Hey all. So here we are, the 10th collection of haiku, collecting translations #91–100. Enjoy!
すつかり剥げて布袋は笑ひつゞけてゐる
sukkari hagete Hotei wa waraitsuzukete iru
—Santoka
completely
worn away
Hotei still laughing
じゃんけんで負けて蛍に生まれたの
janken de makete hotaru ni umareta no
—Sumiko Ikeda
having lost
at paper-rock-scissors
born as a firefly
真直な小便穴や門の雪
massuguna shōben ana ya kado no yuki
—Issa
such a straight
piss hole!
in the snow by the door
雪折やよし野ゝ夢のさめる時 蕪村
yukiore ya Yoshino no yume no sameru toki
—Buson
from snow a branch snaps
waking me from my dream
of cherry blossoms
雛の顔我是非なくも老にけり
hina no kao ware zehi naku mo oi ni keri
—Seifu
the faces of the dolls
i couldn't avoid
growing old
鬼もいや菩薩もいやとなまこ哉
oni mo iya bosatsu mo iya to namako kana
—Issa
demons are no good
buddhas too
says a sea slug
梅一輪いちりんほどの暖かさ
ume ichirin ichirin hodo no atatakasa
—Ransetsu
one plum blossoms
means one step closer
to warmth
雪とけて村一ぱいの子ども哉
yuki tokete mura ippai no kodomo kana
—Issa
snow melting
the village overflows
with children
じつと子の手を握る大きなわが手
jitsuto ko no te wo nigiru ookina wagate
—Hosai
carefully holding
a child's hand
in my big hand
古池や蛙飛びこむ水の音
furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
—Basho
an old pond...
a frog leaps
plop!
And there we go. Hope you enjoyed. Remember, you can click on the title of each haiku to go to the original post on that haiku where I give some commentary on the poem and perhaps some insight.
Also note, all of these were translated by me. Feel free to use any of these translations anywhere you want, but if you do, please credit me. I ask that not so much because of my ego, but as a haiku reader myself I always want to know who did the translation so I can find more from them if I like it, so I'm always happy when a web site or book provides that info.
Needless to say, if you enjoyed any of these, follow me for more. I try to post one a day. Sometimes I miss a day if work or family gets in the way, but I do try to keep up.
❦
If you liked these, there are more! Here are the other collections in the Haiku of Japan series.