Howling at the Moon

A sick face appears beneath the ground. Bamboo roots spread through darkness. Two black cats greet each other on a roof, and a lonely dog follows a man toward the moon. In Howling at the Moon, ordinary bodies and landscapes become startling visions of solitude, longing, and fear.

First published in 1917, Hagiwara Sakutarō’s debut collection brought a distinctive voice to modern Japanese poetry. This complete translation includes fifty-three shorter poems and two long poems, together with Kitahara Hakushū’s preface, the author’s original and second-edition prefaces, collection notes, Muroo Saisei’s intimate closing essay, and a tribute to the artist Tanaka Kyōkichi.

The poems range from spare, luminous lines to extended scenes of a broken lark’s egg and a child seeking a flute. Their strange physical imagery remains vivid in English, with the original verse lines and stanza divisions preserved. Brief notes explain period language, unusual terms, and textual details. The supplied book contains no illustration files, but every description of the artwork is translated. AI-assisted translation, prepared and edited by Valentin Sarić.