BASHO 2 ~

Crawl out

    from under the shed

          toad-croak






Black forest

    nothing you say matters

          it snows all morning







One insect

    asleep on a leaf

          can save your life







Every horse

    is miraculous

          on a snowy morning







Butterfly cruising

    across a field

          made of sunlight







Harvest in progress

    a crane stands

          in the rice paddy







Sleeping at a temple

    watching the moon

          my face as a baby







The moon slides by

    the treetops full of rain

          hold still







Let's go snow viewing

    fall down a lot

          before we get there







At this mountain path

    me and the lark

          lounging in the sky







If I had the voice

    I would sing the blossoms

          off the trees







Cherry blossoms everywhere

    at daybreak

          the mountain's just the same







A pheasant's cry

    suddenly missing

          my mother and father







Autumn's come

    fold the mosquito net

          use it for a blanket







Deep into autumn

    my next-door neighbor

          I wonder what he does




(1662 ~ 1694)



___________________

Basho

Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times
selected haiku translated by David Young
Knopf, 2013

art : basho & sora