Saeko Ogi

Saeko Ogi is a tanka poet and tanka translator. A member of the Araragi-ha Tanka Society in Japan since 2003. Born in Tokyo, has lived in Canberra since 1972. She contributes tanka both written in Japanese and English to tanka periodicals and to anthologies in Japan, Australia and USA, is actively involved in tanka activities; translating, presenting talks in symposiums and facilitating a tanka group in Canberra CJC (Canberra Japan Club) Bluebells Tanka Group that she initiated. In 1998 her friendship with Amelia Fielden with Saeko translating her two poetry and tanka collections: Eucalypts and Iris Streams and Fountains Play, into Japanese. Since then they have kept working on bilingual poetic works. Also in association with Amelia, she translated three tanka collections by Kawano Yūko: Time Passes, The Maternal Line and The Time of This World – 100 Tanka from 13 collections as well as three tanka collections by Tanaka Noriko: Doorway to the Sky, Breast Clouds and From the Middle Country. Other translation works with Amelia are Tanka To Eat, and Poems to Wear – from Japan and Australia. Her tanka, translated from Japanese into English by Amelia Fielden appeared in Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Volumes 3 and 4. She loves watercolour painting, as well as knitting, playing the piano, Mahjong both in Australian and Japanese rules and Sūdoku.

Sample

1972

swirling
through the vast sky
oh bird, where do you go

frost, melting
draws on the ground
geometric patterns

thick fog—
startled
by cows’ breath

Asahi newspaper Haiku Column; Three haiku selected by Kaneko Tōta

1992

the full moon
I wait for it to be visible
from my pillow

sweeping fallen leaves
gathers the scent
of eucalypts

1994

rising moon—
my feet too
leave the earth

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