Haiku:An Anthology Of Japanese Poems Read online

  over the withered fields

  sits the winter storm

  —JŌSŌ

  Coming to the sea

  the winter wind has no place

  to return

  —SEISHI

  In the abandoned boat

  dashing and sliding—

  hail

  —SHIKI

  Flowing down

  ice crushes

  ice

  —GOMEI

  The winter storm

  hides in the bamboo

  and becomes silent

  —BASHŌ

  Dearly, dearly

  embracing the sun—

  the fallen garden leaves

  —RITŌ

  Each plum blossom

  brings a single blossom’s

  warmth

  —BASHŌ

  The warbler

  sings upside-down

  his first note

  —KIKAKU

  Human Voices

  Illustration 13

  The tiny child—

  shown even a flower

  opens its mouth

  —SEIFU-JO

  Flea bites—

  while counting them, she nurses

  her baby

  —ISSA

  Shielding an infant

  from the wind—

  a scarecrow

  —ISSA

  Garden butterfly—

  as the baby crawls, it flies

  crawls—flies—

  —ISSA

  A child on my back

  I picked a bracken shoot

  and let him hold it

  —KYŌTAI

  Her mother eats

  the bitter parts—

  mountain persimmons

  —ISSA

  The harvest moon—

  “Get it for me!”

  cries the child

  —ISSA

  “It’s this big!”

  forming a peony with her arms—

  a child

  —ISSA

  Today too!

  today too! kites caught

  by the nettle tree

  —ISSA

  Spring rains—

  a child teaches the cat

  a dance

  —ISSA

  Worse than tears—

  the smile of the

  abandoned child

  —ANONYMOUS

  The season’s first melon

  clutched in its arms

  sleeps the child

  —ISSA

  Blazing sun—

  whose barefoot child

  is running free?

  —KŌYŌ

  At the ticket window

  our child becomes

  one year younger

  —SEIUN

  The youngest child

  visiting family graves

  carries the broom

  —BUSON

  First love—

  coming close to a lantern

  face-to-face

  —TAIGI

  Secret night rendezvous—

  a mosquito was swatted

  and died quietly

  —ANONYMOUS

  Heaven knows,

  earth knows, every neighbor knows—

  parents don’t know

  —SHISHŌSHI

  Sharing one umbrella—

  the person more in love

  gets wet

  —KEISANJIN

  Catching up

  and looking at her—

  nothing special

  —ANONYMOUS

  Hearing footsteps

  splitting in two

  the shadow

  —ANONYMOUS

  Waving umbrellas

  “goodbye” … “goodbye” …

  gossamer haze

  —ISSA

  Having children,

  you understand—

  but too late

  —ANONYMOUS

  Illustration 14

  Pear blossoms—

  a woman reads a letter

  by moonlight

  —BUSON

  Harvesting radishes,

  he points the way

  with a radish

  —ISSA

  Workers—

  they laugh

  in a single color

  —HAKUSHI

  Selling ladles,

  he shows how to scoop up

  nothing at all

  —ANONYMOUS

  Chanting the Lotus Sutra—

  only his lips

  are busy

  —ANONYMOUS

  With both hands

  thrust up mightily—

  my yawn

  —ANONYMOUS

  Trout fishing—

  more fishermen

  than trout

  —KENJIN

  Very secretly

  the medicine peddler

  is sick

  —ANONYMOUS

  The convalescent—

  indulging in his mother’s care

  has become a habit

  —ANONYMOUS

  Losing,

  he straightens in his seat

  and loses again

  —ANONYMOUS

  Having given my opinion

  I return home to

  my wife’s opinion

  —YACHŌ

  Priding himself

  on scolding

  his beautiful wife

  —ANONYMOUS

  Illustration 15

  “Every woman …”

  he starts to say,

  then looks around

  —ANONYMOUS

  “After you die

  they’ll be valuable”

  he tells the painter

  —ANONYMOUS

  Skeletons

  covered with adornment—

  flower viewing

  —ONITSURA

  Wanting to be logical

  he tries so hard—

  the drunkard

  —MEITEI

  “Let’s pull them all”

