HAIKU

Last Updated: February 27, 2006

The following haijin are translated on this page:

UEJIMA ONITSURA (8) – KOBAYASHI ISSA (42) - KAWABATA BŌSHA (2) – HARA SEKITEI (1) – ŌSHIMA RYŌTA (6) – MIZUHARA SHŪŌSHI (4) – IIDA DAKOTSU (3) – MURAKAMI KIJŌ (1) – KAGAMI SHIKŌ (1) – MATSUO BASHŌ (66) – YOSA BUSON (62) – YAMAMOTO RYŌKAN (7) – YOKOI YAGŪ (1) – NAITŌ JŌSŌ (6) – NAKAMURA KUSATAO (2) – NOZAWA SETSUKO (2) – KATŌ SHŪSŌN (1) – KATŌ KŌKO (1) – ISHIZAKI RYOKUFŪ (1) – ŌNO RINKA (1) – NISHIJIMA BAKUNAN (1) – YAMAZAKI SŌKAN (3) – CHIYO-NI (54) – CHIGETSU (4) – KISHIDA CHIGYO (1) – MUKAI KYORAI (4) – TAKAHAMA KYOSHI (5) – MASAOKA SHIKI (30) – SAITŌ SANKI (1) – TAGAMI KIKUSHA (3) – TAN TAIGI (15) – ABE MIDORIJO (1) – SONO-JO (2) – KINPŪ (1) – NAGAI KAFŪ (1) – HACHIYA YOSHIKO (1) – TOMIYASU FŪSEI (1) – KANEKO TŌTA (1) – MORI SUMIO (1) – MUKAI KANA (1) – ENOMOTO SEIFU (3) – SUGIKI MOICHI (1) – HARI BAKUSUI (1) – RYŪHO (1) – MORIKAWA KYOROKU (5) – ARŌ (1) – MATSUOKA SEIRA (2) – KAWAKAMI FUHAKU (1) – FUJIMORI SOBAKU (1) – ENOMOTO KIKAKU (7) – SAKAI HŌITSU (1) – TOYODA CHŌSUI (1) – MIZUTA MASAHIDE (1) – SEISEI (1) – MIYAKE SHŌZAN (1) – CHŌMU (1) – HATTORI RANSETSU (4) – TAKAYA SŌSHŪ (1) – YAMAGUCHI SEISHI (1) – SUGIYAMA SAMPŪ (1) – SHISEI-JO (2) – HŌSHA (1) – AMPŪ (1) – SHŌ-I (1) – GIJŌEN (1) – YASUHARA TEISHITSU (2) – ARAKIDA MORITAKE (1) – KUROYANAGI SHŌHA (3) – TAKAI KITŌ (3) – TOHŌ (1) – MIKI ROFU (1) – SHIRŌ (1) – RIKUTO (1) – KI’IN (1) – YASUI (1) – YAMEI (1) – KAYA SHIRAO (3) – RIYU (1) – HOKUSHI (1) – KIGIN (1) – KAKEI (1) – ŌTOMO ŌEMARU (2) – YAHA (2) – TŌRI (1) – CHINE-JO (1) – RYŪSUI (1) – ETSUJIN (3) – KISHŪ NOMURA (1) – KONISHI RAIZAN (1) – GOCHIKU (1) – SŌIN (1) – CHŌSHŪ (1) – SODŌ (1) – KATŌ GYŌDAI (3) – CHŌI (1) – HAGI-JO (1) – OTSUYŪ (1) – SHIHYAKU (1) – TEIJI (1) – OTSUJI (1) – KYOKUSUI (1) – SHARA (1) – NAITŌ MEISETSU (2) – ROSEKI (1) – BAISHITSU (1) – RŌKA (1) – KATSURI (1) – GINKŌ (1) – RYŪSHI (1) – KOYŪ-NI (1) – KOSHŪ (1) – MIURA CHORA (6) – SAKAMOTO SHUSETSU (1)

kono aki wa this autumn,

hiza ni ko no naki no child on my knee

tsukimi kana to watch the moon

tanimizu ya sakura-slopes;

ishi mo uta yomu in the valley-stream,

yamazakura even the stones make songs

shitagau ya concordance:

oto naki hana mo a flower without a sound

mimi no oku and the depths of the ear

ō-ashita* on the first day,

mukashi fukinishi the pristine swish

matsu no kaze of the wind in the pines

*ō-ashita, ‘great day’: the first day of the year.

