David English
the hornet too
knowing the eaves
returns
-Issa, 1820
58 years old, on October second son born. fall over
and was smitten by palsy ,but lightly. wrote haiku literatures.
sakuo Japanese
熊蜂も 軒端を憶え 帰りけり
kumabachi mo nokiba wo oboe kaeri keri
Issa Original
熊蜂も軒端を知って帰りけり 一茶
kumabachi mo nokiba wo shitte kaeri keri
David comment
Shinji Ogawa thinks that Issa may be punning with nokiba wo shitte, which can mean, "knowing the eaves" and "knowing when to retreat." Hence, the haiku has a double meaning: "even the hornet/ goes back/ knowing the eaves" and "even the hornet/ goes back/ knowing the time to retreat."If Shinji is right, this is an example of an untranslatable poem, if one expects a translation to resonate in the target language precisely in the way that the original text does
sakuo remark
I am picky Issa . Knowing the time to retreat,
I have retired from Edo. Take care, Man.
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