  says the dentist

  generously

  —ANONYMOUS

  “I’d never lose

  in a sumo match”—

  pillow talk

  —BUSON

  No talents

  also no sins—

  winter seclusion

  —ISSA

  Winter seclusion—

  from my wife and children

  I too play hide-and-seek

  —BUSON

  New Year’s cards

  with women’s handwriting

  get looked at first

  —BIRIKEN

  She lowers

  her eloquent lap

  onto his silent lap

  —ANONYMOUS

  The kimono for flower-viewing—

  disrobing, I’m entwined in

  a myriad of sashes

  —HISA-JO

  Without a word

  the guest, the host,

  white chrysanthemums

  —RYŌTA

  Out from the gate,

  I too become a traveler—

  autumn dusk

  —BUSON

  Walking along the river

  with no bridge to cross—

  the day is long

  —SHIKI

  Cold moon—

  feeling the pebbles

  under my shoes

  —BUSON

  A single guest

  visits a single host—

  autumn evening

  —BUSON

  “Coming, coming,”

  but someone still knocks—

  snowy gate

  —KYORAI

  Illustration 16

  My go rival—

  how vexing

  and how dear

  —ANONYMOUS

  Getting old—

  I slip on a watermelon rind

  as I dance

  —SŌCHŌ

  My nose running

  I play a solitar
y go-game—

  night chill

  —BUSON

  Just asking them to fight,

  he saved tons of money

  and died

  —HAKUCHŌ

  Flesh getting thin—

  these are thick bones

  —HŌSAI

  Feeling my bones

  on the quilting—

  frosty night

  —BUSON

  Charcoal fire—

  my years dwindle down

  just like that

  —ISSA

  For me leaving

  for you staying

  two autumns

  —SHIKI

  Owning nothing—

  such peace,

  such coolness!

  —ISSA

  Left to live on

  left to live on and on—

  this cold

  —ISSA

  Loneliness

  also has its pleasure—

  autumn dusk

  —BUSON

  Autumn of my years—

  the moon is perfect

  and yet—

  —ISSA

  Walking the dog

  you meet

  lots of dogs

  —SŌSHI

  Taking a nap

  I hide within myself—

  winter seclusion

  —BUSON

  All of a sudden

  my first fallen tooth—

  autumn wind

  —SANPŪ

  Winter rain—

  I’m not dead yet

  —SANTŌKA

  A whole family

  all gray-haired with canes

  visits graves

  —BASHŌ

  This autumn

  no child in my lap—

  moon-viewing

  —ONITSURA

  Are my youthful dreams

  still unfinished?

  this morning’s frost

  —ANONYMOUS

  The auspiciousness

  is just about medium—

  my spring

  —ISSA

  On New Year’s Day

  the morning in town

  comes irregularly

  —ANONYMOUS

  First winter kimono—

  may you quickly grow to

  a naughty age

  —ISSA

  Snow has melted—

  the village is full

  of children

  —ISSA

  Resonance and Reverberation

  Illustration 17

  “Don’t dare break it!”

  but he broke off and gave me

  a branch of garden plum

  —TAIGI

  Spring river—

  a tiny wooden clog

  floats by

  —HARITSU

  Spring rain—

  blown onto the bush

  a discarded letter

  —ISSA

  A shame to pick it

  a shame to leave it—

  the violet

  —NAO-JO

  Even when chased

  it pretends not to hurry—

  the butterfly

  —GARAKU

  One sneeze—

  and I lost sight of

  the skylark

  —YAYŪ

  Tired heart—

  mountains and ocean

  too much beauty

  —SANTŌKA

  Lead him slowly!

  the horse is carrying

  the spring moon

  —WATSUJIN

  Come out!

  you can almost touch

  the spring moon

  —TEI-JO

  Spring moon—

  if I touch it, it would

  drip

  —ISSA

  Spring rain—

  I gave my yawn

  to the dog at the gate

  —ISSA

  While I ponder

  a snail

  passes me by

  —ANONYMOUS

  Frogs grow silent—

  noble humans

  are passing by

  —RAKUKYO

  Early summer rain—

  a letter from home

  arrives wet

  —HARITSU

  Sudden shower—

  riding naked

  on a naked horse

  —SANTŌKA

  Rocks and trees

  glisten in my eyes—

  such heat

  —KYORAI

  The stone-carver

  cools his chisel

  in the clear stream

  —BUSON

  A hoe standing

  with no one around—

  the heat!

  —SHIKI

  Illustration 18

  Becoming a cow

  would be fine—morning naps

  and the evening cool

  —SHIKŌ

  After my sneeze

  all is quiet—

  summer mountains

  —YASUI

  Only the moon and I

  remain on the bridge

  cooling off

  —KIKUSHA

  One person

  and one fly

  in the large room

  —ISSA

  The fly on the porch

  while rubbing its hands—

  swat!

