everyday Issa

horse-shit mountain

2010-07-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

chrysanthemum blooming

horse-shit mountain...

one scene

kiku saku ya ma-guso yama mo hito keshiki

.菊さくや馬糞山も一けしき

by Issa, 1813

Translated by David , http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

all are happy color

and gorden color

mina shiawase no kogane-iro nari

.皆幸せの黄金色なり

Renku by Sakuo

Renku by you in comment page, please!

New renku Issa & Sakuo

2010-07-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

Milkyway	[Jul. 2nd, 2010\|10:59 am]
in cold water sipping the stars...Milky Way 冷水にすすり込だる天の川 by Issa and David' translation. the loneliness of travel soaks into my stomach 旅の寂しさ腹に浸みこむ by Sakuo

sweet

2010-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

Masajo真砂女　1969　age 64

白玉や愛す人にも嘘ついて

shiratama ya aisu hito nimo uso tsuite

sweet rice dumplings---

even to my love

a little white lie

This is one of my favorite haiku. I fibbed and knew it well. This happened

one day---the cute fib of a woman.

Seasonal word: sweet rice dumpling( summer )

Trans; Lee & Emiko

Note:Shiratama is a rice-flour dumpling chilled and served with brown

sugar syrup, a popular summer sweet. The whit of the shira( white)

tama( ball-shped thing) is very refreshing in the heat.

Iris

2010-05-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

the long skinny snake's
Shinto shrine...
irises

hoso-nagai hebi no yashiro ya
kakitsubata

細長い蛇の社や杜若

by Issa, 1818

With a smile, Issa suggests that the shrine belongs to the snake.

Trans:David Lanoue

firefly in a cage

2010-05-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女　1976　age 70

蛍篭見られて悪き手紙も来ず

Lee & Emiko's English

firefly in a cage---

clandestine letters

come no more

Seasonal word: firefly ( summer)

Note: While Masajo stayed in her marriage, she recieved secret letters

from her lover. Now she is out of that marriage, there are no more such letters, nor such excitment.

sakuo haiga

100525northern rain

2010-05-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Issa, 1803 age 42

北時雨火をたく顔のきなくさき

cold northern rain--
the fire-starter's face
smells burnt

Tran by Dr.David

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

deep plum rain

2010-05-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Masajo　真砂女　1976、　age70

梅雨ふかし見えざる糸を誰が引く

tsuyu fukashi miezaru ito wo dare ga hiku

Lee & Emiko’s　English

deep plum rain---

this invisible string

who is pulling it?

seasonal word ( summer )

Sakuo haiga

now I watch

2010-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶1813　age 51

now I watch
with careful attention...
autumn dusk

ima ni natte nen irite miru aki no kure

今に成って念入て見る秋の暮

translated by Dr. David http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

Sakuo note; 1813, Age 51

In autumn Issa’s inheritance dispute finally settled, he moves into his family home. It has passed 12 years since his father’s died.

Father’s asset was divided half and half between the brothers.

warmth

2010-04-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Ｍａｓａｊｏ　鈴木真砂女　1976年70歳

かのことのもしも還らば暖かし
kano koto no moshi mo kaeraba atatakashi

Lee & Emiko’s English

that memory
if it comes to life again…
warmth within me

Seasonal word ( spring)

Ｓａｋｕｏ note: Masajo’s first husband was very handsome guy. He always remind
me Dean Martin . He visited her home by motor bike.
After happy marriage with her, he suddenly disappeared leaving her and child. It is said because of big loss of gamble. Masajo’s dramatic life has started from this point.

pagoda

2010-04-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶1818　age 56

how good
to see a pagoda!
billowing clouds

yoi hodo ni to^ no mie keri kumo no mine

よい程に塔の見へけり雲の峰

Issa is playing the game of imagining what shapes in the clouds look like. In one of them he perceives the pagoda of a Buddhist temple.　translated by David Lanoue http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sleepless

2010-03-30T02:50:00.000-07:00

Masajo真砂女 1969 age 63

冬の夜の海眠らねば眠られず

fuyu no yo no umi nemura neba nemura rezu

Lee & Emiko’s English

a night in winter---

unless the sea can slumber

I too am sleepless

As the night deepens the surf sound gets into my ears and I can not fall asleep.

People do sleep at night, but the sea does not. I will stay awake with the sea;

the sea is alive.

