Matsuo Basho's Summer haiku poems
The famous haiku made by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) are mostly the theme of summer. In the Japanese lunar calendar, April to July is summer. Though summer is energetic season,
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<Japanese>
旅人の 心にも似よ 椎の花
Tabibito no/ Kokoro nimo niyo/ Shii no hana
<English>
Resemble
The mind of a traveler,
The flower of chinquapin.
<Japanese>
清滝の 水汲ませてや ところてん
Kiyotaki no/ Mizu kumasete ya/ Tokoroten
<English>
From the clean fall,
You dipped up water
For the Tokoroten.
*tokoroten: A gelidium jelly.
<Japanese>
馬ぼくぼく 我を絵に見る 夏野かな
Uma bokuboku/ Ware wo e ni miru/ Natsuno kana
<English>
The horse trudge around.
I found myself in the paint.
It’s summer fields.
*The sound of “boku boku” has the easy feeling.
<Japanese>
瓜作る 君があれなと 夕涼み
Uri tsukuru/ Kimi ga arena to/ Yusuzumi
<English>
Wishing you were here,
Who feel sure of growing a gurad,
I enjoy the cool of the evening.
<Japanese>
紫陽花や 藪を小庭の 別座敷
Azisai ya/ Yabu wo koniwa no/ Betsu-zashiki
<English>
The hydrangeas,
And the thicket is for the small garden.
The another house is here.
<Japanese>
啄木鳥も 庵はやぶらず 夏木立
Kitsutsuki mo/ Iori ha yaburazu/ Natsu-kodachi
<English>
Even a woodpecker
Wouldn’t crack the tea hut.
In the summer grove.
<Japanese>
己が火を 木々に蛍や 花の宿
Onoga hi wo/ Kigi ni hotaru ya/ Hana no yado
<English>
Their own fire
Are on the trees, the fireflies
Around the house with flowers.
<Japanese>
五月雨に 鳰の浮巣を 見にゆかん
Samidare ni/ Nio no ukisu wo/ Mini yukan
<English>
In the early summer rain,
I will see the floating nests
Of the little grebes.
<Japanese>
雲の峰 いくつ崩れて 月の山
Kumo no mine/ Ikutsu kuzurete/ Tsuki no yama
<English>
The crests of the cloud
Crumble frequently,
The moon mountain.
*moon mountain: It means Mt.Gassan in Yamagata Prefecture.
<Japanese>
どんみりと 樗や雨の 花曇り
Donmiri to/ Ouchi ya ame no/ Hana-gumori
<English>
Thick and dull.
The chinaberries are in the rain
And the hazy weather.
*Donmiri shows the havy air.
<Japanese>
花あやめ 一夜に枯れし 求馬哉
Hana-ayame/ Ichiya ni kareshi/ Motome kana
<English>
Flowers of iris
Are all dead in one night.
Oh, Motome.
*Kyuma: Yoshioka Motome(吉岡求馬). The kabuki actor in Edo Period. Just before the day of his young death, Basho viewed his play.
<Japanese>
子供等よ 昼顔咲きぬ 瓜剥かん
Kodomo-ra yo/ Hirugao sakinu/ Uri mukan
<English>
Hey kids,
The bindweeds are in bloom.
Let’s peel gourds
<Japanese>
暑き日を 海に入れたり 最上川
Atsuki hi wo/ Umi ni iretari/ Mogamigawa
<English>
The hot sun was
Set into the sea
By the Mogami River
*Speaking of the Mogami River, do you know the his famous haiku poem?
<Japanese>
川風や 薄柿着たる 夕涼み
Kawakaze ya/ Usukaki kitaru/ Yusuzumi
<English>
The river breeze.
I wear the pale yellowish brown.
The cool of evening.
<Japanese>
楽しさや 青田に涼む 水の音
Tanoshisa ya/ Aota ni suzumu/ Mizu no oto
<English>
It’s pleasant.
I’m cooled in the green paddy field.
And the sound of the water.
<Japanese>
団扇もて あふがん人の うしろむき
Uchiwa mote/ Aogan hito no/ Ushiro-muki
<English>
I want to
Fan for his
Back shot.
<Japanese>
南無ほとけ 草の台も 涼しかれ
Namu-hotoke/ Kusa no dai mo/ Suzusi kare
<English>
The Buddha statue
On the poor stand is also.
Cool for him.
*Matsuo Basho set the Buddha statue in his house until he died.
<Japanese>
風流の 初めや奥の 田植歌
Furyu no/ Hajime ya oku no/ Taue-uta
<English>
It’s gracious
For the first visiting Michinoku
And its rice‐planting song.
*The poem that Basho made when he entered Tohoku region at the journy of ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’
Though summer is energetic season, haiku poetry has quiet atmosphere. That is the spirit of “Sabi”.
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Wabi and Sabi, Japanese unique sense of art
More Basho’s haiku poems
Other famous Japanese poets
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