by Dr Tim Chilcott
TRANSLATIONS FROM MATSUO BASHO: TWO HUNDRED SELECTED HAIKU
PART II
11
[1681-3]
The bravery of the noonflower
nuki no waka wa / hirugao karenu / hikage kana
[snow’s within as for / noon-face not wither / sunlight!]
even in the snow
the noonflower does not wither
the light of the sun
12
[1683]
ganjitsu ya / omoeba sabishi / aki no kure
[year’s first day! / when-think lonely / autumn’s evening]
the new year’s first day! …
yet I pensive and lonely
like autumn’s evening
13
[1683]
On a painting note
uma bokuboku / ware o e ni miru / natsuno kana
[horse clip-clop / me (acc.) painting in see / summer-moor!]
clip-clop of a horse
I see a painting of me
on this summer moor
14
[1684-7]
kane kiete / hana no ka wa tsuku / yūbe kana
[bell disappear / flower’s scent as-for strike / evening!]
the bell fades away,
the flowers’ scent is ringing
early eventide
15
[1684-7]
musubu yori / haya ha ni hihiku / izumi kana
[scoop from / quickly teeth in echo / spring!]
just as I scoop it
at once it rings through my teeth
water from a spring
16
[1684-7]
koe sumite / hokuto ni hibiku / kinuta kana
[voice is-clear / northern-stars to echo / fulling-block]
how clear its sound, an
echo to the Northern Stars:
block of wood pounds cloth
17
[1684-94]
chiru hana ya / tori mo odoroku / koto no chiri
[fall blossoms! / bird also surprised / koto’s dust]
blossoms are falling,
the birds also are startled
dust moved by a harp17
18
[1684-94]
harusame ya / mino fukikaesu / kawa yanagi
[spring-rain / straw-raincoat blow-back / river willow]
spring’s soft drizzling rain…
like straw coats billowing out,
the river willows
19
[1684-94]
waga yado wa /shikaku na kage o / mado no tsuki
[my hut as-for / square’s light (acc.) / window’s moon]
shining in my hut,
light in the shape of a square
from the window’s moon
20
[1684-94]
A motto: don’t speak of others’ limitations; don’t brag about your strengths
monoieba / kuchibiru samushi / aki no kaze
[something speak-when / lips are-cold / autumn’s wind]
if you say something
the lips become quite frozen…
the wind of autumn
- A koto was a classical stringed instrument which, like music in general, was said to have the power to make dust move.
Reprinted from the web-site http://www.tclt.org.uk/: ‘Tim Chilcott LITERARY TRANSLATIONS'
Until his retirement, Tim Chilcott was Dean of Arts and Humanities at the University of Chichester, England. He has maintained a lifelong interest in English Romantic literature, particularly the work of John Clare, about whom he has written extensively. His other major research interest is literary translation, and his website devoted to translation can be accessed at www.tclt.org.uk. This currently comprises some forty major works of world literature, by over twenty different writers.