Basho Haiku TranslationsA Poem by Michael R. Burch
These are my modern English translations of haiku by the Japanese master of haiku, Matsuo Basho.
The first soft snow: leaves of the awed jonquil bow low ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Come, investigate loneliness: a solitary leaf clings to the Kiri tree ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Lightning shatters the darkness― the night heron's shriek ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
A solitary crow
clings to a leafless branch: nightfall ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Graven images of long-departed gods, dry spiritless leaves: companions of the temple porch ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch See: whose surviving sons visit the ancestral graves white-bearded, with trembling canes? ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Winter in the air: my neighbor, how does he fare? ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Let us arrange these lovely flowers in the bowl since there's no rice ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch An ancient pond, the frog leaps: the silver plop and gurgle of water ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch An ancient pond sleeps, quiet and still ... untroubled ... until ... suddenly a frog leaps! ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Big old pond, the little frog leaps: Kerplash! ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Explosion! The frog returns to its lily pad. ― Michael R. Burch The butterfly perfuming its wings fans the orchid ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Pausing between clouds the moon rests in the eyes of its beholders ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The first chill rain: poor monkey, you too could use a woven cape of straw ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch This snowy morning: cries of the crow I despise (ah, but so beautiful!) ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Like a heavy fragrance snow-flakes settle: lilies on the rocks ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The cheerful-chirping cricket contends gray autumn's gay, contemptuous of frost ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Whistle on, twilight whippoorwill, solemn evangelist of loneliness ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The sea darkening, the voices of the wild geese: my mysterious companions! ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Will we remain parted forever? Here at your grave: two flowerlike butterflies! ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Air ballet: twin butterflies, twice white, meet, match & mate. ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Ballet in the air!― two butterflies, twice white, meet, mate, unite. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Come, butterfly, it’s late and we’ve a long way to go! ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A spring wind stirs willow leaves as a butterfly hovers unsteadily. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dusk-gliding swallow, please spare my small friends flitting among the flowers! ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Fever-felled mid-path my dreams resurrect, to trek into a hollow land ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Too ill to travel, now only my autumn dreams survey these withering fields ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch; this has been called Basho's death poem These brown summer grasses? The only remains of "invincible" warriors... ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch An empty road lonelier than abandonment: this autumn evening ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Spring has come: the nameless hill lies shrouded in mist ― Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Disdaining grass, the firefly nibbles nettles this is who I am. ―Takarai Kikaku (1661-1707), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A simple man, content to breakfast with the morning glories this is who I am. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This is Basho’s response to the Takarai Kikaku haiku above asagao ni / ware wa meshi kû / otoko kana The morning glories, alas, also turned out not to embrace me ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The morning glories bloom, mending chinks in the old fence ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Morning glories, however poorly painted, still engage us ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch asagao wa / heta no kaku sae / aware nari I too have been accused of morning glory gazing ... ―original haiku by by Michael R. Burch Taming the rage of an unrelenting sun autumn breeze. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch aka aka to / hi wa tsurenaku mo / aki no kaze The sun sets, relentlessly red, yet autumn’s in the wind. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch aka aka to / hi wa tsurenaku mo / aki no kaze As autumn deepens, a butterfly sips chrysanthemum dew. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch aki o hete / cho mo nameru ya / kiku no tsuyu Both victor and vanquished are dewdrops: flashes of light briefly illuminating the void. �"Ouchi Yoshitaka, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch As autumn draws near, so too our hearts in this small tea room. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch aki chikaki / kokoro no yoru ya / yo jo han Nothing happened! Yesterday simply vanished like the blowfish soup. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch ara nantomo na ya / kino wa sugite / fukuto-jiru The surging sea crests around Sado ... and above her? An ocean of stars. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch ara umi ya / Sado ni yokotau / Ama-no-gawa Revered figure! I bow low to the rabbit-eared Iris. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Nothing in the cry of the cicadas suggests they know they soon must die. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I wish I could wash this perishing earth in its shimmering dew. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Spring! A nameless hill shrouded in mist. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dabbed with morning dew and splashed with mud, the melon looks wonderfully cool. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Cold white azalea a lone nun in her thatched straw hut. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Glimpsed on this high mountain trail, delighting my heart wild violets ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The bee emerging from deep within the peony’s hairy recesses flies off heavily, sated ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A crow has settled on a naked branch autumn nightfall ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Except for a woodpecker tapping at a post, the house is silent. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch That dying cricket, how he goes on about his life! ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Like a glorious shrine on these green, budding leaves, the sun’s intense radiance. ―Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch ara toto / aoba wakaba no / hi no hikar New Haiku Translations, Added 10/6/2020 Air ballet: twin butterflies, twice white, meet, match & mate ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Denied transformation into a butterfly, autumn worsens for the worm ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Dusk-gliding swallow, please spare my small friends flitting among the flowers! ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Up and at ’em! The sky goes bright! Let’s hit the road again, Companion Butterfly! ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Higher than a skylark, resting on the breast of heaven: mountain pass. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Farewell, my cloud-parting friend! Wild goose migrating. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
