Haiku by Hashimoto Takako
Selected, classified and
translated by
Eiko Yachimoto
Japan
1-1 matsuribue (5) fukutoti otoko (7) yokarikeru
(5)
summer festival --
playing the bamboo flute
makes men...irresistible
Ôka Makoto, a well-known
poet/critic, chose this one haiku from all Takako's haiku for his latest
anthology titled "Hyakunin Hyakku" (One Hundred Haiku by One Hundred
Haijin).
1-2 iki araki (5)
ojika ga tatsu wa (7) setsunakere (5)
...........panting
hard...a stag rises erect
.why this sweet pain...in
me!
1-3 ojika no mae
(6) ware mo araarashiki (8) ikisu (3)
facing the stag
I pant rough
like him
1-4 yuki hageshi
(5) dakarete ikino (7) tsumarishi koto (6)
Gasping for life, choked by his
embrace
as it happened...the storming snow.
1-5 mugitaba wo
(5) yobeno otome no (7) gotoku daku (5)
in my embrace
a sheaf of barley turns into
a maiden in the night
1-6 yurayura to
(5) tsuki noboru toki (7) shi to tateru (5)
the shimmering moon...arising
...........I stand close...to
my master
1-7 hanashii no
(5) ka ni itsuwari wo (7) iwashimeshi (5)
I had the musk
of shii blossoms lie.for me
Shii is a species of beech in
the southern half of Japan, an evergreen which grows higher than 80 feet. Shii
logs are used to plant shiitake mushrooms, also known for the odor when their
long white ears, dense with tiny flowers bloom without being seen, in the
beginning of May.
1-8 nagarabi wa
(5) tsuma ishi katazo (7) oki no gyofu (5)
offshore fisherman ...see
the rape-pods
...............burning...where
your wife sleeps
|
Group
2: Takako Remembers Hisajo |
2-1a
Hisajo: .shuncho
ni nagareru mo ari yano gotoku
a sprig of algae...on
spring tides
.......shoots by...swift
as an arrow
(version by D.W. Bender, publ.
WHR Volume 1, Issue 3; Nov. 2001)
2-1b
Takako: .tsuyu
no mo yo（５)
koishiki monono (7)
gotoku yoru (5)
rainy-season
algae sprigs...as close
.........................together...as
lovers
2-2a
Hisajo: .hari tôsu
onna no iji ya aiyukata
.woman's
spirit...never gives up
..........kimono...dyed
indigo
2-2b
Takako: iki
taete （５）mini
shimu bakari （７）aiyukata（５）
surviving war...indigo
persists
...in kimonos...we
wear
2-3a
Hisajo: asagaoya
nigori sometaru ichi no sora
morning glory!
the marketplace sky
grows murky
(version by D.W. Bender, publ.
WHR Volume 1, Issue 3; Nov. 2001)
2-3b
Takako: .shagai
no (4) hisame no hachiman shi (8) sugu kururu (5)
early dusk falls
from the red cliffs of Hachiman City --
hailstones
2-4a
Hisajo: .kazeni
otsu yôkihi zakura fusa no mama
wind-shaken
the fallen blossoms stay
in gorgeous clusters
2-4b
Takako: kako
wa kire gire (7) sakura wa fusa no (7) mama ochite (5)
my past in shreds
while cherry-blossoms fall
in full clusters
Two haiku written on hearing
Hisajo's death:
2-5
ao ashihara (6) onna no isshô (7) sukitooru (5)
green reed field
now the woman's life
transparent
2-6
shuncho ni (5) yubi o nurashite (7) hito tomurau (6)
dipping fingers...into
spring tides
.........I mourn...for
the poetess
2-7 matsutakaki (5) kagiri
wo nôzen (8) saki noboru (5)
trying to reach
the top of the tallest pine
flowering vine
The above haiku was written on
hearing of the publication of Hisajo's kushu.
3-1 ware nashi ni (5) tsuma iru manjushage (7+2)
nagasu (3)
how he fares without me...
........I send this ghost amaryllis
..................................adrift...
3-2 tsuma koeba（５）ware
ni shineyo to（７）aobazuku
(5)
how I miss him!
a hawk owl hoots to me,
"die, then"
3-3 aoume no
(5) hishimeku kioku ni (8) tsuma tateri (5)
I have a memory --
green plums pack the scene
there! he stands
3-4 tsuma naki kana
(6) kazabana ni hi no (7) arika motome (6)
missing him!
on windflowers, I look
for sunlight to fall
"Windflower" is a
poetic term for snow.
3-5 yuki hageshi (5)
tsuma no teno hoka (7) shirazu shisu (5)
blizzard
I'm to die not knowing any hands
besides my husband's
| Group
4: Takako's ultimate juxtaposition |
4-1 banryoku ya (5) ware no hitai ni (7) tetsugôshi
(5)
myriad greens
on my forehead
................iron bars
The above poem was composed
when visiting Hisajo in her iron-barred hospital room.
