To a traveler,
Shii flowers,
like the heart of a traveler
(like the thoughts of a traveler)

旅人の　心にも似よ　椎の花
tabibito no / kokoro ni mo niyo / shii no hana

Matsuo Basho, Summer, 1693

May 6, Genroku 6,
50 years old, 1693

Through the summer of 1693, Basho continued to teach and attend haiku parties (renga). Presumably, at one such party, he composed this haiku, a farewell poem to Morikawa Kyoroku (1656―1715), who was headed to the mountains.

Notes on Translations

Shii is a general term for an evergreen tree of the Birch family. Sometimes called the Japanese Chinquapin, it can be found in the southern US, as well as Japan. In June, it bears separate male and female fuzzy spikes that emit a strong odor that some liken to a cross between honeysuckle and rancid meat. It hosts mushrooms (shiitake), hence the name.

Kokoru, 心 meaning ‘heart’ (Chinese pinyin: xīn). The character looks like the “heart” of a person. The ancients believed that the heart is the organ of thinking, so thoughts and feelings may be substituted.

Morikawa Kyoroku was a samurai of the Hikone Domain, artist and haiku poet. He drew a picture of Basho and another individual, possibly Kyoriku himself.