A crow settles on a leafless branch: autumn nightfall. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
An exciting struggle with such a sad ending: cormorant fishing. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Secretly, by the light of the moon, a worm bores into a chestnut. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
This strange flower investigated by butterflies and birds: the autumn sky ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Where’s the moon tonight? Like the temple bell: lost at sea. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Spring departs; birds wail; the pale eyes of fish moisten. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The moon still appears, though far from home: summer vagrant. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Cooling the pitiless sun’s bright red flames: autumn wind. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Saying farewell to others while being told farewell: departing autumn. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Traveling this road alone: autumn evening. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Thin from its journey and not yet recovered: late harvest moon. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Occasional clouds bless tired eyes with rest from moon-viewing. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The farmboy rests from husking rice to reach for the moon. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The moon aside, no one here has such a lovely face. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The moon having set, all that remains are the four corners of his desk. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The moon so bright a wandering monk carries it lightly on his shoulder. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The Festival of Souls is obscured by smoke from the crematory. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The Festival of Souls! Smoke from the crematory? ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Family reunion: those with white hair and canes visiting graves. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
One who is no more left embroidered clothes for a summer airing. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
What am I doing, writing haiku on the threshold of death? Hush, a bird’s song! ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fallen ill on a final tour, in dreams I go roving earth’s flowerless moor. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch
Stricken ill on a senseless tour, still in dreams I go roving earth’s withered moor. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch
Stricken ill on a journey, in dreams I go wandering withered moors. ―Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Eihei Dogen Kigen translations These are my modern English translations of haiku by the Japanese poet Eihei Dogen Kigen, who was also called Dogen Zenji. Born in Kyoto, Japan, he was a Japanese Buddhist monk and a prolific poet, writer and philosopher. This world? Moonlit dew flicked from a crane's bill. �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch To what shall we compare this world? To moonlit dew flicked from a crane's bill. �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dewdrops beading grass-blades die before dawn; may an untimely wind not hasten their departure! �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dewdrops beading blades of grass have so little time to shine before dawn; let the autumn wind not rush too quickly through the field! �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Seventy-one? How long can a dewdrop last? �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Outside my window the plums, blossoming, within their curled buds, contain the spring; the moon is reflected in the cup-like whorls of the lovely flowers I gather and twirl. �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Unaware it protects the hilltop paddies, the scarecrow seems useless to itself. �"Eihei Dogen Kigen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Above the garden the camellia tree blossoms whitely... �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , explaining the essence of haiku, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Moonlit hailstones: the night hawks return. �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Nowhere to dump the dishwater: cricket cacophony. �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A good father drives away crows from his sparrow-like children. �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A cool breeze: the empty sky fills with the songs of the pines. �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Return my dream, raven! You woke me to a misted-over unreadable moon �"Uejima Onitsura (1660-1738) , said to be his death poem, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Tears are useless: insects, lovers, the stars themselves must part. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Sparrow-like children, make way, make way! The stallion's coming through! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch No one travels this path but me, this moonless autumn evening. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita wrote this poem on December 4,1941, while sailing for Hainan to invade Malaya. Now, as the sun and moon shine as one, the arrow, hurtling from the bow, speeds my spirit toward the enemy, bearing also a hundred million souls �"my people of the East�" as the sun and moon shine as one. �"Tomoyuki Yamashita, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Bonfires for the dead? Soon they'll light pyres for us, instead. �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Children delight in bonfires for the dead; soon they'll light pyres for us, instead. �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Cries of the wild geese�" spreading rumors about me? Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Wake up, old tomcat, then with elaborate yawns and stretchings prepare to pursue love Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This windy nest? Open your hungry mouth in vain, Issa, orphaned sparrow! Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The ghostly cow comes mooing mooing mooing out of the morning mist Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Full moon�" my ramshackle hut is an open book. Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The snow melts the rivers rise and the village is flooded with children! Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Don't weep, we are all insects! Lovers, even the stars themselves, must eventually part. Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) , loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Peonies blossom; the world is full of fibbers. Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Peonies blossom; the world is full of blooming liars. Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Overdressed for my thatched hut: a peony blossoms. Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Oh, magnificent peony, please don't disdain these poor surroundings! Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Insolent peony! Demanding I measure your span with my fan? Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch 'This big! ' The child's arms measured the peony. Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Issa seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the peony, writing at least 84 haiku about the flower, sometimes praising it and sometimes accusing it of haughtiness and insolence! The rutting cat has grown so scrawny he's nothing but eyes. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Clinging to each other beneath an umbrella: spring rain. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Twos become one: butterflies. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch No rain and yet the flowers glisten? Dew. