Masajo 真砂女 1969, age 63
青き青き落ち梅踏みぬけふ逢はむ
aoki aoki ochi ume fuminu kyo- awan
Lee & Emiko’s English
green green
a fallen plum I stepped on ---
I yearn to see him today
Seasonal word: Japanese plum ( summer )
sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶 1803 age 41 staying in Edo.
としとりに鶴も下たる畠哉
toshitori ni tsuru mo oritaru hatake kana
David’s English
also a year older
the crane flies down...
a field
The season word in this haiku, toshitori, ("growing old") relates to the year's ending; in the traditional Japanese system for counting age, everyone gains a year on New Year's Day. The crane, a symbol of longevity, has gained another year--as has Issa.
sakuo haiga
Masajo 真砂女 1969, age 63
死ねぬ髪手に梳きあまる蛍かな
shinenu kami te ni suki amaru hotaru kana
Lee & Emiko’s English
unable to die
I comb the mass of hair in my hand…
fireflies
How many times in lifetime do we think dying? No matter how seriously we think, we can not kill ourselves so easily when the time comes. It is said that
the less happy a woman is the greater the volume of hair she has.
Seasonal word: firefly (summer)
sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶 1822 age 60
むだな身も呼び出されけり田植酒
mudana mi mo yobidasare keri taue sake
David’s English
even worthless me
is invited...
rice-planting sake
Issa may be alluding to the fact that he has not participated in the rice planting. Nevertheless, he's invited to partake of the sake.
sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶 1822、age 60
松の木で穴をふさぐや雲のみね
matsu no ki de ana wo fusagu ya kumo no mine
David’s English
plugging the hole
with a pine tree...
billowing clouds
A haiku of perspective: Issa repairs the rift in the clouds by positioning himself in relation to the pine. http://cat.xula.edu/issa/
sakuo haiga
Masajo 真砂女 1969, age 63
黴の宿いくとせ恋の宿として
kabi no yado ikutose koi no yado toshite
Lee & Emiko’s English
mildewed rooms---
for how many years these rooms
as our love nest
This apartment house with two rooms and a dining kitchen had been my fort and at the same time a place for ease. When I come here at night and light the room, I feel my body and my mind winding down. It also has a history of being our love nest for a long period of time.
Seasonal word* mildew (summer)
sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶
門垣にほしておく也丸氷
kado kaki ni hoshite oku nari maru ko^ri
David’s English
leaving it to melt
on the wall by the gate...
round ice
This undated haiku recalls one that Issa wrote in 1813: ariake ya tsuki yori maruki sute ko^ri dawn-- round as the moon the tossed-out ice I picture ice that has formed in a water bucket. In the present haiku, Issa sets it on the wall as a kind of (ephemeral) http://cat.xula.edu/issa/
sakuo haiga
Masajo 真砂女 1969 age 63
恋したや苺一粒口に入れ
koi shita ya ichigo hitotsubu kuchi ni ire
Lee & Emiko’s English
longing for love---
I place a single strawberry
in my mouth
A red and round strawberry reminds me of my first love. After such a long time, it might sound strange to think about first love, but sometimes I have this mischievous temptation to fall into a new love.
Seasonal word: strawberry (summer)
Sakuo haiga
Masajo 真砂女1969 age 63
水飲みてふたたびねむり夜半の春
mizu nomite futatabi nemuri yowa no haru
Lee & Emiko’s English
a drink of water
then again to sleep
a night in spring
Seasonal word: a night in spring (spring)
Note: The spring night is somewhat sensual, while the autumn night is solitary or lonely.
Sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶 1822 age 60
一面にろくな春也門の雪
ichimen ni rokuna haru nari kado no yuki
David’s English
everywhere I look
a decent spring...
snow at my gate
Note: key word is decent spring.
http://haikuguy.com/issa/search.php?keywords=a+decent+spring&year=1822
sakuo haiga
Issa 一茶
跡臼は烏のもちか西方寺
ato usu wa karasu no mochi ka saiho^ji
David先生の英訳
is the next batch of rice cakes
for the crow?
Saiho Temple
Shinji Ogawa notes that ato usu means "the next batch of rice cakes" (not, as I originally thought, the "tub in back"). Issa makes a statement instead of a question: "The next batch of rice cakes is for the crow" (ato usu wa karasu no mochi ya). There are two types of usu or mill: (1) shiki usu (grinding hand-mill) and (2) a large wooden tub used for rice or herb cake making. The cake maker pounds the ingredients with a wooden mallet. The second definition fits here.
Not: Saiho Temple by Gavi
sakuo 俳画
月別アーカイブ
