Sunday, August 19, 2007

My Saigyo Translation (kokoro naki)

I've never translated a poem before, but I felt the need to try this one, only because the ones I've read seem to be missing something. I might be missing even more. But this is how I understand it.
The romanji version reads:

kokoro naki
mi ni mo aware wa
shirarekeri
shigi tatsu sawa no
aki no yugure

The Kokoro Sonzai translation:

My heart yet cries,
although I know not to mourn
impermanence,
as a snipe rises from a marsh
on this autumn evening.


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