,

I follow too!

小道沿ひ蟻の列伸ぶ追ふ私

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At first glance,

a shakuhachi in the corner

just like a stick!

一見は隅の尺八棒の如

Note:

A shakuhachi (Japanese: 尺八, pronounced [ɕakɯhat͡ɕi]) is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. 

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The magpie cries, 

urging the sun to set 

less hastily…

鵲が太陽に向け鳴いて言ふ「もっとゆっくり夕日が見たい」

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The cricket sings — 

the moon has descended on the roof 

to listen

屋根に月蟋蟀の歌聴いている

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Note: Short Japanese Poetry of 17 phonetic Units of 5, 7, 5 Pattern

Inspired by ten English haiku by Vladislava Simonova, Hidenori Hiruta translated them literally into ten Japanese short poems first of all.

As a result, eight interpretative Japanese poems of 5, 7, 5 pattern are added to the English haiku as above. Some of them might be haiku（俳句）, and others senryū（川柳).  

Two of the English haiku were interpreted into Japanese tanka （短歌） poetry of 5,7,5,7,7 pattern. This is because English is different from Japanese.  

Latest Haiku from Akari 2024 Vol.2

Cherry blossoms.

And here I ran out

Of the ink…

初花と記せばインク切れにけり

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Moon in the sky.

Louder than explosions

Is my heartbeat.

春月や爆発音より大き鼓動

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An old linden

holds the bird nest

carefully

鳥の巣をそつと抱ける菩提樹よ

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Morning fog –

the car with the military

had been dissolved

朝霧に溶けてゆきたる軍用車

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Friends are getting older

while my life is passing

in the foreign land…

友と我異郷に齢重ねけり

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Bio:

Vladislava Simonova was born on March 23, 1999 in Kharkiv into a family of a soldier and a teacher. She graduated from art school in the violin class and was interested in writing poetry and photography since her school days.

When she was hospitalized for heart disease at the age of 14, she found a book of Japanese poetry in her room, which prompted her to start writing haiku.

At the age of 18, she won the top prize in the student division of an international haiku contest held in Akita City, Japan.

Since 2019, her haiku have been featured in the Akita International Haiku Network and in the e-journal Serow (Kamoshika).

With the support of the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan, her first haiku collection, 『ウクライナ、地下壕から届いた俳句』 , or Ukraine, Haiku from the Underground Shelter: The Wings of a Butterfly, was published by Shueisha International in August 2023.

In April 2024, her second haiku collection, 『俳句ウクライナから日本へ　２９７歩』, or Haiku: From Ukraine to Japan, 297 Steps, was published by Rekishi Tanbosha in Japan.

Her haiku have been put in various newspapers and online media, including Chunichi Shimbun, Kyodo News, Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, San-in Chuo Shimpo, NHK’s ETV Special and so on.