米とぐところみぞそばのいつとなく咲いてwhere I wash the rice mizosoba has bloomed unnoticed

米をとぐ水辺に、みぞそばの小さな花がいつのまにか咲いている。誰が植えたのでもない。毎朝くりかえす炊事の場所に、秋がそっと届いていたことへ、ふと気づく。暮らしと季節が地続きになっている人の、しずかな発見。By the water where he washes his rice, the small flowers of mizosoba (persicaria) have opened without his noticing. No one planted them. He realizes with a start that autumn has quietly arrived at the very spot where he does his cooking each morning — the still discovery of a man for whom daily life and the seasons are one continuous ground.