Japan That Sank under the Sea

When night falls,

Japan that sank under the sea

(Possibly it may have sunk, for next morning

I found myself between the blind clouds

And the old inhuman water.)

Comes up afloat in the heavens,

Like a lantern hanging.

Yes, that is an antique paper-lantern,

A candle-light muffled with an amber-colored Japanese

paper.

There, the surrounding darkness is deep,

Especially deep because of the vague candle-light.

But, where are the crowds of people

so familiar to me?

What swells up the darkness

Is the thick glossy foliage.

What fortune is told by this sight?

I don't see Tokyo anywhere; don't see anything

modern.

Only the lantern remains,

Only the antique silence

Keeps in form the melancholy of the long history.

From far down below some noise is heard,

A noise like that of waves... or is that ..?

It is too early to reveal itself.