Sunday, April 14, 2019

A New Triolet: The delight of my eyes and ears

The delight of my eyes and ears,
bringing joy to my soul upwelling,
he has been to me all these years
the delight of my eyes and ears.
With his touch, he, my heart, endears.
It is he, where the heart finds dwelling,
the delight of my eyes and ears,
bringing joy to my soul upwelling.

13 April 2019 
Hikaru Kitabayashi

Sunday, April 07, 2019

A Poem by Her Majesty, the Empress Michiko, of Japan

MORE, I THINK I'LL LIVE

The following is a recently written poem by Her Majesty, the Empress Michiko, of Japan, which I think is a particularly lovely tanka. In order to make its structure clear to English readers, it is presented here differently than it would be in Japan. This, I think, could not be helped. However, if there is any fault, whether in transcription or translation, the fault is mine. The original, written earlier this year (2019), is a thing of great beauty.

今しばし
Ima shibashi
生きなむと思う
Ikinamu to omou
寂光に
Jakkou ni
園の薔薇の
Sono no soubi no
まな美しく
Mina utsukushiku

I'll still be staying;
more, I think I'll live life's days in
sunshine's quiet rays.
Garden roses, bright displays,
all are filled with beauty's ways.