The coincidence between the titles of these two volumes is accidental, but nonetheless fortuitous, for together they serve to memorialize the English poet James Kirkup (1918-2009), who died on May 10 last year.

Let us begin with the translated volume, which carries the legend, in both Japanese and English, "Kirkup's last work." Michio Nakahara (b. 1951) is a leading contemporary haiku poet and heads a group called Ginka, or "iridescence." He began as a disciple of another poet, won prizes for his work, and eventually formed his own group, which publishes a journal.

As far as I am aware, this is the first time his work has been translated into English, but the publication of this book is unique in being a collection by an important poet complete with English translation on its first appearance. There have been a number of anthologies of translated modern haiku, and collected or complete editions of classic poets. There have also been a number of privately circulated volumes in which the same poet has gathered his or her own work in both Japanese and English, or tried to provide a parallel translation. But I do not think there has ever been a new collection like this one, which carries a full translation by another poet, albeit assisted by a Japanese collaborator.