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Zen Death Haiku

Brittle cicada shell,
little did I know
you were my life!
—Shuho, translation by Michael R. Burch

Returning
as it came,
this naked worm.
—Shidoken, translation by Michael R. Burch

As dew glistens
on a lotus leaf,
so too I soon must vanish.
—Shinsui, translation by Michael R. Burch

To prepare for my voyage beyond,
let me don
a gown of flowers.
—Setsudo, translation by Michael R. Burch

Having been summoned,
I say farewell
to my house beneath the moon.
—Takuchi, trans. Michael R. Burch

Bury me beneath a wine barrel
in a bibber’s cellar:
with a little luck the keg will leak.
—Moriya Senan, trans. Michael R. Burch

Learn to accept the inevitable:
the fall willow
knows when to abandon its leaves.
—Tanehiko, trans. Michael R. Burch

Since time dawned
only the dead have experienced peace;
life is snow burning in the sun.
—Nandai, trans. Michael R. Burch

Bitter winter winds
but later, river willow,
remember to reopen your buds!
—Senryu, trans. Michael R. Burch

Let this body
be dew
in a field of wildflowers
—Tembo, trans. Michael R. Burch

A willow branch
unable to reach the water
at the bottom of the vase
—Shigenobu, trans. Michael R. Burch

The night is clear;
the moon shines quietly;
the wind strums the trees like lyres...
but when I’m gone, who the hell will hear?
Farewell!
—Higan Choro, translation by Michael R. Burch

I entered the world empty-handed
and now leave it barefoot.
My coming & going?
Two uncomplicated events
that became entangled.
—Kozan Ichikyo, translation by Michael R. Burch

All evening the softest sound—
the cadence of the white camellia petals
falling
—Ranko Takakuwa, trans. Michael R. Burch

Stillness:
the sound of petals
drifting down softly together...
—Miura Chora, trans. Michael R. Burch

Brittle autumn leaves
crumble to dust
in the freezing wind.
—Takao, trans. Michael R. Burch

This frigid season
nothing but the shadow
of my corpse survives.
—Tadatomo, trans. Michael R. Burch

With the departing year
I have hidden my graying hair
from my parents.
—Ochi Etsujin, trans. Michael R. Burch

From depths
unfathomably cold:
the ocean's roar!
—Kasenjo, trans. Michael R. Burch

Like blocks in the icehouse,
unlikely to last
the year out...
—Sentoku, trans. Michael R. Burch

I wish only to die
swiftly, with my eyes
fixed on Mount Fuji
—Rangai, trans. Michael R. Burch

A strident cricket
accompanies me
through autumn mountains
—Shiko, trans. Michael R. Burch

The cherry orchard’s owner
becomes compost
for his trees
—Utsu, trans. Michael R. Burch

Autumn ends
the frogs find their place
in the earth
—Shogetsu, trans. Michael R. Burch

At long last I depart:
above me are rainless skies and a pristine moon
as pure as my heart.
—Senseki, trans. Michael R. Burch

Cuckoo, lift
me up
to where clouds drift...
—Uko, trans. Michael R. Burch

Sixty-six,
setting sail through tranquil waters,
a breeze-blown lotus.
—Usei, trans. Michael R. Burch

I cup curious ears
among the hydrangeas
hoping to hear the spring cuckoo.
—Senchojo, trans. Michael R. Burch

A night storm sighs:
"The fate of the flower is to fall"...
rebuking all who hesitate
—Yukio Mishima, trans. Michael R. Burch

Death poems?
Damned delusions?
Death is death!
—Toko, translation by Michael R. Burch

Childless
by Michael R. Burch

Mightier than Atlas,
she shoulders the weight
of one fallen star.

Ascendance Transcendence
by Michael R. Burch

Breaching the summit
I reach
the horizon’s last rays.

Dark-bosomed clouds
pregnant with heavy thunder...
the water breaks
—Michael R. Burch

one pillow...
our dreams
merge
—Michael R. Burch

Crushed grapes
surrender such sweetness!
A mother’s compassion.
—Michael R. Burch

My footprints
so faint in the snow?
Ah yes, you lifted me.
—Michael R. Burch

An emu feather
still falling:
So quickly you rushed to my rescue.
—Michael R. Burch

The eagle sees farther
from its greater height:
our ancestors’ wisdom
—Michael R. Burch

She bathes in silver
~~~~afloat~~~~
on her reflections
—Michael R. Burch

Celebrate the New Year?
The cat is not impressed,
the dogs shiver.
—Michael R. Burch

The sun warms
a solitary stone.
Let us abandon no one.
—Michael R. Burch

The herons stand,
sentry-like, at attention:
rigid observers of some unknown command.
—Michael R. Burch

Late
fall;
all
the golden leaves turn black underfoot:
soot
—Michael R. Burch

Dry leaf flung awry:
bright butterfly,
goodbye!
—Michael R. Burch

bright leaf flung awry~
butterfly, goodbye!
—Michael R. Burch

leaf flutters in flight~
bright, O and endeavoring butterfly,
goodbye!
—Michael R. Burch

A snake in the grass
lies, hissing
"Trespass!"
—Michael R. Burch

Honeysuckle
blesses my knuckle
with affectionate dew
—Michael R. Burch

My nose nuzzles
honeysuckle’s
sweet nothings
—Michael R. Burch

The day’s eyes were blue
until you appeared
and they wept at your beauty
—Michael R. Burch

You're too perfect for words,
a problem for a poet.
—Michael R. Burch

Show me your most intimate items of apparel;
begin with the hem of your quicksilver slip...
—Michael R. Burch

Your breasts are perfect for your lithe, slender body.
Please stop making false comparisons your hobby!
—Michael R. Burch

The moon in decline
like my lover’s heart
lies far beyond mine
—Michael R. Burch

My mother’s eyes
acknowledging my imperfection:
dejection
—Michael R. Burch

The sun sets
the moon fails to rise
we avoid each other’s eyes
—Michael R. Burch

a soaring kite flits
into the heart of the sun:
Butterfly & Chrysanthemum
—Michael R. Burch

I am a traveler
going nowhere
but my how the gawking bystanders stare!
—Michael R. Burch

You astound me,
your name
unpronounceable on my lips.
?Michael R. Burch

Born into the delicate autumn,
too late to mature,
pale petal...
?Michael R. Burch

Soft as daffodils fall
all the lamentations
of life’s smallest victims,
unheard...
?Michael R. Burch

Keywords/Tags: Zen, death, haiku, Oriental, Japanese, funeral, grave, autumn, fall, winter, age, bereavement, loss, elegy, eulogy, nature, time
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