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
Matsuo Basho
In the twilight rain
these brilliant-hued hibiscus . . .
A lovely sunset...Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
In the cicada's cry
No sign can foretell
How soon it must die. ...Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
This old village--
not a single house
without persimmon trees....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
A snowy morning--
by myself,
chewing on dried salmon....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
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
Matsuo Basho
Winter garden,
the moon thinned to a thread,
insects singing....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
A monk sips morning tea,
it's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Coolness of the melons
flecked with mud
in the morning dew....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Blowing stones
along the road on Mount Asama,
the autumn wind....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
First day of spring--
I keep thinking about
the end of autumn....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Heat waves shimmering
one or two inches
above the dead grass....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
A caterpillar,
this deep in fall--
still not a butterfly....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps' nest....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Awake at night--
the sound of the water jar
cracking in the cold....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
A bee
staggers out
of the peony....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
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
Matsuo Basho
Winter solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Cold night: the wild duck,
sick, falls from the sky
and sleeps awhile....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there's nothing to write about
but radishes....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Moonlight slanting
through the bamboo grove;
a cuckoo crying....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
The dragonfly
can't quite land
on that blade of grass....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
Bush warbler:
shits on the rice cakes
on the porch rail....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
What fish feel,
birds feel, I don't know--
the year ending....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon-beholders....Read more of this...
by
Matsuo Basho
First winter rain--
even the monkey
seems to want a raincoat....Read more of this...