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Translated from the Japanese by Christian Nagle
I
infancy
the snow that fell on me
was like floss silk
childhood
the snow that fell on me
was like sleet
seventeen to nineteen
the snow that fell on me
dropped like hail
twenty to twenty-two
the snow that fell on me
seemed like balls of ice
twenty-three
the snow that fell on me
looked like a blizzard
twenty-four
the snow that fell on me
became so mournful
II
the snow that falls on me
falls like petals
when the burning firewood makes a noise
and the frozen sky darkens
the snow that fell on me
so delicate and lovely
fell reaching out a hand
the snow that fell on me
was like tears
that sink into a burning forehead
to the snow that fell on me
I offered heartfelt thanks and prayed to God
that I would live a long life
the snow that fell on me
was so chaste
Chuya Nakahara (1907–1937) was a Japanese poet.
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