on this moonlit night after
ten nights of sutras
moromoro no
gusha mo tsukiyo no
jūya kana
So small! Perilously
clinging to Mount Fuji,
the young willow
Chonbori to
fuji no kowaki no
yanagi hana
Envious even
of the child being punished
on New Year’s Eve
Shikararuru
hito urayamashi
toshi no kure
A butterfly
flutters past—my body feels
the dust of ages
Chō tonde
waga mi mo chiri no
tagui kana
In their bamboo hats
they whisper “Good-bye, good-bye,”
in a falling mist
Kasa de suru
saraba saraba ya
usugasumi
It’s regrettable
that you follow after me,
little butterfly
Kinodoku ya
ore wo shitōte
kuru kochō
At the flowerpot,
the butterfly listens:
true Buddha Dharma
Hanaoke ni
chō mo kiku kayo
ichidaiji
In a warm spring rain
a rat is slowly drinking
Sumida River
Harusame ya
nezumi no nameru
sumidagawa
Dear evening swallow,
today is a burden—and
trust nothing tomorrow!
Yūtsubame
ware ni wa asu no
ate mo nashi
A new fawn twitches,
shaking free a butterfly,
then naps once again
Saoshika ya
chō wo furutte
mata nemuru
The morning glories,
blossoming, have thatched the roof
of my hermitage
Asagao no
hana de fukitaru
iori kana
In a light spring rain
a discarded letter blows
through a bamboo grove
Harusame ya
yabu ni fukaruru
sute-tegami
The winter wren
goes about her business
without a sound
Kossori to
shite kasegu nari
misosazai
The field wren,
searching here, there, everywhere—
has she lost something?
Misosazai
kyoro kyoro nan zo
otoshita ka
Graciously, the dog
steps out of my way along
this snowy trail
Inudomo ga
yokete kurekeri
yuki no michi
I know everything
about the old householder,
even his shiver
Mi ni sou ya
mae no aruji no
samusa made
By a neighbor’s light
I sit in a rented room:
cold and cold food tonight!
Tsugi no ma no
hi de zen ni tsuku
samusa kana
Stopping at the gate,
I hear the Mii Temple bell,
sound frozen in the air
Kadoguchi ni
kite kōru nari
mii no kane
Good company,
the cat sits among us
on New Year’s Eve
Onakama ni
neko mo za toru ya
toshiwasure
The third crescent moon,
this spring night so very cold
its back too is curved
Mikazuki wa
soru zo samusa wa
saekaeru
Freezing moonlight falls
on the legs of great Nio guards
at the temple gate
Kangetsu ni
tatsu ya niō no
karassune
Fast as it can go—
sailing into the fire—
a single hailstone!15
Abaraya ni
tonde hi ni iru
arare kana
The hail has fallen—
in moonlight the young hookers
quietly return
Tama arare
yotaka wa tsuki ni
kaerumeri
Like the burning
of this charcoal fire, our years
too will soon expire
Sumi no hi ya
yowai no heru mo
ano tōri
Only a few people
at a glance; at a glance, leaves
fall here, leaves fall there
Hito chirari
konoha mo chirari
horari kana
Buddha beside a field,
and blooming from his nose,
a long icicle
Nobotoke no
hana no saki yori
tsurara kana
My father also
studied these high mountains
from his winter hut
Oya mo kō
mirareshi yama ya
fuyugomori
The young bush warbler,
with a bright yellow voice,
calls for its parents
Uguisu ya
kiiro na koe de
oya wo yobu
Even in good light
the guy in this self-portrait
looks awfully cold
Hiikime ni
mite sae samuki
soburi kana
“The sewage ditch
is over here!” the old horse
calls in midnight cold
Shōbenjo
koko to uma yobu
yosamu kana
Early this morning,
falling silently, a single
paulownia leaf
Kesa hodo ya
kosori to ochite
aru hitoha
The turnip farmer
with a turnip points the way
back to the road
Daikohiki
daiko de michi wo
oshiekeri
Trembling helplessly
like a solitary heart,
this pampas grass stalk
Hosusuki ya
hosoki kokoro no
sawagashiki
I am leaving now.
You may play together
happily, crickets!
Dete iku zo
naka yoku asobe
kirigirisu
Be a good friend and
tend to our house while I’m gone,
my little cricket!
Otonashiku
rusu wo shite iro
kirigirisu
Take care in the grass—
don’t wipe out those pearls of dew,
little cricket!
Shiratsuyu no
tama fungaku na
kirigirisu
Tell me as you go,
wild goose, how often you’ve seen
Mount Asama’s smoke
Kaeru kari
asama no keburi
ikudo miru
Keeping the infant
safe from harsh autumn wind:
the old scarecrow
Chinomigo no
kazeyoke ni tatsu
kagashi kana
Beautiful full moon—
nothing extraordinary
to the old scarecrow
Meigetsu ni
kerorito tachishi
kagashi kana
Where does it come from,
such bitter winter cold,
I ask you, scarecrow?
Dochira kara
samuku naru zo yo
kagashi-dono
The moor crow is so
satisfied, having landed
on the bashō tree
; Nogarasu no
jōzu ni tomaru
bashō kana
Calm, indifferent
as if nothing’s transpired—
the goose, the willow
Kerorikan
to shite kari to
yanagi kana
“A party of one,”
the innkeeper duly noted.
A cold autumn night
Ichinin to
chōmen ni tsuku
yosamu kana
People! Compelled to go
when not even a scarecrow
remains standing
Hito wa isa
suguna kagashi mo
nakarikeri
Just beyond my reach,
that chestnut is inviting:
what color! what size!
