On an autumn night not so long ago, a frustrated author wrote:

かいもなき眠り薬や夜半の秋
kai mo naki nemurigusuri ya yowa no aki

I take the pills,
yet they bring no sleep—
autumn midnight
—Ryunosuke Akutagawa

(trans. David LaSpina^[1])

^{Fujishima Takeji - Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond}

If you know Japanese or World literature, you may know the name Ryunosuke Akutagawa. He was famous in the Taisho Era (1912–1926), perhaps most so for Rashōmon, which was made much more well-known outside of Japan in 1950 when the Kurosawa film of the same name was released. The film made Toshiro Mifune an international star and is today considered one of the greatest films ever made. The film actually borrows more from another Akutagawa short story, called In a Bamboo Grove.

Akutagawa’s brilliant career was cut short in 1927 when he committed suicide by overdosing on Veronal, a sleeping drug. He had long been suffering hallucinations and anxiety, and his mother also had a mental disorder, so his suicide didn't come out of nowhere. At any rate, it does give this haiku from him a darker overturn.

There is a feeling of frustration in this haiku, but it more towards weary disappointment instead of anger. Anyone who has suffered from insomnia can probably understand this feeling as they lie awake hoping against hope that the drug will finally bring a long-awaited rest but the minutes tick by and sleep doesn't come.

The frustration is amplified by the kigo (season word) yowa no aki, "autumn midnight". Autumn nights are filled with the singing of insects, normally a welcome sound in Japan, but for someone chasing sleep, those same noises can easily shift from soothing to irritating. Autumn is also the time when we can easily notice how the nights are getting longer. This too leads to a feeling of isolation in this haiku.

In my translation above I tried to capture the weariness at the pills not working, but a slightly more literal translation would be something like this:

they bring me no rest
these worthless sleeping pills—
autumn midnight

I leave it to you to pick the one you prefer.

❦

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.

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1. That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can. ↩