  —ISSA

  Each time

  I swat a fly, I chant

  “Namu Amida Butsu”

  —ISSA

  Mosquito larvae,

  dancing a Buddhist chant

  in the water by the grave

  —ISSA

  Being hit

  the gong spits out

  a noontime mosquito

  —SŌSEKI

  Sharing the same blood

  but we’re not related—

  the hateful mosquito!

  —JŌSŌ

  The flute player

  bitten by a mosquito

  on the edge of his lips

  —KYORIKU

  Swarms of mosquitoes—

  but without them,

  it’s a little lonely

  —ISSA

  During the day

  the Buddha shelters behind

  mosquitoes

  —ISSA

  Illustration 19

  The beggar

  wears heaven and earth

  as summer clothes

  —KIKAKU

  Where there are people

  there are flies, and

  there are Buddhas

  —ISSA

  They live long—

  the flies, fleas, and mosquitoes

  in this poor village

  —ISSA

  Two old bent backs

  sitting close, wrapped in

  a shower of cicada songs

  —ANONYMOUS

  In my hand

  its fleeting light vanishes—

  the firefly

  —KYORAI

  How delightful

  walking on dewy grasses—

  straw sandals

  —HARITSU

  Killing the spider

  then so lonesome—

  evening cold

  —SHIKI

  Seeing that I’m old

  even the mosquito whispers

  closer to my ear

  —ISSA

  An autumn mosquito

  determined to die

  bites me

  —SHIKI

  Before the white mums

  hesitating for a while—

  the scissors

  —BUSON

  Truly the autumn has come—

  I was convinced

  by my sneeze

  —BUSON

  Planting my buttocks

  on a huge taro leaf—

  moon-viewing

  —HARITSU

  Whatever they wear

  they become beautiful

  moon-viewing

  —CHIYO-JO

  Illustrati
on 20

  Taking me along

  my shadow comes home

  from moon-viewing

  —SODŌ

  Even grandma

  goes out drinking—

  moonlit night

  —ISSA

  Wild geese muttering, muttering—

  are they spreading

  rumors about me?

  —ISSA

  Don’t cry, wild geese,

  it’s the same everywhere—

  this floating world

  —ISSA

  A man raking—

  the leaves keep

  calling him back

  —ANONYMOUS

  Dusk—

  while the earth and I talk

  leaves fall

  —ISSA

  When I show my delight

  they fall down faster—

  acorns

  —FŪSEI

  Coldly, coldly

  the sun slips into my sleeve—

  autumn mountains

  —ISSA

  Autumn wind—

  in my heart, how many

  mountains and rivers

  —KYOSHI

  Deep in the mountains—

  falling into my heart

  autumn streams

  —SHINKEI

  More than last year

  it is lonely—

  the autumn dusk

  —BUSON

  On my shoulder

  is it longing for a companion?

  a red dragonfly

  —SŌSEKI

  Love in my old age—

  as I try to forget,

  late autumn rain

  —BUSON

  When I finally die—

  weeds

  falling rain

  —SANTŌKA

  From the nose

  of the Buddha in the fields—

  icicles

  —ISSA

  Visitors

  kindly create a path

  through the snow at my gate

  —ISSA

  The black dog

  becomes a lantern—

  snowy road

  —ANONYMOUS

  Winter sun—

  frozen on horseback

  is my shadow

  —BASHŌ

  Piercing cold—

  I dropped my broom

  under the pines

  —TAIGI

  Colder than snow

  on my white hair—

  the winter moon

  —JŌSŌ

  A hundred miles of frost—

  in a boat, I own

  the moon

  —BUSON

  Peaceful, peaceful

  chilly, chilly

  snow, snow

  —SANTŌKA

  To my cat

  a New Year’s card

  from its vet

  —YORIE

  The child on my lap

  begins to point at

  plum blossoms

  —ISSA

  Plum blossoms—

  “Steal this one here!”

  points the moon

  —ISSA

  Under the trees

  into the salad, into the soup—

  cherry blossoms

  —BASHŌ

  THE POETS

  ARŌ. See USUDA ARŌ.

  BAISHITSU (1769–1852). Baishitsu was born in Kanazawa to a family of sword experts. He moved to Kyoto, visited Edo (Tokyo) for twelve years, and then settled again in Kyoto, where he became one of the major haiku teachers of his era.

  BAKUSUI (1718–83). A poet from Kanazawa during the middle of the Edo Period, Bakusui studied under Otsuyū.

  BASHŌ (1644–94). Widely admired as the greatest of all haiku masters, Bashō, when young, left samurai life when his lord passed away and devoted himself to poetry. He made several journeys, which he celebrated in combinations of prose and haiku called haibun, and his deep humanity and depth of spirit influenced Japanese literature profoundly.