種田山頭火Taneda Santōka1882 – 1940
Hiroaki Satō
Santoka: Grass and Tree Cairn
2002 •
In pine winds at dawn and dusk striking the bellMatsukaze ni akekure no kane tsuite
I go in I go in still the blue mountainsWakeitte mo wakeitte mo aoi yama
In the midst of life and death the snow falls ceaselesslySeishi no naka no yuki furishikiru
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Scott Watson
The Santoka: Versions
2005 •
forsaken
still something
in these legs
it's
come
to these
tired legs
to stop this dragonsly
slipping and falling
mountain silence
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Scott Watson
Walking By My Self Again
2011 •
over morning noises a long bridge spans
all day today too no one came fireflies
until my clothes dry / this grassy breeze
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Gilles Fabre
Haiku Spirit: Santoka
unknown •
The path
straight ahead
solitude
Silently
I put on today's
straw sandals
Today again
soaken wet
walking on a strange path
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Cid Corman
Walking Into the Wind
1997 •
where the walls are
falling apart the
vines the grass
men women
and the shadows too
dancing
the waves sound sometimes
close and sometimes far away
how much more of life
Emiko Miyashita, Fumiko Yamamoto
Santôka
2006 •
washed / the daikon absolutely whitearaeba daikon iyoiyo shiroshi
cherry tree / cherry blossoms / cherry blossoms scatter / cherry treesakura sakura saku sakura chiru sakura
as my mind calms down / the sound of waterkokoro ochitsukeba mizu no oto
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Dennis Keene
Rain in the Wind
1990 •
Rain in late autumn / managing not yet / to dieshigururu ya / shinanaide iru
Rain in late autumn / walking in the hills / with the autumn rainshigururu ya shigururu yama e ayumi iru
Whose back going / into the autumn rain / fadingushiro sugata no shigurete yuku ka
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Okami
Weeds, Falling Rain
unknown •
Unpleasant days:
days I don't walk, days without booze,
haikuless days.
Sake for flesh, haiku for soul:
sake is the haiku of the flesh
haiku is the sake of the soul.
Walking on and on -
my only course.
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Stephen Addiss
Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems
2009 •
Endless scorching sun- / the wind blowsenten hateshinaki kaze fuku
Snow / falls on snow- / and remains silentyuki e yuki furu shizukesa ni oru
Dragonfly on a rock- / absorbed in / a daydreamishi ni tombo wa mahiru no yume miru
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Akira Yamamoto
Long Dream: Santoka
2012 •
From deep beneath
my hometown soil
a gong is struckふるさとの土の底から鉦たたき
Sweat collects
in my belly buttonへそが汗ためてゐる
Can’t stop coughing
No hand to tap me on the back咳がやまない背中をたたく手がない
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R. H. Blyth
Santoka
1964 •
My back view as I go, / Wetted with the winter rain?Ushiro-sugata no shigurete yuku ka
Up to the very end, it is journeying, / And cutting our (toe-) nails.Itsumademo tabi wo suru koto no tsume wo kiru
My native place / Far away: / The buds on the trees.Furusato wa tokushite ki no me
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James Abrams
Hail in the Begging Bowl
1977 •
A soft whirling drunk
a scattering of leaves.Horohoro yoppaute
ki no ha chiru.
William J. Higginson
Thistle Brilliant Morning
1973 •
further in yet / further in yet / green hills
taking a leisurely pee / in lush sprouting grass
tree leaves fall / walking on and on
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Takashi Nonin
Grass Tree Stupa (Somokutoh)
unknown •
Pine trees
With branches all drooping—Namu-kanzeon sutra.Matsu wa mina / eda tarete / namu-kanzeon
Ringing the temple-bell
To the sound of pine trees;
Mornings and evenings.Matsukaze ni / ake kure no / kane tsuite
Sweeping the yard for a change,
Flowers in the hedge are in bloom.Hisashiburini haku / kakine no hana ga saita
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Jesse Glass
Santoka Translations
2005 •
This
journey
without
goal
weeping
locust.
Between life
death / snow
still falling.
Road
no end
loneliness.
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Kametaro
Santôka
1980 •
One washes rice
in a metal pot;
only one pot, that's enough
for me.Hitotsu areba
koto taru nabeno
kome o togu.
I wash rice
in a metal pot;
one pot's enough.Hitotsu areba
koto taru nabeno
kome o togu.
Washing rice
in a metal pot;
one pot's enough.Hitotsu areba
koto taru nabeno
kome o togu.
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Michael Hoffman
The Poetry of Santoka
1988 •
No path but this one—I walk alone.
Walking into the wind,
heaping abuse upon myself.
Stretching out my feet;
Some daylight still remains.
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Sean Somers
Taneda Santôka
2007 •
the Hotei statue: / rubbed rather bald, but laughing still.sukkari hagete hotei wa waraitsuzuketeiru
A great harvest, / sighs, the moon content.yoi o-minori no sayasaya o-tsuki-sama
Roadside, taking a piss, / soaking the scrub-grass.nonbiri shito suru kusa no me darake
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John Stevens
The 5th Season
2007 •
wordless / i put on my waraji / for todaydamatte kyô no waraji haku
lips clenched / i put on today's footweardamatte kyô no waraji haku
New Year's Eve / is dumb and New Year's / even dumberômisoka oroka nari ganjitsu nao oraoka nari
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John Stevens
Cherry Blossom Epiphany
2007 •
the blossoms / have become leaves so / tokyo, i leavehana ga ha ni naru tôkyô yo sayônara
hey, tokyo / your blossoms are leaves: / good-bye!hana ga ha ni naru tôkyô yo sayônara
well, the cherries / they blossomed in a wink / we meet, we partitsu to naku sakura ga saite atte wa wakareru
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