Season word: a night in winter ( winter )

sakuo haiga

servants

2010-03-28T01:44:00.000-07:00

Issa, 1795　age 33

the servants
all are new...
Little New Year's

meshi tsukai atarashiki kana ko sho^gatsu

召仕新しき哉小正月

Little New Year's is celebrated on the 15th and 16th days of First Month. Meshi tsukau is an old expression for a nobleman sending for a person to come and render a service; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1612. Shinji Ogawa notes that in Issa's time, this phrase could signify any one of a wide range of employees, from samurai to maids.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/　by David Lanoue.

with snow

2010-03-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

風立つとかなしびあへり雪の樹々

kaze tatsu to kanashibi aeri yuki no kigi

Lee　& Emiko’s English

when the wind blows

they share their sorrow---

trees covered with snow

sakuo haiga

singing plover

2010-03-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Issa　一茶　1815　 Age 53

けぶたくも庵を放れな鳴千鳥

kebutaku mo io wo hanare na naku chidori

David’s English

though it's smoky
don't leave my hut!
singing plover

Kebutai or kebutashi is an old word meaning to suffocate on smoke; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 570. http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

Sakuo note;

Who is a plover? At the time Issa’s new bride was in the hut.

She was crying her solitude, because Issa was stay at Edo from September to December 21. The plover was Issa’s new bride.

What does it mean smoky? Issa’s step mother’s family lived at the next of Issa’s house. Issa and the family had struggled for long years on father’s assets.

Both families felt smoky each others.

At Edo city Issa was thinking his young bride who was solitary at the home.

Sakuo’s haiga

loneliness

2010-03-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

さびしさの雪掬ふとききはまるか

sabishi sa no yuki suku’u toki kiwamaru ka

Lee　& Emiko’s English

loneliness---

as I scoop the snow

it overcomes me

Seasonal word: snow(winter)

sakuo haiga

flowering raoe

2010-03-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1812　 Age 50

なの花のとっぱづれ也ふじの山

na no hana no toppazure nari fuji no yama

David’s English

at the edge
of the flowering rape...
Mount Fuji

Rape (or canola) is a bright yellow flowering plant of Asia.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo　haiga

At this time he stayed in Edo,visiting haiku friends in Bousou in Kantou field.. This hu is read at there.

white peach

2010-03-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

白桃に人刺すごとく刃を入れて

hakuto ni hito sasu gotoku ha wo irete

Lee&Emiko’s English

into a white peach

like stabbing someone

the knife’s edge

Seasonal word: white peach (summer)

sakuo haiga

sleeping in

2010-03-08T03:26:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1821　age 59

寝並んで小蝶と猫と和尚哉

ne narande ko cho^ to neko to osho^ kana

David’s English

sleeping in a row--
little butterfly, cat
pries

The priest is a head priest. In the poem, Issa shows relationship and loving connection between three quite different creatures. Presented in a progression from small to large; the butterfly, cat and priest show themselves to be, in the moment, a little family.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

pampas grass

2010-03-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

芒野に心の責苦捨てに出づ

susukino ni kokoro no semeku sute ni izu

Lee&Emiko’s English

field of pampas grass---

I go there to cast away

the anguish of my heart

Seasonal word: field of pampas grass (autumn)

sakuo haiga

rain or shine

2010-02-27T02:45:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　 1811　age 49

雨笠も日笠もあなた任せ哉

ama-gasa mo higasa mo anata makase kana

David’s English

umbrella-hats
sun hats...
trust in Buddha!

The phrase anata makase ("trust in the Beyond!") refers specifically to trusting in the saving power of Amida Buddha. "Umbrella-hats" (ama-gasa) and "parasols" (higasa) protect from rain and sun, respectively. Issa's meaning seems to be: Rain or shine, the best course is to trust in Buddha!

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

morning glory

2010-02-24T22:56:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

朝顔は実に幸せは小さきに足る

asagao wa mi ni shiawase wa chisaki ni taru

Lee&Emiko’s English

morning -glory

the small promise of its seeds

is sufficient

I will not set my hopes too high. This humble happiness at hand now is what I must treasure. T morning-glory that bloomed every morning is bearing seeds now. I will gather them for next year to grow the beautiful flowers again.

