“Short poems”

It has been some months since I left home.
I wonder if my letters have reached my family,
But their letters still have not arrived.
I never thought I would return home safely,
But the solitude blemishes a soldier’s heart.

A gasoline drum has turned into a bathtub.
An unshaven round face is floating in the bath,
On this evening in the South.

My mate who died with honour left us
Without reading a letter that came from home.

The beauty was the bullets that were fired from the flying planes
They are just like fireworks soaring from the ground.

We have come far away to attack this strange land of New Guinea,
Where crocs crunch coconuts with a smile.

My life, I know, is not that valuable
But as a shield of the Great Emperor,
I cannot waste it lightly. [1] (pp.22a-22b)

"Short poems"

11 April
The sun looks as if it rises from the west.
The direction is difficult to sense in the jungle.

In the forest, it sounded as if a kitten called.
A strange-looking bird was calling for its mate.

A smudge fire rises high and thin
Above canvas tents in the evening.

The sound of waves has become our lullaby.
Living in a tent is comfortable once one gets used to it.

Only because I became a soldier
Could I manage to be strong and courageous.

When somebody was asked about his wish,
The answer was to eat as many sweet cakes as possible.

When somebody asks what we want, how many of us can answer that question straight away? I have recently been thinking this way: there are so many things we want, that it is difficult to point out the most and the second most desirable.
This shows how far our situation is from normal.
Letters from home and from friends only make me melancholy.

Just as young children wish for all the toys,
We want everything when we are so far away from civilisation. (pp.23a-24b)

“Reflections”

I have only accomplished 30 per cent as a farmer and really only 10 per cent as a city person. I know I have not achieved much by now. When I reflect, I feel ashamed of my conscience.

I felt I was fully developed as a person, and was confident that I had led a full day-to-day life as a member of society. Yet, when I look back, that seems to have been an illusion.

Whatever duty I had, I did not dedicate myself earnestly, and my life so far has not been happy.

What is the use of sentiment? What is the use of education? The only thing we believe in on the battlefield is destiny and the world of loyalty and love.

‘Be faithful to your conscience.’
I appreciate these words. I will make an effort to become a competent farmer or a reliable worker.

Pursuit of pleasure should be only allowed when I have extra energy left.

“Short poems”

I could not help but ask his age twice
After the group commander shaved in our tent.

The first-year soldier returned soaked from his cooking duty.
I remember my first year, now some years ago.

Even though we sow vegetable seeds,
The plants struggle as there is not enough sun.
Our hopes are dashed.

Whenever rain falls, the bomb shelters are filled with water.
We are not sure what the shelters are for.

When I opened a diary left behind by my mate,
I was saddened to find a letter from his wife tucked inside.(p.36a)

“Poems”

15 April
I spent almost half a day looking for my own camp with a compass
After I made a wrong turn on the way back from collecting pumpkins.

I see so many footprints, but I have not seen any beasts of prey.
I wonder where they are.

The sky has cleared and the water in the river is now clear.
Yet it is still dangerous to walk across a log bridge after the rain. (p.36b)

“Poems”

The ground rumbles whenever enemy horseflies drop their droppings.

In the jungle, there are snakes scarier than bullets.

We appreciated coconuts when they were still novel to us.

In the autumn sunshine, mayflies are flying here and there.

The night in the land of everlasting summer is long, as fireflies flit across the darkness. (p.80)

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