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Buzzings encircle a meditating monk: mosquitoes. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch He's lost so much weight in the summer heat even the mosquitoes won't bite. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Autumn's here, crickets, whether you chirp or not. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A windy temple: coins clatter in the collection box. �"Shuson Kato, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch After death six feet under the frost will be sufficient cover. �"Shuson Kato, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Midwinter thunder rattles the windowpanes. �"Shuson Kato, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch PLUM BLOSSOM HAIKU A shy maiden: the loveliness of the lone plum blossoming �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Longing for plum blossoms: bowing before the deutzia, weeping. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Moonlit plum tree, tarry! Spring will return soon. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The plum blossom’s fragrance warms winter’s frigid embrace. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch White plum blossoms: have the cranes gone undercover? �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Suddenly, the scent of plums on a mountain path: sunrise! �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Warm sun unfolds the plum blossom’s scent: a mountain path. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The plum in full bloom must not be disturbed by the wind. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The plum's fragrance: the past holds such pathos. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Are you the butterfly and I the dreaming heart of Soshi? �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch kimi ya cho / ware ya shoshi no / yume gokoro The poem above is a reference to a butterfly dream of Chuang Tzu, a Taoist sage and poet who was a major influence on Basho. Soshi is the Japanese rendering of the name Chuang Tzu. I believe what Basho may have meant is something closer to this: Are you the butterfly while I pursue dreams of Soshi? �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Are you the butterfly while in my dreams I flit after Soshi? �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The white poppy accepts the butterfly's broken wing as a keepsake �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch shirageshi ni / hane mogu cho no / katami kana As autumn deepens a butterfly sips chrysanthemum dew �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch aki o hete / cho mo nameru ya / kiku no tsuyu A single leaf of paulownia falling reflects the sun. �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I caught a falling cherry petal; but opening my fist ... nothing �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch They call it a white peony yet it contains hints of red �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Evening shadows grow thick on the floating algae �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The snake slithered away yet his eyes, having met mine, remain �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The bamboo grove is lit by the yellow spring sunlight �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Chikurin ni/ Ki naru haruhi wo/ Aogikeri On a hot summer night dreams and reality merge. �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Mizika-yo ya/ Yume mo utsutsu mo / Onazi koto The summer butterfly has to look sharp to make its getaway. �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Natsu no cho/ Manako surudoku/ Kakeri kishi The autumn sky is severed by the big chinquapin tree. �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Akizora wo/ Futatsu ni tateri/ Shii-taiju “Cawa-cawa!” The winter crow elocutes coarsely. �"Takahama Kyoshi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Kawa kawa to/ Ookiku yuruku/ Samu-garasu
Petals I amass with such tenderness prick me to the quick. ―Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dark-bosomed clouds pregnant with heavy thunder ... the water breaks ―Michael R. Burch As I slept in isolation my desired beloved appeared to me; therefore, dreams have become my reality and consolation. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Submit to you―is that what you advise? The way the ripples do whenever ill winds arise? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Sad, the end that awaits me― to think that before autumn yields I'll be a pale mist shrouding these rice fields. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Now bitterly I watch fierce winds battering the rice stalks, suspecting I'll never again find anything to harvest. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch So cruelly severed, a root-cut reed ... if the river offered, why not be freed? ―Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Wretched water-weed that I am, severed from all roots: if rapids should entice me, why not welcome their lethal shoots? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch If fields of autumn flowers can shed their blossoms, shameless, why can't I also frolic here― as fearless, wild and blameless? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Do not ask, mariner, whose tomb this may be, but go with good fortune: I wish you a kinder sea. ―attributed to Plato, translated by Michael R. Burch Does my soul abide in heaven, or hell? Only the sea gull in his high, lonely circuits, may tell. ―Glaucus, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Be ashamed, O mountains and seas, that these valorous men lack breath. Assume, like pale chattels, an ashen silence at death. ―Parmenio, translation by Michael R. Burch Stripped of her stripling, if asked, she’d confess: “I am now less than nothingness.” ―Diotimus, translation by Michael R. Burch Passerby, Tell the Spartans we lie Lifeless at Thermopylae: Dead at their word, Obedient to their command. Have they heard? Do they understand? ―Simonides, translation by Michael R. Burch Blame not the gale, nor the inhospitable sea-gulf, nor friends’ tardiness, mariner! Just man’s foolhardiness. ―Leonidas of Tarentum, translation by Michael R. Burch Blame not the gale, nor the inhospitable sea-gulf, nor friends’ tardiness, mariner! Just man’s foolhardiness. ―Leonidas of Tarentum, translation by Michael R. Burch Here he lies in state tonight: great is his Monument! Yet Ares cares not, neither does War relent. ―Anacreon, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Wall, I'm astonished that you haven't collapsed, since you're holding up verses so prolapsed! ―Ancient Roman graffiti, translation by Michael R. Burch This world of dew is a dewdrop world indeed; and yet, and yet ... ―Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The childless woman, how tenderly she caresses homeless dolls ... ―Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch When no wind ruffles the Kiri tree leaves fall of their own free will. ―Nozawa Boncho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The herons stand, sentry-like, at attention ... rigid observers of some unknown command. ―Michael R. Burch Original Haiku and Tanka Dark-bosomed clouds one pillow ... Iffy Coronavirus Haiku yet another iffy coronavirus haiku #1 plagued by the Plague yet another iffy coronavirus haiku #2 sunflowers I wrote this poem after having a sunflower arrangement delivered to my mother, who is in an assisted living center and can’t have visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic. I have been informed the poem breaks haiku rules about personification, etc. Homework (yet another iffy coronavirus haiku #3) Dim bulb overhead, New World Order (last in a series and perhaps a species) The days of the dandelions dawn ... The Original Sin: Rhyming Haiku! Haiku The herons stand, Late Dry leaf flung awry: A snake in the grass Honeysuckle My nose nuzzles The day’s eyes were blue The moon in decline My mother’s eyes