On The Trail With Basho Encore #13 a hangover
cherry blossom viewing
without a set of nested bowls
in my heart
© Basho
a hangover
is nothing as long as
there are cherry blossoms
© Basho
……………………………………………….
Category: Carpe Diem Basho Encore
How Long
Carpe Diem On The Trail With Basho Encore #12 How Long
late at night
how long will the great blue heron
wade for his dinner
~~~
how long
will the rooster crow for the sun
this grey morning
~~~
oh how long
will the nights be empty
without you
Butterflies – On the Trail with Basho
On The Trail With Basho Encore #7 butterflies
ran no ka ya cho no tusubasa ni takimono su
orchid fragrance
from the butterfly’s wings
scenting the clothes (c) Basho
cho no tobu bakari nonaka no hikage kana
a butterfly flies
only in the field
of sunshine (c) Basho
cho no ha no ikutabi koyuru hei no yane
wings of a butterfly
how many times do they flutter
over roof and wall c) Basho
kimi ya cho ware ya Soji ga yume gokoro
you are butterfly?
I am Chuang-tzu’s
dreaming heart c) Basho
fennel waves
breeze from swallowtail wings
tiny eggs laid
~~~
white sulfas
play hide and seek
in the shasta daisies
Autumn Night
Carpe Diem “On The Trail With Basho Encore” #6 autumn night
aki no yo o uchi kuzushitaru hanashi kana
autumn night
dashed to bits
in conversation
© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
~~~
late dinner
lack of conversation
tearing us apart
~~~
on the streets
bigoted dialogue
feeding the fire
~~~
spring evening
gathered conversations
spreading joy
A Falling Sound
On The Trail With Basho Encore 5 a falling sound
This haiku was written by Basho in spring 1666 short after the unexpected dead of his friend, Yoshitada. Basho was almost 22 years of age when he wrote this haiku.
uru oto ya mimi mo su-naru ume no ame
a falling sound
that sours my ears
plum rain © Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
Written today the after the news of my dear friend Cathy’s passing.
~~~
rain on the tin roof
no longer music to my ears
empty garden
as the bells ring
my heart trembles
falling petals
Such Stillness
Carpe Diem On the Trail with Basho 4 such stillness
shizu kasa ya iwa ni shimi iru semi no koe
such stillness
piercing the rock
a cicada’s voice
sweltering heat
in the heart of the night
a thunder crack
~~~
quiet garden
drenched in moonlight
a cat yeows
Washing My Feet
On The Trail With Basho Encore 3, washing my feet
ashi arote tsui ake yasuki maro ne kana
washing my feet
I fall asleep for the short night
with my clothes on
© Basho
soaking my feet
I lay on the riverbank
basking in the sun
~~~
without undressing
I sleep thru the longest night
with my shoes on
Fragile Twigs
On The Trail With Basho Encore (2) fragile twigs
fragile twigs
breaking off the scarlet papers
autumn winds © Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
‘Toshi’ refers to a very fragile paper made in China. The idea of the poem was that even a fragile twig could tear the paper or the twigs were too fragile to hold on to the Autumn leaves.
delicate branches
pink heads bent to the ground
after spring shower
A Grass Pillow
On the Trail with Basho Encore (01), a grass pillow
“On the departure of Rotsu for Michinoku (the Northern part of Honshu)”.
kusa makara makoto no hanami shite mo koyo
a grass pillow
is the best to use when coming
to view cherry blossoms
© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
cloud watching
hands behind head
grass for a pillow
~~~
lying on our backs
under the maple tree
light shadows dancing
On further reading these are not in the same spirit: According to Jane Reichhold, Rotsu was leaving to follow Basho’s trip of the previous year to the Far North. Rotsu was rather notorious for his bad behavior. While in Zeze, visiting in a home, he broke a valuable tea container. Instead of owning up to the accident, he blamed another one of Basho’s students. Basho got very angry with him over the incident. He only forgave Rotsu shortly before his death. But he was so concerned about the situation that he had left a note in his will of his forgiving Rotsu for this. Rotsu did attend the funeral service of Basho at Gichuyi Temple in Zeze and wrote a detailed report of the end Basho’s life and death.
Ada's Poetry Alcove (2) 