Seasonal word: morning-glory (autumn)

sakuo haiga

sleeping tree

2010-02-22T02:45:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1813　age 51

長の日やびんづるどのと合歓の花
naga no hi ya binzuru dono to nemu [no] hana

David’s English

a long day--
Holy Binzuru and blossoms
of sleeping tree

Binzuru is a Buddhist saint, one of the 16 Enlightened Ones. Folk custom dictates that if one prayerfully rubs his image, he or she will recover from illness;　 http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

spring dry

2010-02-19T02:19:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1969　age 63

わが汲めば泉涸るるか罪数多

waga kumeba izumi karuruka tsumi amata

Lee & Emiko translation

when I draw water

will the spring run dry?

so many sins of mine

Seasonal word: a spring ( summer)

Sakuo Haiga

sulky pose

2010-02-13T04:18:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶1815　ａｇｅ５２

妹が子やくねた形りでよぶ忖

imo ga ko ya jikuneta nari de yobu hotaru

David’s English

my child strikes
a sulky pose
calling fireflies

The phrase, imo ga ko ("sister's child") means, in literary usage, "my wife's child," ergo, "my child." (Shinji Ogawa). Issa was newly married when he wrote this poem but still without children. Perhaps he is looking ahead with optimism, imagining that the child in the scene is his own.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

washing at night

2010-02-11T04:06:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女 1969, age 63

夜濯の己れ独りのものばかり

yosusugi no onore hitori no mono bakari

Lee & Emiko’s English

washing at night---

all the laundry

is my own

Seasonal word: washing at night (summer)

sakuo haiga

fifty year-old face

2010-02-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶1815　ａｇｅ５２

出代の市にさらすや五十顔

degawari no ichi ni sarasu ya go ju^ kao

David’s English

a laid-off servant at market--
his fifty year-old face
exposed

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

In springtime, old servants were replaced by young ones. The old ones would leave their employers to return to their home villages; the young ones traveled in the opposite direction. In earlier times this took place during the Second Month; later, the Third Month. Shinij Ogawa corrected my earlier translation. Instead of fifty faces (as I had assumed), there is just one fifty year-old face.

sakuo haiga

green green

2010-02-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

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

a year older

2010-02-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

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.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

mass of hair

2010-02-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

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

rice-planting sake

2010-01-29T00:55:00.000-08:00

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.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo　haiga

summer kimono

2010-01-26T18:16:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女 1969, age 63

夏帯や一途といふは美しく

natsuobi ya ichizu to iu wa utsukushiku

Lee & Emiko’s English

summer kimono sash---

to live with all one’s heart

is beautiful

Seasonal word: summer kimono (summer)

sakuo haiga

billowing cloud

2010-01-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1822、age

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

mildewed room

2010-01-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

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

round ice

2010-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

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

in my mouth

2010-01-19T03:35:00.000-08:00

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

everyday Issa: wild geese

2010-01-19T03:33:00.000-08:00

everyday Issa: wild geese

wild geese

2010-01-16T00:53:00.000-08:00

Issa 一茶 1825

雁がねの気どきに並ぶ烏かな

kari ga ne no kidori ni narabu karasu kana

David’s English

wild geese clamoring
and one pretentious
crow

Note: wild geese

Sakuo haiga

sleeping in

2010-01-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女1969 age 63

カーテンの二重に垂るゝ朝寝かな

Ka^ten no nijyu^ni taruru asane kana

Lee & Emiko’s English

window curtains---

a double layer

for sleeping in

Seasonal word: sleeping in (spring)

Sakuo haiga

winter rain

2010-01-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1821

古郷は小意地の悪い時雨哉

furusato wa ko iji no warui shigure kana

David’s English

my home village
in an ugly mood...
the winter rain

similar haiku: winter rain

Sakuo haiga

a night of spring

2010-01-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

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

smelling

2010-01-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1818

酒臭し小便くさし菊の花

sake kusashi sho^ben kusashi kiku no hana

David’s English

smelling like sake
smelling like piss
chrysanthemums

Note:http://haikuguy.com/issa/search.php?keywords=smelling+like+sake&year=1818

Sakuo haiga

April Fool

2010-01-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女1969 age 63

四月馬鹿髪結いあげてどこへも出ず
shigatsu baka kami yuiagete doko e mo dezu

Lee & Emiko’s English

April Fool---
I do up my hair and go
nowhere

Seasonal word: April fool (spring)

Sakuo haiga

decent spring

2010-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

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.

