15 Yahan Goto
(1895-1976)
Haiku by Japanese  Poets 8
                              translated by Fay Aoyagi
16 Sogyo Hasegawa
(1897-1987)
from Gendai no Haiku (Modern Haiku), edited by Shobin Hirai, Kodansha,
Tokyo, 1996
taki no ueni mizu arawarete ochinikeri

water rides
on the waterfall
and falling


This is Yahan's most famous haiku
                              
doujo ite houzue o shite nehanzou

a girl's chin
rests on her palms--
a statue of lying Buddha
komorebi no areba todomaru tokage kana

finding a shiny spot
through tree leaves
a lizard stops
                         
yamanoue okura o shika no kao ni miki

I see
Okura Yamanoue
in the deer's face


Okura Yamanoue: a waka poet in 8th century.  Many of his
poem is about the people's life in earnest tone

                        
yoki kotoba kikishi gotokuni fuyu soubi

 as if listening
to the beautiful words
a winter rose
kokoro keshi kokoro tomoshite fuyugomori

putting out my soul
lighting my soul
my winter hibernation
dashinukeni sakanebanaranu manjushage

when no one expects
spider lilies
have to bloom
futokoro ni naru kashibukuro yuki fureri

inside of my kimono
a bag of sweets rustles--
snow falling


                          
aini yuku kumo dakuyouni hana daite

  going to see her
 I am holding a bouquet
 in the way I will hold a cloud


                        
awaki haha koki tsuma doyou suginikeri

 mother in a pale hue
wife in a vivid hue
Dog Days are over



                      
ooashita hajime no kotoba yaya ga dasu

New Year's Day
a baby speaks the first word
of our family





                    
arukiiru haha mo shigururu mono no uchi

mother walks
she, too, will become
the winter rain






                  
hatsufuyu no ki wo noboriyuku mizu no kage


early winter
a shadow of the water
climbing a tree




                
hanukedori muki kae kaze o odorokasu

a molting chicken turns
and surprises
the wind


"hanukedori (molter, or a molting chicken)" is a summer kigo.