4-2 kangetsu ni (5) takibi hito hira zutsu (7+2) noboru
(3)
to the frozen moon
................the bonfire goes up
................flame by flame
4-3 kusano naka
(5) hita susumi yuku (7) aki no kaze (5)
through tall grasses
.................autumn wind
.............................goes on, goes on
4-4 suzuri arau
(6) sumi ao ao to (7) nagare keri (5)
washing an inkstone
.................sumi flows out
.................black, blue, blue
4-5 migime yameba
(6) hidarimeni aoki (8) nowaki mitsu (5)
when my right eye's ailing
...................the green typhoon
...................fills the left eye
Not many knew that Takako had
eye trouble in her last years. She was capable of making an impressive haiku out
of her health problem.
| Group
5: Voice of Takako's
Inner Child |
5-1 shiso shibori (5) shiborite haha no (7) koishikari
(5)
crushing shiso leaves
.................the more red juice
........................the more deeply I miss my
mom
The repetition of shi makes
this the most musical of Takako's haiku. Shiso juice is used to pickle plums,
the essential food called umeboshi which all Japanese mothers make.
5-2 hitokikite
(5) ware kikazarishi (7) hototogisu (5)
a mountain cuckoo...
some heard it sing
I did not...
5-3 uta karuta
(5) hitotsu no uta ga (7) waga me hiku (5)
half-poems spread on tatami --
................of one-hundred cards
................one attracts my eyes
The object of this game is to
get as many cards as possible as each tanka is read aloud. Playing cards
on the tatami mat contain only the latter half of a tanka poem. Players who
memorize a whole tanka win the card before hearing the words on the card.
5-4 fugu no wata
(5) tabetaru inu ga (7) umi o miru (5)
poisonous guts...of
a blowfish eaten
.........the dog...sees
the sea
5-5 hi o iyo to
(5) soushi motsu ko o (7) sosonokasu (5)
I entice the kid...with
a grass arrow:
"why don't you...shoot the
sun?"
5-6 happôe (5)
yukitashi aota no (8) naka ni tatsu (5)
this desire to go...all
directions
..........standing...in
green paddies
5-7 dôjo hashiri
(6) shunsei no mina (7) hashiri iru (5)
a little girl
............and the stars of spring
............all running
6-1 abu wa ko wo (3+2) egaki ori omoi (5+3) nobizariki
(5)
......my
thought...doesn't stretch as far
...as a horse fly...drawing
an arc
6-2 kokoro
misemajiku (8) mono ieba iki (5+2) shiroshi (3)
I dare not open
my heart,
yet with each word, the whiteness of my breath.
6-3 umi wataru
(5) kuroki katakake (7) shika to suru (5)
crossing the strait --
.......the black shawl on my shoulders
.......pulled tight
Takako was on her way to
Kokura, Kyushu, to settle the business of turning over the family's deserted
orchard to the post-war government.
6-4 hiki to tomoni (6) hanano ni kakure (7) itakarishini
(6)
How I wish I could have hidden
with a toad in the field of flowers.
6-5 hiki orishi
(5) waga tameiki o (7) kikaretari (5)
a toad was there!
oh, I had him hear
my deep sigh
6-6 teno konomi (5) hito
ni kodoku wo (7) nozokaruru (5)
people dared...peek
at my loneliness
...........nuts...in
my gentle grasp
6-7 nakishi ato
(5) waga shiroiki no (7) yutaka naru (5)
weeping done
I see my own
rich white breath
6-8 yukino hi no
(5) yokushin isshsi (7) isshi kanashi (5)
bathing as snow falls
how I caress
each finger, each toe
Matsumoto Seicho wrote that
Takako looked as if in her thirties when she was in her fifties. She evidently
did not look her age even in her last years during illness. Not knowing she had
cancer, Takako did not realise that she would die in her last hospitalisation.
The haiku was written the night before before she was admitted.
6-9 hanaguri no
(5) kiraruru oto o (7) minishi tatsu (5)
the cutting...of
blossoming chestnut
.....I stand...filled
with its sound
Takaha Shugyo states that this
haiku illustrates her rather narcissistic tendency. The setting reminds readers
of a Chekov play.
6-10 ikusa hete
(5) koto o yokotau (7) aki no kaze (5)
after the war
I lay my koto to play --
autumn wind
When not in use, a koto is
usually placed in its bag, vertically against the wall. Takako had given up
playing the koto when at the time of her marriage. She did not touch the
instrument while her husband, Toyojiro was alive, but apparently brought it out
after his death and World War II.
Resources:
Gendai Haiku Taikei (Complete
Anthology of Modern Haiku), Vol. 6 & 8, Kadokawa Shoten, JP, 1973 [Showa 48]
Special thanks to Debi (Debra W.
Bender) who read my translation drafts, for her essential help and sincere
encouragement. All responsibility belongs to me, should you find errors and
problems. While no translation is perfect, thanks to her help I feel very happy
about the results.
- Eiko Yachimoto
Essay - "Toward the
Starry Sky: the haiku of Hashimoto Takako
Essay
- "Echoes Over Hills:
the
haiku of Sugita Hisajo"
Eiko
Yachimoto's Translations of haiku of Sugita Hisajo
Essay
- Fire, Beauty & Haiku: Life, Love and Poetry of Suzuki Masajo, by
Susumu Takiguchi
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