The sun sets bright leaf flung awry ~ leaf flutters in flight ~ The w***e with the pallid lips I am a traveler This is a poem composed of haiku-like stanzas: Lift up your head How will you tidy your hair Leave to each still night Soon you will free yourself: Now there are worlds seemingly at will Gasp at the bright chill Icicles splinter; you lift up your head, Variations on Fall Farewells like Falling leaves Autumn leaves Autumn leaves Variations on the Seasons by Michael R. Burch Mother earth The trees become * Wobbly fawns * Dry leaves * The sky Each the entire town entombed Variations on Night Night�" Night and the Stars in the ice-cold cathedral Variations on the Arts Paint peeling: The autumn marigold's Human arias? Where do cynics All the world’s To write an epigram, Haiku Video Anyone Variations on Lingerie Were you just a delusion? The clothesline The clothesline quivers: Variations on Love and Wisdom Wise old owls Myopic moon-hooting owls The myopic owl, Tanka All the wild energies The plums were sweet, A child waving ... How vaguely I knew you Miscellanea How can she bear her grief? sheer green stockings cicadas chirping everywhere Regal, upright, Love is a surreal sweetness although meant for market late November; as the butterfly hunts nectar You rise with the sun, As springs’ budding blossoms emerge I wrote this haiku-like poem above on 3-27-2023 after the Nashville Covenant school massacre.�"Michael R. Burch Incomprehensible “Slain” �" an impossible word to comprehend. Her sky-high promises: The north wind’s refrain, The north wind’s refrain, The moon blushed Elderly sunflowers: Fading memories Scandalous tides, Brittle autumn leaf, Valentine Haiku #1 for Beth A leaf brushes my cheek: Valentine Haiku #2 for Beth Teach me to love: The Ultimate Haiku Against God Because you made a world Early robins Sleepyheads! Am I really this old, The sky tries to assume The sky tries to assume Two bullheaded frogs An enterprising cricket A single cricket New haiku translations added 8-25-2023 Grasses wilt: the braking locomotive grinds to a halt �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Ceaseless chaos�" ice floes clash in the Soya straits. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Once they’ve crossed the sea, winter winds can never return. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Banish the snow for the human torpedo now lies exploded. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch (My interpretation is that the haiku above is about WWII kamikaze pilots. Winter is metaphorically the season of death and snow may be seen as a shroud for the dead. So here the poet may be saying, metaphorically, something like “We don’t need shrouds because our pilots are blowing themselves up.” ) The sky hangs low over Karafuto, as white as the spawning herring. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Green bottle flies buzzing carrion: did they just materialize? �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Finally the cicadas stopped shrilling: calm before gale. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As grief becomes unbearable someone snaps a nearby branch. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As grief reaches its breaking point someone snaps a nearby branch. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Trapped in the spider’s web the firefly’s bulb blinks out forever. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Trapped in the spider’s web The firefly’s light Is swiftly consumed. �"Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Seishi Yamaguchi has been said to represent “a pinnacle of haiku in twentieth-century Japan.” Graven images of long-departed gods, dry spiritless leaves: companions of the temple porch �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch See: whose surviving sons visit the ancestral graves white-bearded, with trembling canes? �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch I remove my beautiful kimono: its varied braids surround and entwine my body �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch This day of chrysanthemums I shake and comb my wet hair, as their petals shed rain �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch This sheer kimono�" how the moon peers through to my naked skin! �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch These festive flowery robes�" though quickly undressed, how their colored cords still continue to cling! �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Chrysanthemum petals reveal their pale curves shyly to the moon. �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Loneliness �" reading the Bible as the rain deflowers cherry blossoms. �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch How deep this valley, how elevated the butterfly's flight! �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch How lowly this valley, how lofty the butterfly's flight! �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Echoes from the hills�" the mountain cuckoo sings as it will, trill upon trill �"Hisajo Sugita, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Winter in the air: my neighbor, how does he fare? �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Let’s arrange these lovely flowers in the bowl since there's no rice �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Please arrange these delicate flowers in the bowl since we lack rice �"Matsuo Basho, translation by Kim Cherub An ancient pond, the frog leaps: the silver plop and gurgle of water �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch An ancient pond sleeps, quiet and still ... untroubled ... until ... suddenly a frog leaps! �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Big old pond, the little frog leaps: Kerplash! �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Explosion! The frog returns to its lily pad. �"Michael R. Burch The first soft snow: leaves of the awed jonquil bow low �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Come, investigate loneliness: a solitary leaf clings to the Kiri tree �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The first chill rain, so raw! Poor monkey, you too could use a woven cape of straw. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Fever-felled mid-path my dreams resurrect, to trek into a hollow land �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This snowy morning: cries of the crow I despise (ah, but so beautiful!) �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The cheerful-chirping cricket contends gray autumn's gay, contemptuous of frost �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Whistle on, twilight whippoorwill, solemn evangelist of loneliness �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The sea darkening, the voices of the wild ducks: my mysterious companions! �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Lightning shatters the darkness�" the night heron's shriek �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As the monks sip their morning tea, chrysanthemums quietly blossom. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The fragrance of plum blossoms on a foggy path: the sun rising. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The sea darkens ... yet still faintly white the wild duck protests. �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Let me die covered with flowers and never again wake to this earthly dream! �"Ochi Etsujin, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch To reveal how your heart flowers, sway like the summer grove. �"Tagami Kikusha-Ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch In the thicket’s shade a solitary woman sings the rice-planting song. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Unaware of these degenerate times, cherry blossoms abound! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch These silent summer nights even the stars seem to whisper. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The enormous firefly weaves its way, this way and that, as it passes by. