Winter, January 2026
“Winter is coming.” It’s all over the news. It’s January, I wonder what to do in the midst of a storm. Let’s stock up on a few winter haiku by Matsuo Basho.
Winter is coming
Oh, there is snow on the way,
The weatherman says
A monkey caught unawares by the snow and the sleet.
初しぐれ . 猿も小蓑を . ほしげ也
hatsu shigure . saru mo komino o hoshige nariThe first time it snows
even a monkey know what he wants
— a little straw coat.
Out for a ride, after a blizzard, I want to go home but I’m stuck to my seat.
冬の日や. 馬上に氷る . 影法師
uyu no hi ya . bashō ni kōru . kagebōshiIt’s a wintry day
I sit on a horse, frozen,
along with my shadow.
Just when we think, winter’s over …
初雪や . 水仙の葉の . たわむまで
hatsuyuki ya . suisen no ha no . tawamuThe season’s first snow
dumped on a daffodil leaf
— bending, it bows.
To most children, the snow is pretty, to some it’s sad.
霜を着て . 風を敷き寝の . 捨子哉
shimo o kite . kaze o shiki-ne no . sutego kanaAll covered in frost,
laying down in the wind, asleep —
an abandoned child.
The snow is pretty
Some children make snow angels,
As some fall asleep
matsuo-basho-haiku 