About this work
A poetic speaker recalls separation from three daughters, holding guilt, affection and the wish for reunion together. This English version is an editorial translation for access; the Japanese text remains available alongside it for comparison.
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日本語原文 Japanese original
娘三人に恵まれたはずが
引き離されちゃった過去
生き別れって辛い
末っ子はまだ二歳だというのに
産後、わたしは不治の病に苦しんだ
仕方なく、泣く泣く娘たちと生き別れ
暗いさだめに泣いた年月は虚しく
福島県で育った愛娘たち
震災にも負けずに生きてくれた
すっかり大きくなって大人になった愛娘たち
あれから私も何とか生き延びた
育てられなかった罪悪感と後悔を
胸に抱くけれど
たった一人の母親として接してくれる愛娘たち
優しい子に育ったね
やはり私は母だと心強く生きる
離れていても娘の誕生日忘れない
大きく立派になったね
写真をテーブルにならべて
「ハッピーバースデー」と一人で呟いた夜
明け方、ドアをノックする音。
娘が三人、立っているはず…
起ちあがると、音はやんだ。
English translation 英訳
AI-assisted English translation. The Japanese original remains authoritative.
Separated While Still Alive
Nao Takatori
2023.10.24
I was supposed to have three daughters,
but the past was torn apart.
Separated While Still Alive is painful.
Even the youngest is only two years old.
After childbirth, I suffered from an incurable illness.
With no choice, I had to sadly separate from my daughters,Separated While Still Alive.
The years of crying in dark fate were in vain.
My beloved daughters, raised in Fukushima Prefecture,
defied the disaster and lived on.
They grew up, became adults,
and since then, I managed to live on too.
I carry the guilt and regret of not being able to raise them,
but my beloved daughters, who treat me as a single mother,
grew into kind children.
Indeed, I am a mother, and I live strongly in my heart.
I never forget my daughters' birthdays, even though they are apart.
They grew up big and respectable.
One night, I laid out the photos on the table
and whispered, "Happy Birthday" alone.
At dawn, the sound of someone knocking on the door.
My daughters, three of them, should be standing there...
I got up, and the sound stopped.
Original wording, author credits, notes and source materials are preserved there.