On the completion of his trip to the northern interior of Japan which was to become the famous travelogue Oku no Hosomichi, Matsuo Basho took time to visit with friends and take a side journey to visit his birthplace in Ise Province. A poetry performance (renga) was held at a tea house near the castle in Iga-Ueno where Basho was once a servant.
人々を しぐれよ宿は 寒くとも
We at the inn, Even tho’ it’s bitterly cold, — Let it rain!
Hitobito wo/ Shigureyo yado wa/ Samuku tomo
Matsuo Basho, Winter, 1689
Notes on Translation
I have reversed the word order in Basho’s haiku and turned down the thermometer to bitterly cold.
To each of us at the inn, let it rain, even if it’s cold. The poets who have gathered for a renga are sitting and shivering in silence, immersed in the beautiful world of haiku. The rat-a-tat-tat of the sleet on the roof and the freezing weather creating an atmosphere of pure wabi, Buddhist term to express an emotion of subdued austere beauty.
shigureyo しぐれよ, the imperative verb form for rain, literally, let it rain. shigure, a winter rain-shower. It is a kigo for winter, and a metaphor for shedding tears.
Last day on Grand Cayman. Nothing but blue skies and willowy clouds. West Bay in the distance reaching out into the Caribbean, cruise ships arriving in George Town, small boats going to and fro, and I am smack dab in the middle of Seven Mile Beach listening to the waves washing ashore.
Dr Roy Edison McTaggert’s home by the shore is no more. Demolished in 1991, it made way for shops four tourist from cruise ships. All Grand Cayman asked for in return was a tiny strip of rock known as Dr Roy’s Ironshore.
Seven Mile Beach, looking at George Town
Dr Roy did his part
Pulled some teeth
Then departed
“Dr Roy was a pioneering politician, businessman, dentist, cultural guardian and philanthropist.” He lived a long active life from 1893 to 1991, overseeing the Cayman’s independence and insuring that it remained part of the British Commonwealth.
Upland House replaced
His house
—Ugh
Seven Mile Beach
Matsuo Basho wrote about clouds at night a needed rest from moon viewing.
Clouds come and go, a rest for all of us — moon viewing
And this one about friends departing, a wild goose because we are all lonely wanderers flying far and wide.
like a cloud in the wind
a wild goose and his friend
too soon depart
Finally, a nod to Joyce Kilmer and his well known tree poem.
Kenkō, 兼好 (1283–1350) Buddhist monk and author wrote this:
“It is foolish to be enthralled by fame and fortune, painfully striving all your life, and not enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.”
Yoshida Kenkō, How Will You Spend Your Last Day
By the winter of 1693, Matsuo Basho was back in Edo, again in the Fukagawa neighborhood across the frozen Sumida River, living in a simple cottage. Cottage might be an overstatement. A hut with a thatched roof that let the rain in would be a better description with buckets to catch the pattering rain.
But as it is winter, the sound of ice at night, signals the end is near.
A bottle breaks An icy night, I’m awake!
The crock cracks, I am awake, Ice at night
Awoken by The cracking crock — An icy night
瓶割るる夜の氷の寝覚め哉 kamewa ruru / yoru no koori no / nezame kana
Matsuo Basho
Notes on Translation
Kamewa ruru, 瓶割るる, the bottle breaks, the crock cracks. Not a shattering of the glass, but a slender crack that appears, like ice in a pond.
Yoru no kōri no, 夜の氷の, the ice at night.
Nezame kana, 寝覚め哉, one has the sense of suddenly being awoken from a deep sleep.
Kaba-t,カバっ, an onomatopoeic expression for waking up with a start.
Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶) is, like Matsuo Bashō and Yosa Buson, regarded as one of the great haiku masters. The following haiku about a snail (katatsumuri, 蝸牛) climbing Mt. Fuji reveals that he had a child-like sense of humor and wonder.
Little Snail, Slowly, slowly, climb Mt. Fuji
蝸牛 そろそろ登れ 富士の山
katatsumuri/ soro soro nobore/ fuji no yama
Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)
Climbing Mt. Fuji
A tiny snail, shell in tow, steadily climbing Mt. Fuji. Q: Why? A: Because it is there.
Compare this gastropod’s herculean effort with the legend of Sisyphus, who was punished by Zeus (god of the sky) for cheating death twice and given the task of rolling a boulder up a hill and watching it roll down every time as it neared the top. Or think of Atlas, hoisting the world on his shoulders.
All three efforts lasting an eternity.
From the 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hiroshige, as viewed from Satta Point and Suruga Bay, source Wikipedia.
It rained last night in Dallas. A hard rain with thunder and lightning, the kind of rain that makes my two dogs crawl underneath the covers, curl up, and hide. Today is no different. One might say it is raining cats and dogs or buckets, but that makes no sense to the dogs who are sadly staring out the window wondering.
It’s Thanksgiving, happy Thanksgiving, a good day to stay at home and cook, then to gather with friends and family, say a prayer and eat.
A rainy day in November
Dogs at the window
A hang-dog look
Our thoughts turn to what to do when it is raining so hard all one can say is, “Oh my God!”
It rained all night, it rained all day. It rained, then stopped, and rained again. It rained like someone pounding at my door. The windows rattled, as did I. It rained so much, I screamed, Enough!
Is it Her fault that She chose Thanksgiving as the day for us to stay home and ponder life’s mysteries.
I am not abandoning Matsuo Basho, but looking over his shoulder as he reads from a book of poetry by the 12th century Saigyo Hoshi (西行法師). Saigyo was both poet and wandering Buddhist monk whose travels inspired Basho’s own journeys.
