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Marcus Cumberlege
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THE MOON, THE BLACKBIRD AND THE FALLING LEAF
(2001)

Marcus has been writing haiku since 1969, when he met Maria, and this volume published in 2001 contains a representative selection of his work. A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem of 17 syllables, referring to one of the four seasons. The haiku are presented with English/Dutch parallel text. De Nederlandse vertaling tot stand met de medewerking van Odette Van Heirseele en Herwig Verleyen.


Cover by Horst De Blaere
The first day of spring
I work out my aggression
chopping vegetables.

Eerste lentedag.
Bij het snijden van groenten
werk ik mijn agressie uit.
Even when it's chased
a butterfly is never
the victim of haste.

Een opgejaagde vlinder
fladdert rustig weg
zonder haast.
Peace and happiness
to all sentient beings -
my prayer for today.

Vrede en geluk
voor alle levende wezens -
mijn gebed voor vandag
Is the tree itself singing that wonderful song?
Oh no, a blackbird

Zingt de boom zelf
dat wondermooie lied?
O neen, een merel.
The soft explosion
of a chestnut's last journey
deep, deep in the woods.

Het zachte ploffen
van kastanjes op hun laaste reis,
diep, diep in het woud.
The snow is sitting
like a bunch of eskimos
on the café chairs.

De sneeuw zit
op de terrasstoelen
als en groep eskimo's.

Click here for Horst De Blaere's website

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