Zen Death Haiku
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
Copyright © Michael Burch | Year Posted 2019
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