From the Person of the Playful Star

We roll the dice
And play our game, we the people
Of the playful star
Doing the forbidden and
Turning the skies round and round

Born as we are onto
This playful star of deep green
Why is it we do
Not dedicate ourselves to
Playing for all we are worth?

-Excerpt From Chimako Tada's "Tanka From the Person of the Playful Star "
Translation by Jeffrey Angles

Translator's Note: The words “playful star” are a literal rendering of the word yūsei (遊星) meaning “planet.” (Ancient Chinese astronomers saw the planets as “playful stars” that wandered across the heavens according to their own whimsical logic. This word, inherited from Chinese, is still used in modern Japan.)

Image via