[IN EARLY WINTER Poem by Jūkichi Yagi

In early winter,
I look down from a roof top garden.
The town of Kobe gives me
a look that is strangely off-putting
yet reminiscent of a streak of undeniable longing.
Only towards the mountain,
is it bright and clear as a fine autumn day.
Is it maybe because I'm looking down from a height?
What a pitiful sight it is with endless smoke rising gracelessly.
The town is evenly
coloured in dull steel blue
and appears disorderly.
I am pierced by an orderly streak of sorrow.