Masaoka Shiki

These are my modern English translations of haiku by the Japanese master Masaoka Shiki.

Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) was a Japanese poet, author, essayist and literary critic during Japan’s Meiji period. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku and is widely considered to be one of the four great haiku masters, along with Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson and Kobayashi Issa. Shiki also wrote tanka and was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame!

I'm trying to sleep!
Please swat the flies
lightly
― Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Wild geese take flight,
gliding low along the railroad tracks
in the moonlight.
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Fanning its tail flamboyantly
with every excuse of a breeze,
the peacock!
Masaoki Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Some men
would tell even the cuckoo
not to sing.
—Masaoka Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

(The pen name Shiki means “cuckoo.”)

After killing a spider,
how lonely I felt
in the frigid night.
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The autumn wind eludes me;
for me there are no gods,
no Buddhas
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Such a small child
banished to become a priest:
frigid Siberia!
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The night flies!
My life,
how much more of it remains?
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

My life,
how much of it remains?
The night so swift.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A summer river:
disdaining the bridge,
my horse gallops through water.
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

After the fireworks,
the spectators departed:
how vast and dark the sky!
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I got drunk
then wept in my sleep
dreaming of wild cherry blossoms.
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

We cannot see the moon
and yet the waves still rise
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The first morning of autumn:
the mirror I investigate
reflects my father’s face
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I thought I felt a dewdrop
plop
on my head
as I lay in bed!
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

As thunder recedes
a lone tree stands illuminated in sunlight:
applauded by cicadas
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Waves row through the mists
of the endless sea.
―Masaoka Shiki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The pear blossoming whitely
after the battle:
this chaotic house.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Call me one
who loved poetry
and persimmons.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Such a high pagoda!
Looking up
at the autumn sky.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

So soft, so quiet, so tranquil …
after the storm subsides …
Sunrise!
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A dog howling,
the sound of footfalls,
the night lengthens …
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

This once-green field?
Pounded into a rice cake.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A lightning flash
between tall trees:
swift glimpse of silver river.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A single canary escaped:
this spring day's end.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

An evening breeze
tenderly ruffles
white rose petals.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Hydrangeas:
pale blue in a sunlit mist,
cobalt blue by moonlight.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The tree trimmed,
dawn breaks a bit earlier
through my little window.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Now and then it turns to hail:
this fierce northern wind.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

A carefree cat
prepares to pounce
on an unsuspecting quail.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Ice cream?
One spoonful and I'm young again,
rejuvenated!
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Under the moonlight,
the cuckoo's cry
as if it coughed up blood
reminded me of my faraway hometown.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

What of today?
My pain may end,
thus in my little garden
we planted seeds of autumn flowers.
―Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

For explanations of how he translates and why he calls his results "loose translations" and "interpretations" please click here: Michael R. Burch Translation Methods and Credits to Other Translators

Other translations by Michael R. Burch:

Matsuo Basho
Yosa Buson
Kobayashi Issa
Ono no Komachi
Yamaguchi Seishi
Fukuda Chiyo-ni
Takaha Shugyo
Masters of Haiku
Japanese Death Poems

Original Haiku and Tanka by Michael R. Burch
Free Love Poems by Michael R. Burch

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