In the Footsteps of Bashō

In the autumn of 2010, twelve Australians travelled from Edo to Yamagata following the footsteps of Bashō on his “Oku no Hosomichi” [Narrow Road to the Far North].

2010年秋、十二人のオーストラリア人が芭蕉の奥の細道の跡をたどって江戸から山形まで旅をした.

oku no hosomichi

we pause among cedars . . .

the faint scuff

of Bashō’s straw sandals

on the leaf-strewn path Beverley George

杉の間に憩へば奥の細道の芭蕉の草鞋の落葉踏む音

sugi no ma ni/ikoeba oku no/hosomichi no/ Bashō no waraji no/ochiba fumu oto

rain on Sumida

from a stone plinth Bashō feels

the river’s pull . . .

his unseen footprints

mingle with mine ML Grace

隅田川の声聞きし芭蕉の足跡はわが足跡に混じりてゐるも

sumidagawa no koe/kikishi Bashō no/ashioto wa/waga ashiato ni/majirite irumo

we shed shoes

for socks and slippers

our soft feet

learn again how to walk

in this fragile world Michael Thorley

靴ぬぎて柔らかき足は学びたり危ふきこの世をいかに歩むかを

kutsu nugite/yawarakaki ashi wa/manabi tari/ayauki kono yo wo/ikani ayumu ka wo

tea cups

glazed with matcha

the imprint

of tatami on my knees,

laughter on your lips David Terelinck

抹茶碗膝の畳の目の痕に君が口元に浮かぶ微笑み

machawan/hiza no tatami no/me no ato ni/kimi ga kuchimoto ni/ukabu hohoemi

bamboo fence

at Tsuruga-jo castle

bound with twine . . .

echoes of lost soldiers

bound by tradition to die Catherine Smith

紐で結はく鶴ヶ城の竹の垣敗れし兵は死ぬる習はし

himo de yuwaku/tsurugajō no/take no kaki/yabureshi hei wa/shinuru narawashi

I kneel

at Tōshōgū shrine

and bow

to whatever in Shinto

is also in me Michael Thorley

ひざまづき東照宮で礼をせり神道はなべてわが内にあれば

hizamazuki/tōshōgū de/iya wo seri/shintō wa nabete/waga uchi ni areba

moss-covered lanterns

beside cedar and cypress—

in the stillness

of this Shinto shrine

a shift in my beliefs David Terelinck

木のそばの苔むす灯籠み社の静寂に信仰を見つめ直すも

ki no soba no/koke musu tōrō/miyashiro no/seijaku ni shinkō wo/mitsume naosu mo

sakaki branch

offered at the altar

a holy man

wishing us god-speed

on our journey with Bashō Robert Miller

祭壇に捧げし榊 神官は芭蕉との旅の無事を祈れり

saidan ni/sasageshi sakaki/shinkan wa/ Bashō to no tabi no/buji wo inoreri

moon . . . stay awhile

rest on the dark pines

of Matsushima . . .

from my tatami-mat

your old familiar fac ML Grace

月しばし松島の松にやすらへよ畳から見る変はらぬ面輪

tsuki shibashi/matsushima no matsu ni/yasuraeyo/tatami kara miru/kawaranu omowa

sunrise

and the banking of clouds . . .

I thank the kami

for pine-clad islands

that smudge a pewter sea Beverley George

日の出と雲神に感謝す松生ふる島点々と白目*の海に *一種の合金

hi no de to kumo/kami ni kanshasu/matsu ouru/shima tenten to/shirome no umi ni

snow-dusted hills

behind Hojin no Ie . . .

leaving the log fire

I close the door

that Bashō opened ML Grace

雪山負ふ封人の家の炉を離り芭蕉が開けし戸をわが閉めぬ

yukiyama ou/hōjin no ie no/ro wo sakari/ Bashō ga akeshi/to wo waga shimenu

with thoughts of home

I place a pebble on a rock

at Sashoseki

will others ever wonder

who placed it here . . . or why Carmel Summers

くつろぎて殺傷石に小石置く誰がなぜ置きしかと他人(ひと)は思ふや

kutsurogite/sasshōseki ni/koishi oku/ta ga naze okishi ka to/hito wa omou ya

beside stone stairs

small statues wear

bibs

rain-stained and torn

tugged by the wind Lynette Arden

石段のそばの彫像のよだれかけ風雨に曝されぼろぼろになる

ishidan no/soba no chōzō no/yodarekake/fūu ni sarasare/boroboro ni naru

at Zuiganji temple

smiling bodhisattvas

in moss-stilled air

not even a crow’s call

stirs this cedar cathedral Carmel Summers

瑞巌寺に微笑む菩薩苔むせる静寂を鴉の声も乱さず

Zuiganji ni/hohoemu bosatsu/koke museru/seijaku wo/karasu no koe mo/midasazu

Geibi Gorge

a boatman sings of his love

for the river . . .

I don’t understand the words

but believe each one of the Catherine Smith

猊鼻峡舟人唄ふ川への愛―言葉分かねどわれそを信ず

Geibikyō/funabito utau/kawa e no ai/―/ kotoba wakane do/ware so wo shinzu

ambulance

in the Sendai night

sad song—

this time at least

I need no translation Michael Thorley

仙台の夜の救急車の音あはれ翻訳なしでそを理解せり

Sendai no/yo no kyūkyūsha no/oto aware/honyaku nashi de/so wo rikai seri

steam rises

between curved bushes

naked in hot springs

the arc of breast and buttock

the sameness of us all Beverley George

曲線の繁みに温泉の湯気のぼる胸や尻の弧はみな似通ひて

kyokusen no/shigemi ni onsen no/yuge noboru/mune ya shiri no ko wa/mina nikayoite

purple grapes

plump and heavy on the vines

the sweetness of

this harvest, this season,

this time of life David Terelinck

紫の葡萄は蔓に瑞々し季節の生の実りの甘みに

murasaki no/budō wa tsuru ni/mizumizushi/kisetsu no sei no/minori no amami ni

This sequence was first published in The Tanka Journal #38, 2011. It was translated into Japanese by Aya Yuhki for inclusion in Only in Silence by Beverley George, Pearl Beach, Australia: Kenilworth Road, 2017, pages 32–35.