Waka Poems
by Minosuke Noguchi

Waka are classical Japanese five-line poems of 31 syllables arranged in a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern.

The following poems are English translations of waka poems written by Minosuke Noguchi (1875-1972). He immigrated to the U.S. from Japan in 1898, and he farmed in northeast Colorado for 42 years. In 1948, Minosuke and his wife Tomi moved from Colorado to a small town just outside of Millbrook in upstate New York.


The 63 poems below are left as a memory for my five daughters.

             * * *

 This waka was written in about 1920.

               1

 Bending cosmos flowers knock
At the door of our poor home no one visits 

             * * *

Remembering my homeland

               2

Soon over the mountain edge the moon will come
Maybe afterward it will shine on my mother's town

             * * *

My life

               3

Getting dark along the way
When I rest my tired feet, the faint chirping of crickets

             * * *

Declining a farewell party when leaving
    Colorado for New York in 1948

               4

Dried leaves carried by the wind at the roadside
Have a charm all their own

             * * *

When Tomi passed away

               5

Over the years, depending on each other
Good friends, but today we part

             * * *

The next seven poems (6 - 12) were written
    at Millbrook in the fall of 1957.

               6

Captivating pale green maples
Soon, little by little turn red

               7

Those mountains may have an owner but
This autumn scenery before my eyes has no borders

               8

Day by day autumn leaves fall around the mountain pass
Making it lonelier, by day's end they will be gone

               9

Autumn leaves still on twigs, scattered on the ground
What a waste to be soon thrown away

               10

A lonely feeling, saying goodbye to vanishing autumn
Since it's not certain I'll welcome it again next year

               11

As I consider each of these beautiful autumn leaves
Wind, stop blowing, until they all fall

               12

Windless evening, so still even treetops do not move
Falling autumn leaves in the sunset

             * * *

The next eighteen poems (13 - 30) were written
    at Millbrook in the fall of 1958.

               13

The yellowish mountain maples behind our home
One frost may turn them red

               14

Backyard trees with pure-white frost
Tomorrow, autumn colors even brighter

               15

What beauty, yesterday and today
The mountains behind the house, dressed in gorgeous kimonos

               16

Not amber, not crimson
An unknown color with a fascinating beauty

               17

No fame, no visitors for this town's maples
But still a beautiful sight

               18

Remnants of autumn displayed on mountains opposite to us
Quite beautiful in the setting sun

               19

It's too bad no one comes to see
Autumn's colors still on the mountain peaks

               20

Hoping for a little rain, gathering up pine needles
But a downpour came, the rake could not be used

               21

Maple trees on the mountains, after the rain
More depth and brilliance to autumn's colors

               22

Leaves raked up and packed into baskets
Holding the rake, a short rest

               23

Awakened at dawn, but hearing
Rain against the roof, I sleep again

               24

Though hoping autumn leaves will remain forever
The beauty of their falling fascinates me

               25

Up to yesterday, steeped in autumn's beauty
Then unexpectedly, a snowy landscape

               26

Lying ill in bed, seeing flowers covered with snow
That tell us about the transience of life

               27

Snow on top of autumn colors
When does fall end and winter begin

               28

Thinking the snow had stopped, again it started falling
Thick snow on top of remaining autumn leaves

               29

Incomparable beauty, the snow
If only it could wait until the autumn leaves fall

               30

Resting from the many tasks to be done before winter
I gaze in rapture at the snow

             * * *

Thirty-three miscellaneous poems (31 - 63)

               31

Parched fields with newly planted seeds
While worrying, the sound of rain

               32

Falling, falling, disappearing soon
Today's light snow only washed the young leaves

               33

Cherry blossoms, spring comes round again
But my wife passed away during autumn leaves' falling

               34

Barely perceptible, an enchanting smell at the village edge
Surely proudly blooming flowers on those distant mountains

               35

River willow branches drooping down
Reflected in the water, time and again combed by the wind

               36

Thick green leaves block the sunlight, but sweat dripping
Hearing the noisy sound of cicadas

               37

Seeing fireflies, thinking it still summer
Crickets' chirping announced autumn's arrival

               38

At dusk, a flower I do not recognize
But a faint smell of chrysanthemum

               39

Getting along well with each other is hard
Even for two small birds that seem friendly

               40

In this world of continual strife
Even small birds always fight to get food

               41

To the right, to the left, mountains covered in autumn leaves
Before and behind, not seeing where they end

               42

How happy to live in our humble home
The moon shines on its leaning eaves

               43

In my dreams, eggplants in the field shrivel up under the heat
Awakening, I hear the sound of rain

               44

Wondering during the drought whether rain will come
And then the soft sound of raindrops

               45

Thinking autumn leaves were crimson
In fact they have many hues

               46

From the refreshing autumn grass
Echoes of insects clearly singing

               47

In mid autumn the garden flowers faded
Hearing insect voices inviting pensiveness

               48

Late autumn, fallen scattered leaves in the grove
But also leaves still on trees, a splendid sight

               49

People's skills, shown in many ways
Heaven's matchless work, changing colors of autumn leaves

               50

Fallen autumn leaves scattered on the unseen ground
Such colors, such a feat, maybe the work of heaven

               51

Mountain fields still with unharvested potatoes
The laughing first snow comes

               52

Seeing his daughters kindly caring for their sick mother
The aged father's eyes moisten

               53

Rain falls on the discarded morning glory vines
With flowers blooming profusely inside the trash can

               54

A few maple leaves in late autumn
Tonight's wind may blow them down

               55

Before it rains, hurrying to finish some work
But how magnificent the faraway fields in the misty rain

               56

Not knowing their name, flowers at the roadside
Trampled upon, but still blooming

               57

Pine branches bent with snow
May break if it continues to fall

               58

Near the new leaves of grass buried in deep snow
Two lonely-looking birds standing

               59

Shoveling soil after the ice has melted
In the clods, seeds with white roots growing down

               60

Year by year, more white hair
Covers my head like snow, incessant waves of aging

               61

Neighbors not such close friends
Exchange smiles when they meet

               62

Though not knowing the name of this insect
Its singing rivals the frog's voice

               63

Sunny and clear weather after a long absence
Both my spirit and body revived
 


Acknowledgments

Ellen Biro for providing the Japanese poems for translation
Noriko Gordon and Yuko Nakamura for translation assistance

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