FROG HAIKU
by Matsuo Basho
Translated by Allen Ginsberg
The old pond
A frog jumped in,
Kerplunk!
ART: “Good Fortune” by RHRussell. Original art available at etsy.com.
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Matsuo Basho‘s frog poem is illustrated in this canvas print, available in various sizes at Amazon.com. This translation of the poem reads:
A lonely pond in age-old stillness sleeps . . .
Apart, unstirred by sound or motion . . . till
suddenly into it a lithe frog leaps.
Frog Haiku
by Matsuo Basho
Translated by Alan Watts
The old pond,
A frog jumps in:
Plop!
IMAGE: Fan painting of a frog (detail), Kano school (15th-19th century)
People who follow the Silver Birch Press blog know that we love to pursue themes — and explore many facets of one particular idea or subject. As summer gets under way, frogs have been on my mind — and, for many, their call signifies the warm season. In reading Matsuo Basho‘s famous Frog Haiku recently, I found that there are many translations of the same few lines. During the coming weeks, we’ll feature some of these translations each day.
Basho’s Frog Haiku in the original Japanese:
Furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
Translation by D.T. Suzuki:
Into the ancient pond
the frog jumps.
Water sound!
IMAGE: “Frog and gold beetle” by Kitagawa Utamaro (1788).
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