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Composed like the Thinker, he sits contemplating the mountains: the sagacious frog! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A fallen blossom returning to its bough? No, a butterfly! �"Arakida Moritake, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Illuminated by the harvest moon smoke is caught creeping across the water ... �"Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Fanning its tail flamboyantly with every excuse of a breeze, the peacock! �"Masaoki Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Waves row through the mists of the endless sea. �"Masaoki Shiki, loose translation by Michael R. Burch I hurl a firefly into the darkness and sense the enormity of night. �"Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch As girls gather rice sprouts reflections of the rain ripple on the backs of their hats. �"Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Will we remain parted forever? Here at your grave: two flowerlike butterflies �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch These wilting August weeds? The only remains of warriors' ambitions ... �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch These brown summer grasses? The only remains of "invincible" warriors ... �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch An empty road lonelier than abandonment: this autumn evening �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Spring has come: the nameless hill lies shrouded in mist �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A solitary crow clings to a leafless branch: autumn twilight �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation by Michael R. Burch A solitary crow clings to a leafless branch: nightfall �"Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Right at my feet! When did you arrive here, snail? �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch While a cicada sings softly a single leaf falls ... �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Oh, brilliant moon is it true that even you must rush off, tardy? �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Oh, brilliant moon can it be true that even you must rush off, late for some date? �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This world of dew is a dewdrop world indeed; and yet, and yet ... �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Standing beneath cherry blossoms who can be strangers? �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch An enormous frog! We stare at each other, both petrified. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Skinny frog, hang on ... Issa to the rescue! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I toss in my sleep, so watch out, cricket! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch In a better world I'd leave you my rice bowl, little fly! �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Petals I amass with such tenderness prick me to the quick. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Standing unsteadily, I am the scarecrow’s skinny surrogate �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Brief autumn breeze ... she always wanted to pluck the reddest roses �"Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This is a haiku Issa wrote after the death of his daughter Sato with the note: “Sato, girl, 35th day, at the grave.” In our world we walk suspended over hell admiring flowers. �"Kobayashi Issa, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The childless woman, how tenderly she caresses homeless dolls ... �"Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Clinging to the plum tree: one blossom's worth of warmth �"Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch One leaf falls, enlightenment! Another leaf falls, swept away by the wind ... �"Hattori Ransetsu, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Disdaining grass, the firefly nibbles nettles�" this is who I am. �"Takarai Kikaku, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A simple man, content to breakfast with the morning glories�" this is who I am. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This is Basho’s response to the Takarai Kikaku haiku above The morning glories, alas, also turned out not to embrace me �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The morning glories bloom, mending chinks in the old fence �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Morning glories, however poorly painted, still engage us �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch My dear Basho, I too have been accused of morning glory gazing! �"original haiku by Michael R. Burch Taming the rage of an unrelenting sun�" autumn breeze. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The sun sets, relentlessly red, yet autumn’s in the wind. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As autumn deepens, a butterfly sips chrysanthemum dew. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As autumn draws near, so too our hearts in this small tea room. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Nothing happened! Yesterday simply vanished like the blowfish soup. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The surging sea crests around Sado ... and above her? An ocean of stars. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Revered figure! I bow low to the rabbit-eared Iris. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Come, butterfly, it’s late and we’ve a long way to go! �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Nothing in the cry of the cicadas suggests they soon die. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I wish I could wash this perishing earth in its shimmering dew. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Spring! A nameless hill shrouded in mist. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dabbed with morning dew and splashed with mud, the melon looks wonderfully cool. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Cold white azalea�" a lone nun in her thatched straw hut. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Glimpsed on this high mountain trail, delighting my heart�" wild violets �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The bee emerging from deep within the peony’s hairy recesses flies off heavily, sated �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A crow has settled on a naked branch�" autumn nightfall �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Except for a woodpecker tapping at a post, the house is silent. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch That dying cricket, how he goes on about his life! �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Like a glorious shrine�" on these green, budding leaves, the sun’s intense radiance. �"Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A kite floats at the same place in the sky where yesterday it floated ... �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Not to worry spiders, I clean house ... sparingly. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Dawn! The brilliant sun illuminates sardine heads. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Picking autumn plums my wrinkled hands once again grow fragrant �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Thorny roses remind me of my hometown ... �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Nearing the white chrysanthemum the scissors hesitate ... �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch White blossoms of the pear tree: a young woman reading her lover’s moonlit letter �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The pear tree flowers whitely: a young woman reading her lover’s letter by moonlight �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Pear tree blossoms whitened by moonlight: a young woman reading a letter. