Matsuo Basho Poems
A collection of select Matsuo Basho famous poems that were written by Matsuo Basho or written about the poet by other famous poets. PoetrySoup is a comprehensive educational resource of the greatest poems and poets on history.
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by
Basho, Matsuo
A bee
staggers out
of the peony....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
A caterpillar,
this deep in fall--
still not a butterfly....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
At a hermitage:
A cool fall night--
getting dinner, we peeled
eggplants, cucumbers....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
A monk sips morning tea,
it's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
A snowy morning--
by myself,
chewing on dried salmon....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again. ...Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Autumn moonlight--
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
First day of spring--
I keep thinking about
the end of autumn....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
First snow
falling
on the half-finished bridge....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
First winter rain--
even the monkey
seems to want a raincoat....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Spring:
A hill without a name
Veiled in morning mist.
The beginning of autumn:
Sea and emerald paddy
Both the same green.
The winds of autumn
Blow: yet still green
The chestnut husks.
A flash of lightning:
Into the gloom
Goes the heron's cry....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon-beholders....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Heat waves shimmering
one or two inches
above the dead grass....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
In the cicada's cry
No sign can foretell
How soon it must die. ...Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
In the twilight rain
these brilliant-hued hibiscus . . .
A lovely sunset...Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Taking a nap,
feet planted
against a cool wall....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
The dragonfly
can't quite land
on that blade of grass....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Following are several translations
of the 'Old Pond' poem, which may be
the most famous of all haiku:
Furuike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
-- Basho
Literal Translation
Fu-ru (old) i-ke (pond) ya,
ka-wa-zu (frog) to-bi-ko-mu (jumping into)
mi-zu (water) no o-to (sound)
The old pond--
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.
Translated by Robert Hass
Old pond...
a frog jumps in
water's sound.
Translated by William J....Read more of this...
by
Basho, Matsuo
Winter solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind....Read more of this...