yuki-ni umore yuki tsumu nani-ka tsukuramu-to
buried by snow
piling snow upon more snow
the need to build something …
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Nagisao Yajima (1935- ). From “Why are we here?” (Nani-o shi-ni), Furansudo, Tokyo, 2024.
The feeling of attaining some goal could perhaps be argued to define the human ego. “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” the poet Percy Shelley also penned. Something has been buried underneath the newly fallen snow — perhaps a snowman made yesterday? The poet gets an undeniable urge to form some new structure out of the snow, now the only building material at hand.
Selected, translated and commented on by Dhugal J. Lindsay
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Pique your poetic interest with more Haiku in English here.
Haiku Classic: Sept. 15, 2024 — Look on my Works!
