Haiku Translations of the Oriental Masters
Grasses wilt:
the braking locomotive
grinds to a halt
—Yamaguchi Seishi, translation by Michael R. Burch
Oh, fallen camellias,
if I were you,
I'd leap into the torrent!
—Takaha Shugyo, translation by Michael R. Burch
The first soft snow:
leaves of the awed jonquil
bow low
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Come, investigate loneliness!
a solitary leaf
clings to the Kiri tree
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Lightning
shatters the darkness—
the night heron's shriek
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
This day of chrysanthemums
I shake and comb my wet hair,
as their petals shed rain
—Hisajo Sugita, translation by Michael R. Burch
This darkening autumn:
my neighbor,
how does he continue?
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Let us arrange
these lovely flowers in the bowl
since there's no rice
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
An ancient pond,
the frog leaps:
the silver plop and gurgle of water
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The butterfly
perfuming its wings
fans the orchid
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The first chill rain:
poor monkey, you too could use
a woven cape of straw
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
This snowy morning:
cries of the crow I despise
(ah, but so beautiful!)
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The cheerful-chirping cricket
contends gray autumn's gay,
contemptuous of frost
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Whistle on, twilight whippoorwill,
solemn evangelist
of loneliness
—Matsuo Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
While you decline to cry,
high on the mountainside
a single stalk of plumegrass wilts.
—O no Yasumaro, translation by Michael R. Burch
Right at my feet!
When did you arrive here,
snail?
—Kobayashi Issa, translation by Michael R. Burch
Standing unsteadily,
I am the scarecrow’s
skinny surrogate
—Kobayashi Issa, translation by Michael R. Burch
Autumn wind ...
She always wanted to pluck
the reddest roses
—Kobayashi Issa, translation by Michael R. Burch
The childless woman,
how tenderly she caresses
homeless dolls ...
—Hattori Ransetsu, translation by Michael R. Burch
Clinging
to the plum tree:
one blossom's worth of warmth
—Hattori Ransetsu, translation by Michael R. Burch
One leaf falls, enlightenment!
Another leaf falls,
swept away by the wind ...
—Hattori Ransetsu, translation by Michael R. Burch
Disdaining grass,
the firefly nibbles nettles—
this is who I am.
—Takarai Kikaku, translation by Michael R. Burch
A simple man,
content to breakfast with the morning glories—
this is who I am.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The morning glories, alas,
also turned out
not to embrace me
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The morning glories bloom,
mending chinks
in the old fence
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Morning glories,
however poorly painted,
still engage us
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
I too
have been accused
of morning glory gazing ...
—original haiku by by Michael R. Burch
Taming the rage
of an unrelenting sun—
autumn breeze.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The sun sets,
relentlessly red,
yet autumn’s in the wind.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
As autumn deepens,
a butterfly sips
chrysanthemum dew.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
As autumn draws near,
so too our hearts
in this small tea room.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
Nothing happened!
Yesterday simply vanished
like the blowfish soup.
—Basho, translation by Michael R. Burch
The surging sea crests around Sado ...
and above her?
An ocean of stars.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Revered figure!
I bow low
to the rabbit-eared Iris.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Come, butterfly,
it’s late
and we’ve a long way to go!
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Nothing in the cry
of the cicadas
suggests they know they soon must die.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I wish I could wash
this perishing earth
in its shimmering dew.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Spring!
A nameless hill
shrouded in mist.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Dabbed with morning dew
and splashed with mud,
the melon looks wonderfully cool.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Cold white azalea—
a lone nun
in her thatched straw hut.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Glimpsed on this high mountain trail,
delighting my heart—
wild violets
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The bee emerging
from deep within the peony’s hairy recesses
flies off heavily, sated
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
A crow has settled
on a naked branch—
autumn nightfall
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Except for a woodpecker
tapping at a post,
the house is silent.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
That dying cricket,
how he goes on about his life!
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Like a glorious shrine—
on these green, budding leaves,
the sun’s intense radiance.
—Basho, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
A kite floats
at the same place in the sky
where yesterday it floated ...
—Yosa Buson, translation by Michael R. Burch
Wild geese pass
leaving the emptiness of heaven
revealed
—Takaha Shugyo, translation by Michael R. Burch
The new calendar:
as if tomorrow
is assured ...
—Inahata Teiko, trans. by Michael R. Burch
Ah butterfly,
what dreams do you ply
with your beautiful wings?
—Fukuda Chiyo-ni, trans. by Michael R. Burch
War
stood at the end of the hall
in the long shadows
—Watanabe Hakusen, trans. by Michael R. Burch
Along with spring leaves
my child's teeth
take root, blossom
—Nakamura Kusatao, trans. by Michael R. Burch
Copyright © Michael Burch | Year Posted 2019
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