Tanka

For “Tanka Translation”, please type “Tanka Translation” in a search box.

16 responses to “Tanka”

  1. deviliana | September 4, 2009 at 12:15 pm | Reply

    hello, I’m also interested in translating Japanese tanka into English. They are beautiful and sophisticated.
    Just now, I ordered “gendai tankano kansho 101” for new tanka.
    thanks for letting me know the book, I will follow your new translation in this blog!

  2. Archer Hawkins | June 12, 2010 at 3:56 am | Reply

    hello, I’m also interested in translating Japanese tanka into English. They are beautiful and sophisticated.Just now, I ordered “gendai tankano kansho 101″ for new tanka.thanks for letting me know the book, I will follow your new translation in this blog!
    +1

  3. Jeremy Burrows | December 2, 2011 at 1:46 am | Reply

    Have you ever heard of Princess Ono no Komachi (9th cen.)?

  4. Jeremy Burrows | December 2, 2011 at 8:26 pm | Reply

    The reason I asked is because I came upon a translation of her poems (Hirshfield and Aratani 3-46), enjoyed them very much, but was a little put back when I discovered she has the reputation of having been a femme fatale. Admittedly, there’s a problem of language and culture, and then 1200 years of history, but if Sarah M. Strong (Strong 393) is right, Komachi’s wanton character appears to be biased selectivity based on only one of her poems. Has this analysis of her nature changed over the last few years, or is it still based more on belief than evidence?

    Hirshfield and Aratani; Hirshfield, Jane and Mariko Aratani; The Ink Dark Moon; New York; Vintage Classics, Oct 1990. Print.
    Strong: Sarah M. Strong; “The Making of a Femme Fatale”; Monumenta Mipponica; vol. 49, no 4 (winter 1994), pp. 391-412. Print.

  5. Benjamanee Ditanou | December 30, 2011 at 7:30 am | Reply

    hello,I also interested in Tanka and Tanka translated in English
    I think they’re beautiful,I will follow your translation in this blog
    By the way,can you translate this Tanka?
    行くとても　茂る木陰の　すずしくは
    夏き逃げらし　立帰りこん
    ゆくもぬれ　残るもしぼる　袖の上に
    とどめもやらぬ　夕月のかげ
    how to read>>
    ゆくとても　しげるこかげの　すずしくは
    なつきにげらし　たちかえりこん
    ゆくもぬれ　のこるもしぼる　そでのうえに
    とどめもやらぬ　ゆうづきのかげ
    This Tanka is in around Late Sengoku period to Early Edo period and had no more detail.
    Only detail is this Tanka wrote by Date Masamune(1st Lord Of Sendai)and gave to Moniwa Tsunamoto(Oniniwa Tsunamoto in early day/1 of Three Great Man Of Date Clan)like Farewell Song.
    P.S.First time I post comment,It hidden.so,I post again

    • Fay | December 30, 2011 at 6:04 pm | Reply

      I am not good at classic waka. The following are VERY
      rough translation…

      行くとても　茂る木陰の　すずしくは
      夏き逃げらし　立帰りこん
      yukutotemo shigeru kokage no suzushikuwa
      natsu ki nigerashi tachikaeri kon

      summer departs and leaves
      coolness under the tree
      with thick leaves–
      it leaves us, but return again

      (I am not 100% positive about the last line of my translation. Hope you’ve got the meaning of this waka.)

      ゆくもぬれ　残るもしぼる　袖の上に
      とどめもやらぬ　夕月のかげ

      yuku mo nure nokoru mo shiboru sode no ue ni
      todome mo yaranu yuuzuki no kage

      on the wet sleeves
      of the one who departs
      and of the one who stays
      evening moon’s shadow moves

      This is not exact word-by-word translation, but you may get the image of this poem.

      • Itsurin | January 1, 2012 at 3:56 am |

        Ah,I see.
        I think you can translate it well.(Because I can get image of this obviously.)
        Thank you for your help and Happy New Year.
        P.S.Sorry for late respond.

      • Itsurin | January 2, 2012 at 2:21 pm |

        I am not 100% positive about the last line of my translation.
        I not sure on this sentence,what last line do you mean?

  6. Itsurin | January 4, 2012 at 12:11 am | Reply

    Excuse me,Fay-san.
    In your sentence>>I am not 100% positive about the last line of my translation.
    I not sure what last line do you mean…

  7. Benjamanee Ditanou | January 5, 2012 at 1:12 pm | Reply

    Excuse me,Fay-san.
    In your sentence>>I am not 100% positive about the last line of my translation.
    I not sure what last line do you mean…
    P.S.Sorry for reply again because you not answer this comment.

  8. Benjamanee Ditanou | January 6, 2012 at 4:12 pm | Reply

    Thank you,Fay-san.
    Your answers can resolve my problem all.

  9. 1sirianth1 | November 19, 2017 at 5:32 pm | Reply

    Hi Fay,

    Are there any other tanka translation blogs or websites that you like? Love yrs but also want to read more.

Leave a comment