海的比喻 The Metaphor of the Sea

Following the convening of Hong Kong International Poetry Nights 2011, The World of Words is a collection of selected works by some of the most internationally acclaimed poets today. The poem of "The Metaphor of the Sea" by Shuntarō Tanikawa (Japan) is finest contemporary poetry in trilingual or bilingual presentation.

Shuntarô Tanikawa (Japan) was born in 1931 in Tokyo. He is the only child of well-known philosopher Tetsuzô Tanikawa, and among the most popular contemporary poets in Japan. After having finished high-school, he decided not to go on to university. His first book of poems Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude appeared in 1952. He has since produced some 70 books of poetry and won every major Japanese award for his writings. He has also written essays, radio and film scripts and picture books for children. He is the translator of the Mother Goose Rhymes and has for many years been the translator of Peanuts. He has performed his poems in America, Ireland, England and China. His books of poems which have so far been translated into English are Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude (trans. 1996), 62 Sonnets (1953, trans. 1992), On Love (1955, trans. 2003), With Silence My Companion (1968, trans. 1975), At Midnight in the Kitchen I Just Wanted to Talk to You (1975, trans. 1980), Definitions (1975, trans. 1992), Coca-Cola Lessons (1980, trans. 1986), Map of Days (1982, trans. 1996), Songs of Nonsense (1985, trans. 1991), Floating the River in Melancholy (1988, trans. 1988), Naked (1988, trans. 1996), On Giving People Poems (1991, trans. 2005), The Naif（1993, trans. 2004）and minimal (2002, trans. 2002). The Selected Poems of Shuntarô Tanikawa was published in America in 1983 and Shuntarô Tanikawa: Selected Poems was published by Carcanet, U.K. in 1998. His most recent book of poems is SUKI (Liking) published in May 2006.

1931年生於東京，為著名哲學家谷川 徹三的獨生子，日本最富盛名的當代詩人之一。高中畢業後，決定不再升學。於1952年出版首部個人詩集《二十億光年的孤獨》，隨後創作近70部詩作集，並囊括日本各大文學獎。並從事散文、廣播與電影劇本、兒童圖書的創作，曾翻譯《鵝媽媽童謠》，長期擔任《花生漫畫》連載的翻譯工作。曾在美國、愛爾蘭、英國及中國朗誦詩作，多部詩集被譯為英文，如《二十億光年的孤獨》（1996年英譯版）、《62首十四行詩》（1975年原文版，1992年英譯版）、《關於愛》（1995年原文版，2003年英譯版）、《寂靜伴我》（1968年原文版，1975年英譯版）、《午夜廚房我只想與你傾談》（1975年原文版，1980年英譯版）、《定義》（1975年原文版，1992年英譯版）、《可口可樂課程》（1980年原文版，1986年英譯版）、《天天的地圖》（1982年原文版，1996年英譯版）、《憂鬱順流而下》（1988年原文版，1988年英譯版）、《赤裸》（1988年原文版、1996年英譯版）、《關於贈人以詩》（1991年原文版，2005年英譯版）、《不諳世故》（1993年原文版，2004年英譯版）及《極簡》（2002年原文版，2002年英譯版）。英文版《谷川俊太郎詩選》於1983年在美國出版，《谷川俊太郎：詩作選》於1998年在英國出版。近作《鍾情》（SUKI）出版於2006年5月。

1. 生きる　活着　Living
2. 鳥　鳥　Birds
3. 愛について　關於愛　On Love
4. 空　天空　The Sky
5. 牧歌　牧歌　A Pastoral Song
6. 海　大海　The Sea
7. 色の息遣い　顏色的氣息　The Breaths of Colors
8. ニンジンの栄光　胡蘿蔔的光榮　The Glory of Carrots
9. 海の比喩　海的比喻　The Metaphor of the Sea
10. 頼み　懇求　Request
11. 死んだ男の残したものは　死去的男人遺留下的東西　What The Dead Man Left Behind
12. 灰についての私見　關於灰之我見　A Personal Opinion about Gray
13. 自己紹介　自我介紹　Self-introduction