Words wish in words
that
they hadn’t been born
words.
They wish they’d rather been born
steep leaden walls.
And –
after that
they sigh a single sigh which is not a word.
Hiroshi Kawasaki, 1968
Translated by William I. Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura
Showing posts with label Japanese Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese Poetry. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Butterfly
Now seen … now gone
the butterfly flits in and out
through fence-hung flowers;
but a life lived so close to them
I envy though it’s here and gone.
Saigyô (1118-1190)
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