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Outlined in the moonlight ... who is that standing among the pear trees? �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The pigeon's behavior is beyond reproach, but the mountain cuckoo's? �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Your coolness: the sound of the bell departing the bell. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch As the moon flies west the flowers' shadows creep eastward. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch By such pale moonlight even the wisteria's fragrance seems distant. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch On the temple’s great bronze gong a butterfly snoozes. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Hard to describe: this light sensation of being pinched by a butterfly! �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch gills puffing, a hooked fish: the patient �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch In an ancient well fish leap for mosquitoes, a dark sound. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch In the lingering heat of an abandoned cowbarn mosquitoes hum darkly. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Among fallen leaves, an elderly frog. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The stirred morning air ruffles the caterpillar’s hair �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Whose delicate clothes still decorate the clothesline? Late autumn wind. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Tender grass forgetful of its roots the willow �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch NOTE: I believe this poem can be taken as commentary on ungrateful children. It reminds me of Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays.�"MRB Intruder!�" This white plum tree was once outside our fence! �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Since I'm left here alone, I'll make friends with the moon. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The hood-wearer in his self-created darkness misses the harvest moon �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch An evening breeze: water lapping the heron’s legs. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A misty spring moon ... I entice a woman to pay it our respects �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Courtesans purchasing kimonos: plum trees blossoming �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch On adjacent branches the plum tree blossoms bloom petal by petal: love! �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The red plum's fallen petals seem to ignite horse s**t. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The spring sea rocks all day long: rising and falling, ebbing and flowing ... �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch As the whale dives its tail gets taller! �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch A silk robe, casually discarded, exudes fragrance into the darkening evening �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch While tilling the field the motionless cloud vanished. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Dew-damp grass: the setting sun’s tears �"Yosa Buson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch PN- The dew-damp grass weeps silently in the setting sun �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Lately the nights dawn plum-blossom white. �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch White plum blossoms �" though the hour grows late, a glimpse of dawn �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch; this is believed to be Buson's jisei (death poem) and he is said to have died before dawn In the deepening night I saw by the light of the white plum blossoms �"Yosa Buson, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Silently observing the bottomless mountain lake: water lilies �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Cranes flapping ceaselessly test the sky's upper limits �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Falling snowflakes' glitter tinsels the sea �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Blizzards here on earth, blizzards of stars in the sky �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Completely encircled in emerald: the glittering swamp! �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The new calendar: as if tomorrow is assured ... �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The new calendar: as if tomorrow can be predicted �"Inahata Teiko, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Ah butterfly, what dreams do you ply with your beautiful wings? �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Because morning glories held my well-bucket hostage I went begging for water! �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch My well-bucket being held hostage by morning glories, I went begging for water. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Since my well-bucket’s being held hostage by morning glories, I go begging for water. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch To listen, fine ... fine also not to echo, nightingale. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch, she wrote this poem in calligraphy on a portrait of Matsuo Basho Upon her engagement to the servant of a samurai: Will it be bitter, the first time I bite an unripe persimmon? �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Written for her only son, who died: My little dragonfly hunter: how far away has he wandered I wonder? �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Her husband died when she was 27 years old: Rising, I see, and reclining I see the web of the mosquito netting ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch After she had shaved her head, become a nun and retired from public life: No more fixing my hair, merely warming my hands by the fire ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Leaves like crows’ shadows flirt with a lonely moon. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The moon settled in a flower-strewn stream �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch My elderly parents become my children: strident cicadas �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Illuminating my fishing line: the midsummer moon. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Auspicious straw! Even the compost looks glorious! �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch How alarming: her scarlet fingernails tending the white chrysanthemums! �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Whatever ... Leave it to the weather: withered pampas grass. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Heat waves shimmering above the wettened rock ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The moon: a morning blur amid cherry blossoms �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Loneliness abides within the listener: the cuckoo’s call �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Skylark, what do you make of the trackless sky? �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Returning from moon-viewing: we humans, voiceless. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The harvest moon illuminates these snowdrifts I trample. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch How contentedly they snore in the boondocks: full moon �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The butterfly tip-toes at ebb-tide �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Along her path butterflies flit, front and back �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Voiceless as a butterfly: the Buddhist service �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Whirling its wings the butterfly creates its own wind ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The waterweed washes away unaware of the butterfly’s weight �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Now and then a dandelion intrudes on a butterfly’s dreams �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Sometimes a butterfly emerges from the mist ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A butterfly settles on cherry blossoms: nap time! �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Moonflowers blossom: a woman’s nakedness �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch My painted lips purified: crystalline springwater �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch A woman’s desire: the wild violets’ entangled roots �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Her day off: the prostitute wakes to a frigid morning. