Renga Hyakuin Trio Snowflakes Dance

January 10 - February 17, 2006

Flores, Mandala, and Nose

skies are low and the earth is
fathoms beneath the white surface
snowflakes dance in between　　　(flores)

　　a new Siberian cold air mass
　　wading across the Japan Sea　(mandala)

listen to icebergs
colliding far in the sound
but to the sound of silence (nose)

　　a flock of wild geese high above
　　I fancy I hear a sharp cry (f)

the morning after
a dew of dream fades away
in a last glow of the moon (m)

　　a shiny skin-head or two
　　out for autumn harvesting (n)

to the promised land
just wandering as a cloud
a wagon train passes (f)

　　on the road may you
　　find a good companion (m)
ウ
day’s lovely wind’s cheerful
why not get drunk
under the cherry blossoms? (n)

　　a haze hangs over the field
　　so does it over my consciousness ( f)

snow melts far in Oze
with skunk-cabbages shooting
our common nostalgia (m)

　　gone are my friends
　　from the rice field of spring sowing (n)

forsaking this world
the poet entered the priesthood
to save his empty heart (f)

　　instead of laboring for food
　　walking about to beg alms (m)

how many people
must starve and shiver
to let one be well fed? (f)

　　as the moon shines by the sunlight
　　poems shine often by the moonlight (m)

on the lake side
there used to be
you and the autumn breeze (f)

　　I depart on a clear autumn day
　　to find someone nice (n)

after you’ve gone
I found a big hole in the bucket
yes and in my heart too (m)

　　Tens of thousands sheep entertained me
　　in my sleepless nights　(n)

a thousand eyes
of the night and the mind
how can you close them at once? (f)

　　there’s elegance in hermitage
　　visit me with a bottle some time (m)
二
Here's a toast
to the newly weds,
who first met in the plane to Paris (n)

　　a jet-set love affair
　　the scene changes fast (f)

a romance on the South Bank
brunch at Saint Germain
a divorce at Narita alas (m)

　　on the sunny Bahamas beach
　　the old man watches the sea alone (n)

bikinis at Shonan
toplesses at Kuta
where's the nudist island? (f)

　　a cockroach sticks motionlessly
　　on the wall on a hot day (m)

in high noon siesta
five or six horsemen
gallop through a village (n)

　　Vera Cruz, revolution, women
　　the autumn of Spanish Empire (f)

emptiness
leaves dyed by the season
imagery of future (m)

　　Sumo contests closed
　　with the champ's loss to a challenger (n)

the moon shines
over a small village shrine
a festival evening (f)

　　sweet girls drum wadaikoes
　　in a happi and momohiki (m)

a prima ballerina
rushes home in jeans on a bike
an afterglow of stage (n)

　　it rains off and on in London
　　as the Victorian fade away (f)
ウ
southern magnolia blossoms
open the spring as sunlight is
over the Mississippi (m)

　　saddle a horse, dress up for picnic,
　　New England's spring is short (n)

a swallow returns to Walden
with a warm south wind
a boatman on the pond (f)

　　how many times did seasons revolve
　　how much did water run under the bridge? (m)

hello, full moon,
shine on my old folks far away
who may be watching you (n)

　　forty years under foreign skies
　　I’m disappearing like a morning dew (f)

I’ve sown seeds on this land
expecting the harvest
for the coming generation (m)

　　hey, crows, monkeys, wild boars,
　　beware of the dogs (n)

a Japanese cuckoo
is calling in the stillness
of a deep mountain (f)

　　there’s an old pond
　　but no sounds all day long (m)

twenty-four hours a day
seven days a week,
Hong Kong never sleeps (n)

　　back to the mother country
　　mais ou sont les neiges d’antan? (f)
　
a death in the cold
after the many splendored love
Korea in the fifties (m)

　　I love'ya, but please don't...
　　'till my pa and ma say yes (n)
三
don’t touch me
don’t caress me please
King Midas (f)

　　crossing the Amazon
　　into glittering El Dorado (m)

once there was the Great Barrier Reef
it's gone now
bleached by the sun (n)

　　against the erosion by freezing wind
　　the rock has been standing millions of years (f)

loons migrating back
when the golden foliage begins
to clothe the lake (m)

　　two figures in silhouette merged,
　　the moon behind the cloud (n)

coyotes courting
Jack and Betty are courting
in the wilderness (f)

　　submerged love affairs to the seabed
　　secretly confined in the Titanic (m)

calendar tells it's spring
radio tells blooming of plums
chilly afternoon (n)

　　as time goes by
　　I stand by a piano (f)

stitching a life
with silver threads and golden needles
on a rocking chair (m)

　　out of a daydream by the fireplace,
　　my dog and me alone (n)

auf flugeln des gesanges
let’s start the winter journey
with Felix and Franz (f)

　　to the Ganges ghat at Benares
　　where we see the sacred waters run (m)
ウ
Basho said
the moon and plum blossoms
look best in the spring haze (n)

　　vernal winds carry the scent
　　then blow away the clouds (f)

willows are fresh green
swaying faintly on the riverbank
cruising the Yangtze　(m)

　　a frog jumped to reach a branch
　　but fell onto the water (n)

fortune wheels
history repeats itself
a cricket sings last year’s elegy (f)

　　Mom comes home smiling
　　with a basketful of cranberries　 (m)

a Monroe-like woman
stands at the bus stop
autumn loneliness (f)

　　a scarecrow fades out
　　an earlier sunset (m)

with full load of pacific saury
boats came back
to the moonlit harbour (n)

　　on the quay wives wave
　　their hands to veterans (f)

to his home
a prince had taken a queen away
war! (m)

　　if you miss the plane I'm on
　　you'll see a jet contrail fade (n)

an explosion
deprived them of their dearest son
Challenger 1986 (f)

　　floating cloud running water
　　nothing can stay nothing forever (m)
名
a man showed up
whom I was just about to call
in early winter (n covering buson)

　　runny nose kids
　　around an open-fire (f)

bats hang down
from high branches
a hot mid-day (m)

　　waves wash footprints off
　　on the moonlit beach (n)

before the altar
one candle is burning out
another starts burning (f)

　　gas lights in London evening
　　a faint scent of bouquet (m)

a long line of young people
to a noodle vender
at brightly lit Ginza street (n)

　　so hot that the rails expand
　　my brain starts melting (f)

until midnight
parading through the town
the bon dance procession (m)

　　calm down, typhoon
　　give us a good harvest (n)

autumn goes drizzly
over chrysanthemum pots
toward winter (f)

　　tell me where can I buy
　　that kind of monkey’s straw raincoat? (m)

I lost sight of the girl
at Burberry's corner
5th avenue in a snow flurry (n)

　　Sunday skiers hugged each other
　　Central Park in the snow (f)
名裏
dark blue brown
their eyes speak something
behind the black veil (m)

　　sun light falling through bamboo grove
　　unveils bamboo shoots (n)

splitting hazy air
the god of spring thrusts a spear
in a flash (f)

　　soldiers enjoy a cease-fire
　　cherry blossoms bloom in full (n)

the cold war melted
all were pigeons hit
by a pea-shooter (m)

　　the final curtain fell
　　what a surprise ending (n)

the hall stands
in the stillness of autumn
evening of Bayreuth (f)

Wagners on earphones
I am jogging alone in the moonlight (n)