Kobayashi Issa's haiku poems
Kobayashi Issa was a haiku poet in the Edo period who used dialect and spoken words for haiku. Because he was born in the farmer family, and loved to use the plain and simple words. The representative work is “”The Spring of My Life”.
Other famous Japanese poets
<Japanese>
春風や 牛にひかれて 善光寺
Harukaze ya/ Ushi ni hikarete/ Zenkoji
<English>
The spring breeze.
Being pulled by a cow
To the Zenkoji temple.
*From the Japanese traditional legend. An old woman who had no faith found herself in Zenkoji while chasing the cow that hung the dried cloth on the horn. As a result, she began to believe Buddhism deeply.
<Japanese>
雀の子 そこのけそこのけ お馬が通る
Suzume no ko/ Soko noke soko noke/ Ouma ga touru
<English>
The baby spallows,
Make way, make way.
The horse is going to pass along.
すず風や 力いっぱい きりぎりす
Suzukaze ya/ Chikara ippai/ Kirigirisu
The cool breeze.
With all his strength
The cricket.
*kirigirisu: In ancient Japan, “kirigirisu” meant today’s cricket. Kirigirisu means katydid now.
涼風の 曲がりくねって 来たりけり
Suzukaze no/ Magari-kunette/ Kitari keri
The cool breeze
Twisted and crooked,
Then came here.
夏山や 一足ずつに 海見ゆる
Natsu-yama ya/ Hitoashi zutsu ni/ Umi miyuru
The summer mountains.
At my every steps,
I could sea more.
<Japanese>
やれ打つな はえが手をする 足をする
Yare utsuna/ Hae ga tewo suru/ Ashi wo suru
<English>
Don’t hit it.
The fly rub the hands
Or rub the legs.
<Japanese>
牛の子が 旅に立つなり 秋の雨
Ushi no ko ga/ Tabi ni tatsu nari/ Aki no ame
<English>
The baby cow
Goes on a trip.
The autumn rain.
<Japanese>
長月の 空色袷 きたりけり
Nagatsuki no/ Sora-iro awase/ Kitari keri
<English>
In September
The sky wears
A lined kimono.
*The sky also prepared for the cold weather.
<Japanese>
ともかくも あなたまかせの 年の暮れ
Tomo-kakumo/ Anata makase no/ Toshi no kure
<English>
At any rate,
I leave entirely up to you
At the the year-end.
<Japanese>
椋鳥と 人に呼ばるる 寒さかな
Mukudori to/ Hito ni yobaruru/ Samusa kana
<English>
“You are a gray starling”
I called by people.
It is cold.
*In Edo Period, the resident of the capital(Edokko) teased an unpolished man who came from the country as “a gray starling”. Because the bird has the unclear voice and boring color of feather.
<Japanese>
うまさうな 雪がふうはり ふうはりと
Umasouna/ Yuki ga fuwari/ Fuwari to
<English>
It looks appetizing.
The snow softly
And gently.
<Japanese>
これがまあ 終のすみかか 雪５丈
Kore ga maa/ Tsui no sumika ka/ Yuki gojo
<English>
Well, this is
My final abode.
The snow lay 15 meter.
The winter haiku poem examples by Japanese famous poets
Books about Kobayashi Issa
Other famous Japanese poets
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