River
…….Mother,
…….Why is the river laughing?
Why, because the sun is tickling the river
…….Mother,
…….Why is the river singing?
Because the skylark praised the river’s voice.
…….Mother,
…….Why is the river cold?
It remembers being once loved by the snow.
…….Mother,
…….How old is the river?
It’s the same age as the forever young springtime.
…….Mother,
…….Why does the river never rest?
Well, you see it’s because the mother sea
is waiting for the river to come home.
.
by Shuntaro Tanikawa
from The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry
Vintage Books, 1996
Translated by Harold Wright