sakuo haiga

solitude too

2009-12-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女1906 age 63

淋しさも草を焼く火もひろごりぬ

sabishisa mo kusa wo yaku hi mo hirogorinu

Lee & Emiko’s English

solitude, too

fire burning grass, too

have spread

Seasonal word: burning grass (spring)

Sakuo haiga

for the crow

2009-12-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　

跡臼は烏のもちか西方寺

ato usu wa karasu no mochi ka saiho^ji

David’s English

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.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

Not: Saiho Temple by Gavi

sakuo　haiga

blue blossom

2009-12-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女 1906 age 63

旅かなし白梅むしろ青しと見

tabi kanashi hakubai mushi ro aoshi to mi

Lee & Emiko’s English

sadness on a journey---

white plum blossoms

I see as blue

Seasonal word: white plum blossoms (spring)

Sakuo haiga

paper robes

2009-12-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

Ｉｓｓａ　一茶　translated　Dr.　David

well suited--
down the slope they go
in paper robes

niaishi ya onnazaka oriru kamiko-dachi

.似合しや女坂下る紙衣達

by Issa, 1813

Paper robe (kamiko) is a winter season word: a thin, wind-resistant outer kimono. Onnazaka is a gentle slope.

Note　by　Greve Gabi　

Kamiko, the paper robes: http://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/2008/05/paper-robes-kamiko.html

Onnazaka, women’s slope: http://wkdfestivalsaijiki.blogspot.com/2007/07/womens-slope.html

Sakuo haiga

frozen star

2009-12-11T03:25:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

凍星のわれをゆるさぬ光かな

iteboshi no ware wo yurusanu hikari kana

Lee & Emiko’s English

frozen star ---

unforgiving light

falls on me

Seasonal word: frozen star (winter)

sakuo haiga

has greened

2009-12-05T03:45:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1813　

age 51　one year before marriage

at the gate
a palm-sized rice field too
has greened

門先や掌程の田も青む

kado saki ya tenohira hodo no ta mo aomu

translated by Dr. David.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

snow on snow

2009-11-28T02:40:00.000-08:00

Masajo　真砂女　1961年　55歳

同じ空の下に住む雪つもるかな

onaji sora no sitani sumu yuki tsumoru kana

Lee & Emiko’s English

under the same sky

your life and my life…

snow piles on snow

Seasonal word; snow ( winter )

Note: Masajo moved to live in Tokyo, and her lover was in a

sanatorium in suburb of Tokyo. Masajo looked up in the sky and

thought they were living under the same sky now. Snow was falling

and was covering the ground. She wondered if his place also

covered with snow.

sakuo haiga

song less

2009-11-24T02:21:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1806　age 44

朝顔を鳴なくしたりきりぎりす

asagao wo naki naku shitari kirigirisu

David’s English

leaving the morning-glory
song less...
a katydid

Shinji Ogawa paraphrases, "The katydid made the morning-glory unable to sing." He speculates, "Issa may be saying that the katydid sang so well, this made the morning-glory silent." http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo’s haiga

shampooed haire

2009-11-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

洗髪乾かぬ雪となりにけり

araigami kawakanu yuki to nari ni keri

Lee & Emiko’s English

shampooed hair

remaining damp

it becomes snowy

Seasonal word: snow ( winter)

sakuo haiga

little pilgrim

2009-11-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

Issa　一茶　1819　Age　５７

親よぶや凧上ながら小順礼

oya yobu [ya] tako age nagara ko junrei

David’s　English

calling his parents
while his kite rises!
little pilgrim

sakuo haiga

autumn gale

2009-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女1961 Age 55

野分中波にのまれてしまひたき

nowake naka nami ni nomarete shimaitaki

Lee & Emiko’s English

autumn gale---

to be sallowed by a wave

is my wish

Seasonal word: autumn gale (autumn)

sakuo renga

parent carry

2009-11-08T04:11:00.000-08:00

Issa 一茶 1813 age 51

挑灯を親に持たせて春の雨

chou^chin wo oya ni motasete haru no ame

David’s English

letting her parent carry
the paper lantern...
spring rain

Or: "his parent."