saku-karani the blossoms bloom,

miru-karani hana no we look at them,

chiru-karani the blossoms fall,

ume chitte after the fall

soreyori nochi wa of the plum-flowers –

tennōji Tennōji Temple

fude toranu will anyone not

hito mo arō ka be reaching for his brush?

kyō no tsuki this day’s moon

ara ao no how densely green,

yanagi no ito ya the willow boughs

mizu no nagare in flowing water

uejima onitsura (1660-1738)

uguisu ya before the lord,

go-zen e dete mo the nightingale sings

onaji koe the same song

daimyō o the daimyo

uma kara orosu was made to dismount –

sakura kana sakura…

tsugi no ma no hi de in the next room’s light

meshi o kuu I eat my meal –

yo samu kana cold out

yama-yake* no floating down

akari ni kudaru mountain fire-light

yobune kana night-boat

*yama-yake: ‘mountain-fire.’ In spring, fires were started in the mountains to burn away dead grass and prepare the fields for tilling.

ō botaru a large firefly

yurari yurari to flickering, flickering

tōri keri flits by

beta beta to sticking and clinging

mono ni tsukitaru to everything –

haru no yuki spring snow

uguisu no the nightingale sings

mekikishite naku with a critical eye

wagaya kana on my house

yase-gaeru thin frog,

makeru na Issa don’t give in,

kore ni ari Issa is here

kado-gado ni at every gate

geta no doro yori spring stands in the mud

haru tachinu on the clogs

haru na hi ya spring day;

mizu sae areba evening remains

kure nokori in pools

ware shinaba when I am gone,

haka-mori to nare guard my gravestone,

kirigirisu cricket

oni to nari now an oni,*

hotoke to naru ya now the Buddha,

doyō-gumo dog-day clouds

*oni: Japanese demon/ogre.

ikite iru alive,

bakari zo ware to that’s all; I and

keshi no hana the poppy

kasumi hi ya misty day;

sazo tennin no tedium

otaikutsu in heaven (imit.)

yabuiri* ya Apprentice Day;

haka no matsukaze in the pines round the grave,

ushiro fuku the wind blows behind

*yabuiri: on the 16^th of January

katasumi ni the two sooty dolls

susukeshi hina mo in the corner, too,

fūfu kana are man and wife

uguisu ni the fence

ategatte oku shall be allotted

kakine kana to the warbler

ariake ya daybreak;

ame no naka yori from the middle of the rain

naku hibari a skylark song

kyō kara wa as from today

nihon no kari zo you are geese of Japan –

raku ni ine sleep in peace

chō tobu ya the butterfly –

kono yo ni nozomi flitting in this world

nai yō ni without hope

kinodoku ya I’m sorry

ore o shitōte that you follow me,

kuru kochō butterfly

kerorikan with a nonchalant

to shite karasu to manner, the crow

yanagi kana and the willow

yama no tsuki the mountain-moon

hana nusubito o shineth on

terashi tamō the flower-thief

shiratsuyu no don’t tread on the drops

tama fungaku na of white dew,

kirigirisu cricket

yūdachi ya summer downpour;

hadaka de norishi riding naked

hadaka-uma on a naked horse

oto bakari just the sound –

demo yūdachi no yet a summer shower

yūbe evening

shinanoji ya the way to Shinano;

ue no ue ni mo higher, yet higher,

taue-uta the rice-planting song

mi no ue no knowing the bell

kane to shiritsutsu is tolling our days;

yūsuzumi evening cool

ka-ibushi mo the mosquito-smudge

nagusame ni naru brings comfort, too,

hitori kana when alone

kōmori ya bats;

tori naki sato no a birdless village

meshijibun at tea-time

yo ga yokuba the world is well;

mo hitotsu tomare another fly may settle

meshi no hae on the rice

nikenya ya two houses;

niken mochitsuku two houses making mochi,

aki no ame autumn rain

kuchi akete opening their mouths,

oya matsu tori ya the fledgelings wait;

aki no ame autumn rain

tama-arare hailstones –

yotaka* wa tsuki ni in moonlight, the nighthawks

kaerumeri come home

*yotaka: the lowest kind of prostitute in Edo, who would walk the streets with a straw mat.