Deep in the mountains, Water from rocks, drip drop, Me, gathering chestnuts Falling plop-plop
Saiygo, [Sankashū, Collection from a Mountain Home, 1290]
And what, dear reader, do you suppose Basho thought when he read the words “katsu-katsu?” — “kerplunk,” a pond and a frog, that’s the sound of water.
Late November
It is late November in the Midwest where, much to the delight of squirrels, spiny chestnuts, prickly tot the touch, are falling all about in my backyard, such that two dogs are loathe to play. Later, out for a peaceful walk, I am in the woods where the plop-plop of falling walnuts surprise my dogs.
Katsu-katsu (かつかつ) a word shouted out in Zen Buddhism to induce a state of Enlightenment. Also, an onomatopoeic phrase to indicate clicking, clopping; clacking, plop-plop. Tochi (橡), chestnuts.
The candy’s gone. A little sadness, some melancholy, descends on one the day after Halloween night. A beautiful moonlit evening, houses decorated gaily, neighbors wondering if they have enough candy, kids in costumes, smiling, politely asking for candy.
“Trick or treat.”
But night turns into day
The parents safely tucked the younger children in bed by eight. The older children walked the streets til late. Now, they are back in school, or they slept in, suffering from a tummy ache.
The falling leaves, a moonlit night, costumed kids, all so polite, “trick or treat” its so much fun, until the candy’s gone — Halloween
Bashō no yōna, 2022
Saigyo
The 12th century poet Saigyō Hōshi (西行法師) wrote this short poem after a fruitless day of cherry blossom viewing and hazy night and moon watching. In the best Buddhist tradition, turning a negative thought into one that is positive. Teaching us that on the morning after Halloween, sadness can be sweet.
花散らで月は曇らぬ世なりせば物を思はぬわが身ならまし hana chirade / tsuki wa kumoran / yo nariseba / mono o omowan / waga mi naramashi
西行, Saigyo
Were it not for falling blossoms and a cloudy moon, in such a world I could not feel this sadness
Eine Welt ohne Zerstreuen von Blüten und ohne Bewölken des Mondes, würde mich meiner Melancholie berauben
le monde sans fleurs qui tombent et une lune assombrie vole moi ma mélancolie
“Where does Du Fu live?” travelers often asked of the reclusive Chinese poet.
And locals replied, “Down by the riverbank, underneath old Nanmu.”
The 17th century Japanese haiku poet Matuso Basho had his Basho, the weakly banana tree; the 8th century Chinese poet Du Fu, Nanmu, a tall stately conifer.
The Storm
In 759, in the midst of the devastating An Lushan Rebellion, the Chinese poet Du Fu moved to Chengdu. He stayed there in relative safety for four years, quietly writing poetry waiting for the storm to pass. For Du Fu, the Nanmu tree in front of his thatched cottage was a refuge in the broader political struggle between the Tang dynasty and rebelling troops who were primarily foreigners. The Dragon mentioned in the poem was the imperial symbol of the Tang Dynasty. The tiger, the rebels.
Following this is Matsuo Basho’s haiku about rain dripping in pots during a thunderstorm.
My Nanmu Uprooted by the Storm and Sighing
My Nanmu leaned on the river bank, in front of my thatched cottage, An age old legend says that it’s two hundred years old. It was foretold its thatch should cover my home, In May one could already hear the cicadas warning.
When a southeast wind came and violently shook the land, The river churned, stones tossed, among gusts of flowing clouds. But my tree held back the thunderstorm in a battle of strength, Is it heaven’s mandate to choose to cut the roots?
In a dismal storm an old tree is the best place to be, Underneath thick foliage of an evergreen tree. Passing travelers lingered here, afraid of snow and frost, And those who walked came to listen to the music in its branches.
As the tiger falls to the dragon, cast into a thorny patch, Tracks of tears and drops of blood fall onto my chest. Where shall I go to sing my poems? From this point on, my thatched cottage lacks all color.
Du Fu, ca. 759-763
Notes. The pine tree is a symbol of perseverance in winter and longevity. But what happens when a storm fells a tree? The cicada was a symbol of Du Fu’s simple, humble lifestyle. Tianyi, heaven’s mandate, fate. The wind blowing through the pine needles was a familiar Chinese metaphor for nature making its own music. For the meteorologically inclined: a southeast wind could mean both a wind that is out of the southeast and one that is southeast in direction. The An Lushan Rebellion began in the northwest and came south. “Feng” winds (Du Fu uses the term piaofeng, a whirlwind) were associated with violent, erratic, and disruptive storms.
Other Sources. A comprehensive collection of Du Fu’s poetry is found online in PDF format.. Search Du Fu and Steve Owens. Owens’ work complements another work by Xiaofei Tian, Du Fu quanji jiaozhu 杜甫全集校注, which is also available online in PDF format.
柟樹為風雨所拔歎 倚江柟樹草堂前， 古老相傳二百年。 誅茅卜居總為此， 五月髣髴聞寒蟬。
東南飄風動地至， 江翻石走流雲氣。 幹排雷雨猶力爭， 根斷泉源豈天意。
蒼波老樹性所愛， 浦上童童一青蓋。 野客頻留懼雪霜， 行人不過聽竽籟。
虎倒龍顛委榛棘， 淚痕血點垂胸臆。 我有新詩何處吟， 草堂自此無顏色。
Here is Matsuo Basho’s haiku about the banana tree outside his cottage in an autumn storm.
Banana tree in a fierce autumn gale I wonder if I can hear Rain in the tub, tonight!
matsuo-basho-haiku 