読初

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

読初の男が留守を預かりぬ
yomizome no otoko ga rusu wo azukarimu

Lee & Emiko’s English

first reading---
while I am away from home
it’s all he does

Seasonal word: the first reading of the year (the New Year )

sakuo haiga

息災

Issa 一茶 1819 age 57

息災に紅葉を見るよ夫婦鹿
sokusai ni momiji wo miru yo meoto shika

David’s English

with Buddha's peace
gazing at red leaves...
Mr. and Mrs. Deer

Sokusai is a word with special resonance for Buddhists, signifying a sense of tranquility in the knowledge that the merits of Buddhism can overcome the misfortunes of this world; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 927.
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renku & haiga

仏の功徳 子を授からん
hotoke no kudoku ko wo sazukaran

Buda blessing
baby to us

初日の出

Masajo 真砂女 1998年 92歳

初日の出待つときめきは恋に似て
hatsu hi no de matsu tokimeki wa koi ni nite

Lee & Emiko の英訳

first sunrise---
I wait with a fluttering heart
as if in love

季語:初日の出(新年)

sakuo 俳画

入相の鐘

Issa 一茶 1820年 58歳

入相の聞処なり草の華
iriai no kiku tokoro nari kusa no hana

David先生の英訳

at the sound of the sunset
bell...
wildflowers

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo 俳画

秋風

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

秋風に拾ひし貝の名は知らず
aki kaze ni hiroishi kai no na wa shirazu

Lee & Emiko’s English

autumn wind---
I picked up a shell
its name unknown

Seasonal word: autumn wind (autumn)

sakuo haiga

犬の後架

Issa 一茶 1814 age 52

どの草も犬の後架ぞ散紅葉
dono kusa mo inu no ko^ka zo chiru momiji

David’s English

any grass serves
as the dog's toilet...
red leaves falling

visit http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

天高く

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

天高く持つて貰いし旅鞄
ten takaku motte moraishi tabi kaban

Lee & Emiko’s English

lofty sky---
my love carries
my travel bag

Seasonal word: towering sky (autumn)
Note: Tentakashi is an autumn kigo (seasonal word) of the sky seen so high in the clear and crisp air. This feeling is particular to late October in Japan.

sakuo haiga

春霞

Issa 一茶 1822 年

古郷や我を見る也うすがすみ
furusato wa ware wo miru nari usu-gasumi

David の英訳

at my village
they watch me...
a thin spring mist

Is Issa suggesting the alienation, he felt from his fellow villagers who, due to his nearly four decades of exile, now viewed him as an outsider?
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo 俳画

They are workmen.
He is a playboy.

夢まぼろしか

Masajo 真砂女 1998 92歳

かのことは夢まぼろしか秋の蝶
kano koto wa yume maboroshi ka aki no cho^

Lee & Emiko’s English

were they dreams
or were they illusions---
autumn butterfly

Seasonal word: autumn butterfly ( autumn )
Note: “Kanokoto” refers to the nights of love.

sakuo haiga

更科山

Issa 一茶 1803 age 41

一度見度さらしな山や帰る雁
ichido mitaki sarashina yama ya kaeru kari

David 先生の英訳

all eager to see
Mount Sarashina...
departing geese

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo 俳画

帰りたしされど都の華も良し
wish to return home
but good to stay
in flourish capital

浴衣

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

浴衣着て闇夜月夜と逢ひつづけ
yukata kite yamiyo tsukiyo to ai tuzuke

Lee & Emiko’s English

in our yukata—
inky nights moonlit nights
are all for love

Seasonal word: yukata, an informal cotton kimono ( summer )

sakuo haiga

落椿

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

落椿罪ある者を通せんぼ
ochi tubaki tsumi aru mo no wo to^senbo

Lee & Emiko’s English

fallen camellias—
barring the way of someone
who has sinned

Seasonal word: camellia (spring)
Note: The most commonly seen camellias in Japan are the red ones.
When a blossom falls, it falls as a whole, rather than petal by petal. In the samurai culture, they are associated with bloody, cut-off heads, and
hence were not appreciated. However, white camellias are very much
favored in tea ceremony culture.

sakuo haig

旅人

Issa 一茶1813 age 51

旅人や山に腰かけて心太
tabibito ya yama ni koshi kakete tokoroten

David’s English

traveler--
on a mountain he sits
with sweet jelly

Shinji Ogawa explains, "Tokoroten is still a popular summer dessert in Japan. It is a jelly made from seaweed called Gelidium Amansii. Tokoroten is pushed through a coarse mesh to form long threads like Japanese noodles." Gelidium is a genus of red algae. Shinji adds that the phrase, koshi kakete, is an idiom for "sitting."
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

Gabi san’s tokoroten
http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2005/10/jelly-strip-tokoroten.html

sakuo haiga

春の夢

Masajo 真砂女 1998 age 92

春の夢覚めてあしたもこの夢を
haru no yume samete ashita mo kono yume wo

Lee & Emiko’s English

spring dream—
I come out of it and tomorrow
this dream again

季語 春

sakuo 俳画