SPRING HAIKU
by Issa
may the wind send
this plum blossom scent
to Kyoto!
IMAGE: “Plum Blossoms” by Cindy Lee Longhini. Prints available at fineartamerica.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) was a Japanese poet and Buddhist priest of the Jōdo Shinshū sect known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson, and Shiki.
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.
Silver Birch Press 