Poem
Masayo Koike
The End of the Journey
When we returned from the tripHis
Face indicated that something had ended
The trip had
Indisputably ended
The journey’s end encroached on
Numerous other things that
Seemed to be approaching numerous endings
Let’s go on another trip,
Let’s come back to Italy again,
Chatting like this at the end of the journey
Somewhere deep deep within us
Something had already ended between us
For sometime afterwards we remained within the ending but
One day suddenly he began to talk
I think we should separate
At these words
For the first time a feeling that something was amiss grew in me
Yet for a long long time
I too lived within the ending
An ending at the time that
When I ended it
I felt
That there ought be a new beginning
Between him and me
Being eaten away by our ending
Even things around us one by one crumbled
The oven telephone fridge printer
Glasses all broke, even the window pane broke
The ending of everything continued
Almost new, refreshing
All the endings
Fell around me and collected like snow
© Translation: 2006, Leith Morton
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: Vagabond Press, Sydney, 2006
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: Vagabond Press, Sydney, 2006
旅のおわり
旅のおわり
旅から戻るとあのひとは
何かが終わった顔をしていた
確かに旅は
終わったのだったが
旅の終わりに侵食されて
そのほかのさまざまなものまでもが
いくつもの終わりを迎えたかのようであった
また旅をしよう、
イタリアへ来よう、と
旅の終わりには語りあったばかりなのに
どこか測れないほどの深いところで
私たちのなにかもすでに終わっていた
それからも長いあいだ終わりのなかにいたが
ある日突然彼がきりだした
ぼくたちは別れなければならないとおもう
その表現に
初めての違和感がわたしに生じた
わたしもまた
長い長い終わりのなかにいたのだったが
しかしこの終わりを終えてしまえば
このひととの
新しい始まりもあるはずだと
そう考えていた
終わりのときであった
わたしたちの終わりに浸食されて
周囲のものまでが次々にほろびた
オーブンが 電話機が 冷蔵庫が プリンターが
こっぷも割れたし、窓ガラスも割れ
あらゆることの終わりは続いた
みずみずしいばかりに
あらゆる終わりが
わたしの周囲に雪のように降り積もった
© 2001, Masayo Koike
From: Ameotoko, Yamaotoko, Mame o hiku otoko
Publisher: Shinchosha, Tokyo
From: Ameotoko, Yamaotoko, Mame o hiku otoko
Publisher: Shinchosha, Tokyo
Poems
Poems of Masayo Koike
Close
The End of the Journey
When we returned from the tripHis
Face indicated that something had ended
The trip had
Indisputably ended
The journey’s end encroached on
Numerous other things that
Seemed to be approaching numerous endings
Let’s go on another trip,
Let’s come back to Italy again,
Chatting like this at the end of the journey
Somewhere deep deep within us
Something had already ended between us
For sometime afterwards we remained within the ending but
One day suddenly he began to talk
I think we should separate
At these words
For the first time a feeling that something was amiss grew in me
Yet for a long long time
I too lived within the ending
An ending at the time that
When I ended it
I felt
That there ought be a new beginning
Between him and me
Being eaten away by our ending
Even things around us one by one crumbled
The oven telephone fridge printer
Glasses all broke, even the window pane broke
The ending of everything continued
Almost new, refreshing
All the endings
Fell around me and collected like snow
© 2006, Leith Morton
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: 2006, Vagabond Press, Sydney
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: 2006, Vagabond Press, Sydney
The End of the Journey
When we returned from the tripHis
Face indicated that something had ended
The trip had
Indisputably ended
The journey’s end encroached on
Numerous other things that
Seemed to be approaching numerous endings
Let’s go on another trip,
Let’s come back to Italy again,
Chatting like this at the end of the journey
Somewhere deep deep within us
Something had already ended between us
For sometime afterwards we remained within the ending but
One day suddenly he began to talk
I think we should separate
At these words
For the first time a feeling that something was amiss grew in me
Yet for a long long time
I too lived within the ending
An ending at the time that
When I ended it
I felt
That there ought be a new beginning
Between him and me
Being eaten away by our ending
Even things around us one by one crumbled
The oven telephone fridge printer
Glasses all broke, even the window pane broke
The ending of everything continued
Almost new, refreshing
All the endings
Fell around me and collected like snow
© 2006, Leith Morton
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: 2006, Vagabond Press, Sydney
From: Masayo Koike: Selected Poems
Publisher: 2006, Vagabond Press, Sydney
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