Haiku by Alexander Dolin (Russia)
Paintings by Oleg Usov (Russia)
皆兄弟庭に並らんだデイジー哉
Brothers and sisters –
daisy flowers have gathered
in my little garden…
Братцы, сестрички –
вишь, столпились маргаритки
у меня в саду…
向日葵を招く小花やルドベキア
Rudovekia –
so eager to look
like sunflowers…
Рудовекия –
хочется ей быть похожей
на подсолнухи…
掌に命を築く薄模様
I look at my hand palm –
lines of life and destiny
In a dim pattern…
Смотрю на ладонь –
линии судьбы и жизни
в тусклом узоре…
乙女顔大和撫子目立つ哉
Parade of the beauties –
such a pleasure for the eyes
these carnations!..
Парад красавиц –
как бросаются в глаза
нежные гвоздики!..
アリウムの紫の玉宮城原
Little purple balls –
precious jewels of the field
alium flowers…
Лиловые шары –
украшеньем луга служат
этот алиум…
顔色は色々になり花壇葵
Each and everyone
has such a specific face!
mallows on a flower bed…
Выраженье лиц
разное у всех цветов –
мальва на клумбе…
見渡せば青き野原に矢車草
Just look around –
everywhere in the green fields
rodgercia flowers…
Погляди вокруг –
всюду в зелени лугов
цветы родгерсии…
卯の花や香楽しむ蛙の子
Deutzia flowers –
a little frog in the garden
enjoys the scent…
Цветы дейции –
благостно вдыхает воздух
лягушоночек…
翡翠の声の染み入るブナ林
In the beech forest
only the voice of kingfisher
comes from the outer world…
В буковом лесу
только голос зимородка
пробьется извне…
About Author
Alexander Dolin (b.1949) after having graduated from the Oriental Languages College of Moscow State University, started his academic career at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, and received there his PhD degree in Japanese Literature. After moving to Japan in 1992, he worked for twelve years as a Professor of Comparative Literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. In 2004, he was invited to the innovative Akita International University as Professor of Japanese Literature and Comparative Culture.
Dr. Dolin is the author of several comprehensive monographs on Japanese literature and culture, including History of New Japanese Poetry in 4 volumes. His works on Japanese and Russian literature, culture, religion and society, as well as on world civilizations were variously issued in Russian, German, English and Japanese. He has also published over 50 books of translations containing numerous masterpieces from classical and modern Japanese literature, especially a variety of anthologies and individual collections introducing Japanese poetry from ancient times to present day crowned by the massive series “Great Library of Japanese Poetry” in 8 volumes. (Nauka, 2022). In 1995, he was awarded the Special Contribution to Culture Prize by the All-Japan Translators’ Association for his academic and poetic translation into Russian of the Kokinwakashu immortal anthology. He completed his career in Japan in 2017 as Professor Emeritus of Akita International University.
Since 2017 – professor of Japanese Literature and Comparative Culture at Higher School of Economics National Research University, School of Asian Studies (Moscow) and senior research fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences).
In Russia, Dr. Dolin is also well known as the author of several academic books on Oriental Martial Arts.
Having published a number of books of poetry, prose and non-fiction, Alexander Dolin is universally recognized in Russia as a poet and writer in his own right. He enjoys also composing poetry in English and in Japanese. Award of the Russian Union of Writers’ medal of honor for the promotion of international contacts.
About Painter
Oleg Usov
(profiles)
Oleg Usov (born 1964) is a professional sumi-e painter, the author of over 2500 works (colored sumi-e mostly in “the flowers and birds”style.
Graduated from 1. V.A. Serov Art School (Moscow) and Sumi-e school of the Japan House cultural center in Moscow (3 years course). Also had short time experience of sumi-e studies in Japan.
Many of his paintings had been presented at the national sumi-e exhibitions in Russia and international exhibitions in Japan, Taibei, Hongkong, Spain and other countries. Studying sumi-e Oleg Usov has also mastered Japanese on a substantiate level and started reading haiku in original.
Member of the Sumi-e Painters Union of Russia. Award of the Grand Prix at the international exhibition Art beyond Boundaries”(Tokyo, 2022) and a number of other international prizes. Published several individual sumi-e albums. In 2024 as an illustrator for the massive anthology of haiku in two volumes “World in a Drop” translated by A. Dolin (Azbooka Publishers) had scores of his best works printed in book format. Currently continues his activities illustrating collections of Japanese poetry.
https://usov-art.ru/
https://www.facebook.com/oleg.usov.169/
https://www.instagram.com/usov.art.ru/
Akita International Haiku Network 