BASHO’S FROG HAIKU
translated into a limerick by Alfred H. Marks
There once was a curious frog
Who sat by a pond on a log
And, to see what resulted,
In the pond catapulted
With a water-noise heard round the bog.
IMAGE: “Basho’s frog haiku print” available at zazzle.com.
One Hundred Frogs: From Renga to Haiku to English
by Hiroaki Sato
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Poet Ezra Pound described the haiku as “an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” It is the haiku’s sense of immediacy and its precision that continue to appeal to poets and poetry lovers today. In One Hundred Frogs, author Hiroaki Sato discusses the haiku as well as the often ignored renga or linked-verse form, out of which the haiku grew. One Hundred Frogs features many renowned Japanese poets, most notably Matsuo Basho, in the translated poetry that illustrates the text. To reveal the myriad choices open to translators of renga and haiku, the author provides an in-depth analysis of one of Japan’s most famous haiku, Basho’s poem about a frog in a pond, and presents a compilation of over one hundred translations and variations of the poem.
Find One Hundred Frogs by Hiroaki Sato at Amazon.com.
MAY HAIKU
by Matsuo Bashō
The sun’s way:
hollyhocks turn toward it
through all the rains of May.
IMAGE: “Hollyhocks,” watercolor by H. Cooper. Prints available at fineartamerica.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (then called hokku). He made a living as a teacher, but renounced urban life to wander throughout the country to gain inspiration for his writing.
LITTLE YELLOW FLOWER
by Matsuo Bashō
Slender, so slender
its stalk bends under dew –
little yellow flower
Photo: James Jordan, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
SPRING HAIKU
by Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694)
Spring!
A nameless hill
in the haze.
Photo: “Valley Hill Fog (Rivergaro, Italy)” by Maurizio Mori
SPRING HAIKU
by Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694)
Spring, too, very soon!
They are setting the scene for it –
plum tree and moon.
Illustration: “Plum Tree and Moon” (Chinese ink/watercolor on xuan paper) by Lisa Chakrabarti, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CLOUD HAIKU
by Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694)
The clouds come and go,
providing a rest for all
the moon viewers.
Photo: Elliot Severn, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
THE WINDS OF FALL
by Matsuo Basho
The winds of fall
are blowing, yet how green
the chestnut burr.
PHOTO: Chestnut burr
AUTUMN HAIKU
by Matsuo Basho
banana plant in autumn storm
rain drips into tub
hearing the night
Photo by Yupa Watchanakit
THE OAK TREE
by Matsuo Basho
The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms.
Photo: Ian Parry, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Silver Birch Press 