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch With the waning moon silence enters the heart. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch We stoop to pick up ebb-tide pebbles. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Ebb-tide: everything we stoop to collect slips through our fingers ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch To entangle or unentangle the willow is the wind’s will. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Inflating the frog’s belly: looming downpour Inflating the frog’s belly: pregnant thunderheads The frog inflates: monsoon soon The frog inflates: prophet of the deluge Thunderclouds inflating: the frog’s belly �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Her death poem: Having seen the moon I can bid Earth farewell ... �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Isn’t it good to wake up alone, unencumbered? �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch She wakes up alone, unencumbered. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Her body-debt paid she wakes alone�" a frigid night. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Coolness�" strangers meet on a bridge late at night. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation by Michael R. Burch A woman’s passion flowers from the roots�" wild violets. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Also a poet arranging words with its airy wings�" the butterfly. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation by Michael R. Burch It’s child’s play for the cranes circling the clouds to celebrate the year’s first sunrise Cicadas chirp oblivious to death. �"Fukuda Chiyo-ni, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Spring stirs the clouds in the sky's teabowl �"Kikusha-ni, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Tonight I saw how the peony crumples in the fire's embers �"Katoh Shuhson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch It fills me with anger, this moon; it fills me and makes me whole �"Takeshita Shizunojo, loose translation by Michael R. Burch War stood at the end of the hall in the long shadows �"Watanabe Hakusen, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Because he is slow to wrath, I tackle him, then wring his neck in the long grass �"Shimazu Ryoh, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Pale mountain sky: cherry petals play as they tumble earthward �"Kusama Tokihiko, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The frozen moon, the frozen lake: two oval mirrors reflecting each other. �"Hashimoto Takako, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The bitter winter wind ends here with the frozen sea �"Ikenishi Gonsui, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Bitter winter wind, why bellow so when there's no leaves to blow? �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch The lamp extinguished, once-distant stars enter my window. �"Natsume Soseki, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Winter waves roil their own shadows �"Tominaga Fûsei, loose translation by Michael R. Burch No sky, no land: just snow eternally falling ... �"Kajiwara Hashin, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Along with spring leaves my child's teeth take root, blossom �"Nakamura Kusatao, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Stillness: a single chestnut leaf glides on brilliant water �"Ryuin, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The snake slipped away but his eyes, holding mine, still stare in the grass �"Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Girls gather rice sprouts: reflections of the water flicker on the backs of their hats �"Kyoshi Takahama, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Murmurs follow the hay cart this blossoming summer day �"Ippekiro Nakatsuka, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The wet nurse paused to consider a bucket of sea urchins then walked away �"Ippekiro Nakatsuka, loose translation by Michael R. Burch May I be with my mother wearing her summer kimono by the morning window �"Ippekiro Nakatsuka, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The hands of a woman exist to remove the entrails of the spring cuttlefish �"Sekitei Hara, loose translation by Michael R. Burch The moon hovering above the snow-capped mountains rained down hailstones �"Sekitei Hara, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Oh, dreamlike winter butterfly: a puff of white snow cresting mountains �"Kakio Tomizawa, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Spring snow cascades over fences in white waves �"Suju Takano, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Ono no Komachi Translations These are my modern English translations of the ancient Japanese poems of Ono no Komachi… Submit to you, is that what you advise? The way the ripples do whenever ill winds arise? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Watching wan moonlight flooding tree limbs, my heart also brims, overflowing with autumn. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch If fields of autumn flowers can shed their blossoms, shameless, why can't I also frolic here... as fearless and as blameless? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch I had thought to pluck the flower of forgetfulness only to find it already blossoming in his heart. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Sad, the end that awaits me... to think that before autumn yields I'll be a pale mist shrouding these rice fields. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Now bitterly I watch fall winds battering the rice stalks, suspecting I'll never again find anything to harvest. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch This abandoned mountain shack... how many nights has autumn sheltered there? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Am I to spend the night alone atop this summit, cold and lost? Won't you at least lend me your robes of moss? �"Ono no Komachi (GSS XVII: 1195) , loose translation by Michael R. Burch Am I to spend the night alone atop this ice-crag, cold and lost? Won't you at least lend me your robes of moss? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Two things wilt without warning, bleeding away their colors: a flower and a man's heart. �"Ono no Komachi (KKS XV: 797), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Alas, the beauty of the flowers came to naught as I watched the rain, lost in melancholy thought... �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch So cruelly severed, a root-cut reed... if the river offered, why not be freed? �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Wretched water-weed that I am, severed from all roots: if rapids should entice me, why not welcome their lethal shoots? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch In this dismal world the living decrease as the dead increase... oh, how much longer must I bear this body of grief? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch I think of you ceaselessly, with love... and so... come to me at night, for in the flight of dreams, no one can disapprove! ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Since my body was neglected by the one who had promised faithfully to come, I now lie here questioning its existence. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Sleepless with loneliness, I find myself longing for the handsome moon. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Once-colorful flowers faded, while in my drab cell life's impulse also abated as the long dismal rains fell. