Shuntaro Tanikawa

1931 / Tokyo City, Japan

That Person

I would have lived my whole life
just having loved her.
And once having died
I will then live on in her memory.

The blue sky that spread above her
belonged to me alone.
And the sun that brightened her cheeks
I will never give over to anyone.

In the village where she lives now
beyond the snow-covered mountains
she will bear children
and be surrounded by grandchildren.

Happiness, like an illusion, is transient
and will, like a fossil, remain forever underground.
I already see
her serene pupils.
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