母として女人の身を裂ける血に清まらぬ世はあらじとぞ思ふ
As a mother I think it not impossible
That the blood of women’s bodies torn in birth
Might cleanse this world.
師の君の目を病みませる庵いほの庭へうつしまゐらす白菊の花
My dear Teacher
A better garden view for your fevered eyes:
I moved the white chrysanthemum.
筆とりて木枯らしの夜も向ひ居き木枯らしの秋も今一人書く
Brushes scribbling,
We worked at the same desk as the autumn wind blew;
Now the wind blows, but I write alone.
Yosano Akiko (1878 – 1942), Japanese poet and feminist,is best known for her 31-syllable tanka poems, but they are only part of her story. She was among the first to translate the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, into modern Japanese. She helped found Japan’s first co-educational school. She advocated for women’s rights and recognition in Japanese society. She did all this while raising her 11 children (2 died in infancy).
Jean Gordon Kocienda is a former Silicon Valley geopolitical risk analyst. Now retired, she volunteers with refugees in the San Francisco Bay Area, translates Japanese poetry, and finishes up her first novel, Girl in a Box: The Story of Yosano Akiko, Japan’s Feminist Poet. (www.accidentalfeminist.net)
Love Jean’s writing!