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renku

隣の村の嫁ぎ先まで

tonari no mura no totugi saki made

to her husband’s family

at the next village

sakuo haiga

green acorn

2009-11-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Masajo 真砂女1961 Age 55

人恋し青き木の実を掌にぬくめ

hito koishi aoki konomi wo te ni nukume

Lee & Emiko’s English

longing for him

I warm a green acorn

in my hand

Seasonal word: acorn (autumn)

sakuo renga

plum blossom

2009-11-01T02:34:00.000-08:00

Issa 一茶 1810 age 48

幼子や掴々したり梅の花

osanago ya nigi nigi shitari ume no hana

David’s English

the child
clutches them tightly...
plum blossoms

Issa suggests that the love of Nature's beauty is part of the human soul, not taught or learned. He also reveals, in this haiku, a connection and affinity between innocent child and fresh spring blossoms. We see in this clutching child a future poet.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga

cricket

2009-10-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女1961 Age 55

こほろぎや眼を見はれども闇は闇

ko-rogi ya me wo miharedomo yami ha yami

Lee & Emiko’s English

crickets---

my eyes wide open to darkness

nothing but darkness

Seasonal word: cricket(autumn)

Note: Masajo is looking for her lover who might come to visit in the dark. But she sees only the darkness.

sakuo renga

cuckoo

2009-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Issa, 1822 age 60

木の門や朝から晩迄かん子鳥

ki no kado ya asa kara ban made kankodori

David’s English

tree at the gate--
morning to evening
a mountain cuckoo

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga

Till the time,

Issa has lost three young babies

autumn wind

2009-10-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女1961 Age 55

秋風や知らぬ顔して行きし人

akikaze ya shiranu kao shite yukishi hito

Lee & Emiko’s English

autumn wind---

he pretends not to see me

as he passes

Seasonal word: autumn wind(autumn)

sakuo renga

cooling

2009-10-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Issa, 一茶 1816 age 54

立涼寝涼さても涼しさや
tachi suzumi ne suzumi sate mo suzushisa ya

David translation

cooling off standing
cooling lying down...
well, it's cool!

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga

soreni tsuketemo hiru no atusa yo
それにつけても昼の暑さよ

that reminds me of
the daytime heat

a glass of beer

2009-10-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女1961 Age 55

ビールくむ抱かるゝことのなき人と

bi-ru kumu dakareru koto no naki hito to

Lee & Emiko’s English

a glass of beer---

I serve it to a man

I will never love

Seasonal word: beer(summer)

sakuo renga

buck's horn

2009-10-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1822 age 60

tied to the young
buck's horn...
a letter

saoshika no tsuno ni musubishi tegami kana
.さをしかの角に結びし手紙哉

An interesting form of mail delivery! Perhaps the deer in question is a tame animal on the grounds of a temple.
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/
By Dr. David.

sakuo renga

violet

2009-10-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

すみれ野に罪あるごく来て二人
sumireno ni tsumi aru gotoku kite futari

Lee & Emiko’s English

field of violets---
like those fallen from grace
like the two of us

Seasonal word: violet ( spring )

sakuo renga

zabuton remake

2009-09-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Remake: husband was a lover of air force, posted haiga is
remade here.

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

かりそめの夫の座布団花ぐもり
karisome no tsuma no zabuton hanagumori

Lee & Emiko’s English

a zubuton cushion
for my borrowed husband—
cherry blossom clouds

Seasonal word: cherry blossom clouds (spring)
Note: Zabuton is a floor cushion to sit on.

sakuo renga

I said the husband was her brother in law, but it was an error.
the husband was Masajo’s lover of air force.
This is pointed by Emiko Miyashita, translator, on 28 Sept 2009. I again painted remade renga.

Sumida crain

2009-09-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1810 Age 48

柴の戸やかすむたそくの隅田鶴
shiba no to ya kasumu tasoku no sumida-zuru

David’s English

at my humble hut so many in the mist! Sumida River cranes

Shinji Ogawa explains that shiba no to (brushwood door) is an idiom for a "hut" or "my humble house." It does not mean that Issa's door is literally made of brushwood.
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

zabuton cushion

2009-09-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

かりそめの夫の座布団花ぐもり
karisome no tsuma no zabuton hanagumori

Lee & Emiko’s English

a zubuton cushion
for my borrowed husband—
cherry blossom clouds

Seasonal word: cherry blossom clouds (spring)
Note: Zabuton is a floor cushion to sit on.

sakuo renga

As my husband was my sister’s one, I was forced to marriage with him after her death.
It was said to do so because of our family’s hotel survives.

my fan

2009-09-25T03:31:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1824 Age 62