Hirowarenu
kuri no migoto yo
ōkisa yo
Rice piled everywhere,
Jizō looks even more lonely
by this country road
Ine tsunde
jizō wabishi ya
michi no hata
The sacred night dance:
as bonfires pop and cackle,
painted leaves fall in
Yokagura ya
takibi no naka e
chiru momiji
When I finally die,
I hope you’ll tend my grave,
little grasshopper!
Ware shinaba
hakamori to nare
kirigirisu
Snowy white dew—and
above the potato fields,
the River of Heaven
Shiratsuyu ya
imo no hatake no
amanogawa
Thus spring begins: old
stupidities repeated,
new errors invented
Haru tatsu ya
gu no ue ni mata
gu ni kaeru
Just beyond the gate,
a neat yellow hole—
someone pissed in the snow
Massugu na
shōben-ana ya
kado no yuki
With this rising bath-mist
deep in a moonlit night,
spring finally begins
Yukeburi mo
tsukiyo no haru to
nari ni keri
People working rice fields,
from my deepest heart, I bow.
Now a little nap
Ta no hito wo
kokoro de ogamu
hirune kana
In the beggar’s tin
a few thin copper coins
and this evening rain
Jubako no
zeni shigomon ya
yūshigure
For you too, my fleas,
the night passes so slowly.
You too are lonely
Nomidomo mo
yonaga daro zo
sabishi karo
Brilliant moon,
is it true that you too
must be busy?
Meigetsu ya
kyo wa anata mo
isogashiki
The winter fly
I caught and finally freed
the cat quickly ate
Fuyu no hae
nigaseba neko ni
torarekeri
A faint yellow rose
almost hidden in deep grass—
and then it moves
Yamabuki ya
kusa ni kakurete
mata soyogu
Mother, I weep
for you as I watch the sea
each time I watch the sea
Naki-haha ya
umi miru tabi ni
miru tabi ni
As the great old trees
are marked for felling, the birds
build their new spring nests
Kiru ki tomo
shirade ya tori no
su wo tsukuru
Like misty moonlight,
watery, bewildering—
our temporal way
Oboro oboro
fumeba mizu nari
mayoi michi
My dear old village,
every memory of home
pierces like a thorn
Furusato ya
yoru mo sawaru mo
bara no hana
A sheet of rain.
I remain alone among
cherry blossom shadows
Furu ame ni
hitori nokori shi
hana no kage
A flowering plum
and a nightingale’s love song—
yet I am alone
Ume sakedo
uguisu nakedo
hitori kana
My old village lies
far beyond what we can see,
but there the lark sings
Furusato no
mienaku narite
naku hibari
This world of dew
is only a world of dew—
and yet . . . oh and yet . . .
Tsuyu no yo wa
tsuyu no yo nagara
sarinagara
This suffering world:
the flowers will blossom, but
even at that . . .
Ku no shaba ya
sakura ga sakeba
saita tote
Swatting the housefly
on the blossom, I also crush
the flower
Hae uchi ni
hana saku kusa mo
utare keri
Here in Shinano
are famous moons, and buddhas,
and our good noodles
Shinano de wa
tsuki to hotoke to
ora ga soba
When the wild turnip
burst into full blossom
a skylark sang
No daiko mo
hana saki ni keri
naku hibari
The distant mountains
are reflected in the eye
of the dragonfly
Tōyama ga
medama ni utsuru
tombo kana
What’s the lord’s vast wealth
to me, his millions and more?
Dew on trembling grass
Nan no sono
hyakumangoku mo
sasa no tsuyu
Before this autumn wind
even the shadows of mountains
shudder and tremble
Akikaze ya
hyoro hyoro yama no
kageboshi
This year on, forever,
it’s all gravy for me now—
spring playtime arrives
Kotoshi kara
marumoke zo yo
shaba asobi
I wish she were here
to listen to my bitching
and enjoy this moon
Kogoto iu
aite mo araba
kyo no tsuki
Gratitude for gifts,
even snow on my bedspread
a gift from the Pure Land
Arigata ya
fusuma no yuki mo
Jodo yori
The old dog listens
intently, as if to the
work songs of the worms
Furu inu ya
mimizu no uta ni
kanji-gao
As it grows colder
every night, even the songs
of worms grow fainter
Usosamu ya
mimizu no uta mo
hitoyo zutsu
My spring is just this:
a single bamboo shoot,
a willow branch
Waga haru wa
take ippon ni
yanagi kana
From that woman
on the beach, dusk pours out
across ebbing tides
Onna kara saki e
kasumu zo
shiohigata
Don’t kill that poor fly!
He cowers, wringing
his hands for mercy
Yare utsu na
hae ga t
e wo suri
ashi wo sum
Before I arrived,
who were the people living here?
Only violets remain
Waga mae ni
dare dare sumi shi
sumire zo mo
At this lonely grave,
the one constant visitor
is a winter wren
Ara sabishi
tsuka wa itsumo no
misosazai
Nearly frostbitten,
the village prostitute scrapes
soot from an iron pan
Shimogare ya
nabe no sumi kaku
kokeisei
The maidenflower,
amazingly, stands idly
in the empty field
Ominaeshi
akkerakon to
tateri keri
A mountain temple—
hearing the stag’s piercing cry
from the balcony
Yamadera ya
en no ue naru
shika no koe
O autumn winds,
tell me where I’m bound, to which
particular hell
Aki no kaze
ware wa mairu wa
dono jigoku
From the Great Buddha’s
great nose, a swallow comes
gliding out
Daibutsu no
hana kara detaru
tsubame kana
A world of dew,
and within every dewdrop
a world of struggle
Tsuyu no yo no
tsuyu no naka nite
kenka kana
Naturally,
I bow my head on holy
Kamiji Mountain
Onozukara
zu ga sagaru nari
The Spring of My Life Page 6