Circus
Translated By Jeffrey Angles
Translated from the Japanese
There have been so many eras
So many wars fought in brown
There have been so many eras
So many quick winds of winter
There have been so many eras
But here, tonight, a party like no other
But here, tonight, a party like no other
From the highest beams of the circus tent
Hangs a single trapeze
So high that one can hardly see
Hands hang upside down
Below the soiled cotton canopy, he swings—
Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon
Nearby, white lights
Exhale cheap ribbon
The spectators are all sardines,
Oyster shell Adam’s apples rattle—
Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon
It is pitch-black outside, the darkest darkness,
The night deepens with each passing moment
Descending with a parachutist’s wistfulness—
Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon
Notes:
Read the translator’s note by Jeffrey Angles.
Source: Poetry (June 2025)