Santōka Alarm
日本語EN

eyes fixed, biting into eyes — eyes

jitto hitomi ga hitomi ni kuiiru hitomi

1937–1938 · Wartime poems
Sōmokutō · The Home Front (Jūgo)

Notes

Perhaps a scene of seeing off a departure. Steadily, eyes gaze into eyes as if to bite into them. Everything that cannot be put into words is exchanged through the eyes alone. The word "eyes," repeated three times, conveys the very length of that moment.

Browse all 701 poems

山頭火アラーム アプリアイコン

Wake to this poem.

Santōka Alarm is an iOS app that wakes you each morning with a single poem.
Set a poem you love as your alarm.

Download on the App Store iOS 26+