In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

127 Selected Poems of Tanikawa Shuntarō II 『谷川俊太郎詩集 続』 (1979) To Go Home When I was born Earth shed tears to equal my birth weight I was made from a bit of Heaven and Earth There was no need to blow the breath of life into me because both Heaven and Earth were breathing When I was born The chestnut tree in our yard gave me a quick glance I stopped crying for a moment It was not that an angel shook the tree it was because the tree and I were brothers When I was born the Cosmos gave a smile amid its busy routine That moment I learned happiness It was not because I was loved by people It was just that I came to know how glorious it is to be alive in the Cosmos By and by Death will fold me into its time-honored orderliness That is to go home. . . . (“Poems Written When the Poet was 21 or 22 Years Old”)™ ...

Share