In the eternal
Light of the spring day
The flowers fall away
Like the unquiet heart.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
10th Century Japanese poetry
“Forsaking the mists” by Lady Ise
Forsaking the mists
That rise in the spring,
Wild geese fly off.
They have learned to live
In a land without flowers.
translated by Geoffrey Bownas & Anthony Thwaite
poem by Mibu No Tadami
Yes, I am in love.
They were talking about me
Before daylight,
Although I began to love
Without knowing it.
Koi su tefu
Waga na wa madaki
Tachi ni keri
Hito shirezu koso
Omoi someshi ga
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
anonymous tanka 14 from The Kokinsho
Now summer’s come,
smoky torches at every house
drive away mosquitoes–
and I–how long will I go on
smoldering with love?
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
anonymous tanka 13 from The Kokinsho
That cuckoo who sang
on and on last summer–
is it he now,
or another,
calling in a voice unchanged?
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
Leonard Durso 