suzukaze ya cool breeze;

chikara ippai the grasshopper singing

kirigirisu his all

dochira kara whence

samuku naru zo yo does the cold become,

kakashi-dono Mr. Scarecrow?

makegiku o looking again

hitori minaosu at the chrysanthemum

yūbe kana that lost; evening

hiikime ni regarded

mite sae samui in a favourable light,

soburi kana he still looks cold

mikazuki wa the crescent moon

soru zo samusa wa is bent back; the cold

saekaeru is keen

kossori to quietly

shite kasegu nari earning his keep –

misosazai the wren

hito chirari people whirling,

ko-no-ha mo chirari leaves whirling,

horari kana swirling …

fuyukodachi winter grove –

mukashi mukashi no the tones of long,

oto su nari long ago

kobayashi issa (1763-1827)

For many more translations of Issa, see David G. Lanoue’s website:

http://webusers.xula.edu/dlanoue/issa/index.html

suishō no reflected in the crystal

nenju ni utsuru of my rosary –

wakaba kana young leaves

meimetsu no the flickering

izure kanashiki of soon sorrowful

hotaru kana fireflies

Kawabata Bōsha (1900-41)

sabishisa ni from loneliness,

mata dora utsu ya striking the gong again,

kabiya-mori Kabiya-keeper*

*A Kabiya is a lookout post to protect crops from foxes and boars. Smouldering wood emits an unpleasant smell that keeps them at bay.

Hara Sekitei (1886-1951)

asa-kaze ya morning breeze –

tada hito-suji ni only a line

age-hibari of rising skylarks

owarete wa when hunted,

tsuki ni kakururu he hides in the moon –

hotaru kana firefly

tomoshibi o looking at the light,

mireba kaze ari you see the wind;

yoru no yuki snowy night

mono iwazu not speaking a word,

kyaku to teishu to the guest, the host,

shiragiku to and the white chrysanthemum

meigetsu ya harvest moon –

umare-kawaraba the birth of change,

mine no matsu a pine on a peak

hitotsu to wa unthinkable

omowanu yo nari there should be only one –

kyō no tsuki this day’s moon

Ōshima Ryōta (1718-87)

yama-zakura mountain sakura –

setsu-rei ten ni in the snow-peak sky

koe mo nashi no sound

tōtsu-yo no far generations

omowa kashikoshi similar faces –

kibori-bina woodcarved dolls

ichi-rin no a single

shimo no bara yori frosty rose

toshi akuru opens a year

kamo wataru wild ducks cross

gekka roteki no beneath the moon; the rushes

oto mo nashi make no sound

Mizuhara Shūōshi (1892-1981)

yama-dera no mountain-temple

to ni kumo asobu gate in drifting cloud –

higan kana spring equinox

mura-boshi ni wisps of cloud

usu-gumo wataru cross the host of stars –

shoshū kana early autumn

fuyu-tomoshi winter lamp –

shi wa yōgan ni death from the face

tōkarazu is not far

winter flame –

death from the face

does not keep its distance

(Imitation:) winter-lit

a face once-removed

from death

Iida Dakotsu (1885-1962)

haru no yo na spring night

naki-nagara neru crying to sleep

kodomo-tachi my children

Murakami Kijō (1865-1930)

suge-gasa o wearing a sedge-hat,

kite kagami miru looking in the mirror,

chatsumi kana picking tea

Kagami Shikō (1665-1731)

inazuma ya lightning –

yami no kata yuku into the darkness

goi no koe a night-heron’s cry

byōgan no a wild goose falls

yosamu ni ochite ill in the cold night;