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch As I slept in isolation my desired beloved appeared to me; therefore, dreams have become my reality and consolation. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch That which men call 'love'... is it not merely the chain preventing our escape from this world of pain? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Did you appear only because I was lost in thoughts of love when I nodded off, day-dreaming of you? (If I had known that you couldn't possibly be true, I'd have never awakened!) ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Watching the long, dismal rains inundating the earth, my heart too is washed out, bleeds off with the colors of the late spring flowers. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Though I visit him continually in my dreams, the sum of all such ethereal trysts is still less than one actual, solid glimpse. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch I feel desire so intensely in the lily-seed darkness that tonight I'll turn my robe inside-out before donning it. �"Ono no Komachi (KKS XII: 554), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This vain life! My looks and talents faded like these cherry blossoms inundated by endless rains that I now survey, alone. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Autumn nights are 'long' only in verse and song: for we had just begun to gaze into each other's eyes when dawn immolated the skies! ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch On nights such as these when no moon lights your way to me, I lie awake, my passion blazing, my breast an inferno wildly raging, while my heart chars within me. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Since there's obviously nothing to catch in this barren bay, how can he fail to understand: the fisherman who persists in coming and going until his legs collapse in the sand? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch What do I know of villages where fisherfolk dwell? Why do you keep demanding that I show you the seashore, lead you to some pearly shell? ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Yielding to a love that recognizes no boundaries, I will approach him by night... for the world cannot despise a wandering dreamer. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Now that I approach life's inevitable winter your ardor has faded like blossoms wilted by late autumn rains. ―Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch 'It's over! ' Your words drizzle like dismal rains, bringing tears, as I wilt with my years. �"Ono no Komachi (KKS XV: 782), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I pursue you ceaselessly in my dreams... yet we've never met; we're not even acquainted! �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch Like flowers wilted by drenching rains, my beauty has faded in the onslaught of my forlorn years. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Fiery coals searing my body hurt me far less than the sorrow of parting. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Love is man's most unbreakable bond. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This moonless night, with no way to meet him, I grow restless with longing: my breast's an inferno, my heart chars within me. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch How brilliantly tears rain upon my sleeve in bright gemlets, for my despair cannot be withstood, like a surging flood! �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch This flower's color has drained away, while in idle thoughts my life drained away as the long rains fall. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Fatal reality! You must do what you must, I suppose. But even hidden in my dreams from all prying eyes, to watch you still pains me so! �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch In eye-opening daylight much stands revealed, but when I see myself reflected in hostile eyes even dreams become nightmares. �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch I would meet him tonight but the moon shows no path; my desire for him, smoldering in my breast, burns my heart to ash! �"Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Sotoba Komachi is a modern Noh play by Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) . Mishima's play is based on an ancient work by Kan'ami Kiyotsugu (1333-1384) . The first kanji means 'stupa' (the dome of a shrine) while the second kanji means 'belle' or 'beautiful woman.' So the title may be interpreted as something like 'Beauty's Shrine' or 'Shrine to Beauty.' Kan'ami was the first playwright to incorporate the Kusemai song and dance style and Dengaku dances into plays. He founded a sarugaku theater group in the Kansai region of Honshu; the troupe later moved to Yamato and formed the Yuzaki theater company, which would become the school of Noh theater. Excerpts from SOTOBA KOMACHI by KWANAMI loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Priest of the Koyasan: We who have built our homes on shallow slopes now seek solitude in the heart's deep recesses. Second Priest: This single thought possessed me: How I might bring a single seed to flower, the wisdom of Buddha, the locus of our salvation, until in despair I donned this dark cassock. Ono no Komachi: Lately so severed, like a root-cut reed, if the river offered, why not be freed? I would gladly go, but here no wave stirs... I was once full of pride now fled with the years, gone with dark tresses and with lustrous locks; I was lithe as a willow in my springtime frocks; I once sang like a nightingale sipping dew; I was wild as the rose when the skies shone blue... in those days before fall when the long shadows grew. But now I've grown loathsome even to w****s; even urchins abhor me; men treat me with scorn... Now I am nothing but a poor, withered bough, and yet there are wildflowers in my heart, even now. Only my body lingers, for my heart left this world long ago! Priests (together) : O, piteous, piteous! Is this the once-fabled flower-bright Komachi, Komachi the Beautiful, whose dark brows bridged eyes like young moons; her face whitest alabaster forever; whose many damask robes filled cedar-scented closets? Ono no Komachi wrote tanka (also known as waka) , the most traditional form of Japanese lyric poetry. She is an excellent representative of the Classical, or Heian, period (circa 794-1185 AD) of Japanese literature, and she is one of the best-known poets of the Kokinshu (circa 905) , the first in a series of anthologies of Japanese poetry compiled by imperial order. She is also one of the Rokkasen, "the six best waka poets of the early Heian period, during which poetry was considered the highest art. Renowned for her unusual beauty, Komachi has become a synonym for feminine beauty in Japan. She is also included among the thirty-six Poetry Immortals. It is believed that she was born sometime between 820-830 and that she wrote most of her poems around the middle of the ninth century. She is best known today for her pensive, melancholic and erotic poems. Keywords/Tags: Ono no Komachi waka tanka translation Japanese love women womanhood feminist feminism
Keywords/Tags: Ono no Komachi, Sotoba Komachi, Yukio Mishima, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, Kan'ami, Kwanami, Noh play, Japan, Japanese, beauty, beautiful, river, heartbreak, heartbroken, poetess, geisha, courtesan, song, dance, girl Keywords/Tags: haiku, Japanese, translation, Oriental, imagery, metaphor, nature, coronavirus, plague, life, death, nature #POEMS #POETRY #HAIKU #PLUM #PLUMS #MRB-POETRY #MRBPOEMS #MRBPOETRY #MRBHAIKU #MRBPLUM #MRBPLUMS Keywords/Tags: haiku, translation, translations, Japan, Japanese, nature, Basho, death, zen, dew, dewdrop, world, spring, moon, moonlight, life, moonlit, Oriental, season, seasons, death, frog, butterfly, orchid © 2025 Michael R. Burch |
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