Miyazawa Kenji: Itinerant Mirage
I do more translating and reading of Japanese text now that I ever have—ironically, though, most of it goes unpublished. I’ll be writing on Miyazawa Kenji soon, though, and to that end here’s a translation of one of his poems, “Itinerant Mirage.” It’s unquestionably a first draft; comments on the diction and flow are welcomed.
Ah, Kenji, you morose bastard, you.
bq. “Itinerary Illusion”
宮沢賢治 旅程幻想
Traversing countless passes
and hay fields
beside the sea
following drought, and lonely, meager catches
I’ve come here, alone
to this dry riverbed where water once flowed
If bask in the thin sunlight
my shoulders, my back—-cold
some feeling of unease.
yes, on the basanite pass it was…
The oaken door of the
wooden hay-fence
left open
I seemed to be in such a hurry
To leave
Did I leave the white door open?
There, the shining cold sky,
And a vine-choked chestnut tree catch my eye.
And in the lattices
of the clouds and cold rays of the sun
at the head of the river
weakly
some colossal, unknown bird
faintly rumbles its cry.