茶の水の蓋にしておく団扇哉
cha no mizu no futa ni shite oku uchiwa kana

David’s English

covering up my water for tea... my fan

Or: "the water...the fan..."
Issa doesn't specify that either is his, though this might be inferred.
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renku & haiga

家事は苦手なお飾り女房
kaji wa negate na okazari nyoubo

not good at housekeeping
only sitting decoration
my bride

lingering daylight

2009-09-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1961 age 55

砂山に人の恋見し日永かな
sunayama ni hito no koi mishi hinaga kana

Lee & Emiko’s English

on the seaside dunes
other people in love…
lingering daylight

Seasonal word: lingering daylight (spring)

sakuo renga

skinny fleas

2009-09-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1821

痩蚤を振ふや猫も夕祓
yase nomi wo furuu ya neko mo yu^ harai

David’s English

rousting his skinny fleas
the cat too...
evening's purification

This haiku refers to a Shinto purification ritual that takes place in Sixth Month in the traditional Japanese calendar. One of the observances is to launch special shrine boats in water; see Kiyose (Tokyo: Kakugawa Shoten, 1984) 162. Shinji Ogawa adds that the most popular forms of the ritual involve (1) entering a shrine through the chinowa (a large ring made of woven reeds) or (2) going to a river and releasing a paper boat containing a paper doll (katashiro). As the doll drifts away it is thought to take "all unclean things with it."
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo haiga

three worlds

2009-09-12T04:49:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1955 age 49

女三界に家なき雪のつもりけり
on’na sangai ni ie naki yuki no tsumori keri

Lee & Emiko’s English

in those three worlds
a woman is never at home;
snow on snow on snow

Seasonal word: snow ( winter )
Notte: On’na sangai ni ie nashi means that there is no home for a woman to live in peace in the whole world. She must obey her father when she is a child, humble to her husband when she gets married, and follow her eldest son after the death of her husband.

sakuo renga

counting heads

2009-09-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1816 age 54

湯入衆の頭かぞへる小てふ哉
yu iri shu^ no atama kazoeru ko cho^ kana

David’s English

counting heads
in a hot tub...
little butterfly

Issa makes use of his two-part joke structure in this haiku. The first two phrases, "counting heads/ in a hot tub..." lead the reader to expect a human agent, but then he surprises us by revealing the counter to be a "little butterfly!" The butterfly seems to share in the happiness of the humans, soaking away their aches and troubles in hot water. It flits from head to head, taking roll. This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga

my chest

2009-09-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1955 age 49

手をのせし胸の薄さや今朝の秋
te wo noseshi mune no ususa ya kesa no aki

Lee & Emiko’s English

I touched my chest
and felt its thinness---
autumn’s first morning

At that time, I weighed less than 40 kilograms ( 88 pounds). My chest, which had recovered from a mild case of tuberculosis, was thin, but I kept burning desire in this thin chest.

Seasonal word* autumn’s first morning
Notte: Kesa no aki is the morning of the first day of autumn, which is around August 7th or 8th.

sakuo renga

abandoned

2009-09-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1804 age 42

見かぎりし古郷の山の桜哉
mikagirishi kokyo^ no yama no sakura kana

David’s English

the home village
I abandoned...
mountain cherry blossoms

Kashiwabara was Issa's home village that he "abandoned" until his homecoming in 1813. According to volume 1 of Issa zenshu^, this haiku was written in 1803, but in volume 2 a date of 1804 is given (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79, 1.222; 2.199).
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga & renga

江戸の句友の拍手喝采

getting a big hand
from haiku friends in Edo

hairy caterpillar

2009-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1955 age 49

あるときの心のむごく毛虫焼く
aru toki no kokoro no mugoku kemushi yaku

Lee & Emiko’s English

that one time
my heart so merciless:
I burned a hairy caterpillar

Seasonal word: hairy caterpillar ( summer )

sakuo haiga

tea-picking song

2009-09-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶1816 age 54

川霧のまくしかけたり茶つみ唄
kawa kiri no makushikaketari cha tsumi uta

David’s English

in the river fog
a boisterous noise...
tea-picking song

Makushikaku is an old verb meaning to raise
one's voice forcefully and energetically;
Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1512.
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renga

jealous

2009-08-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1955 age 49

夏帯や夫への嫉妬さらになく
natuobi ya tsuma e no shitto sarani naku

Lee & Emiko’s English

summer obi---
jealous of my husband?
never!

Seasonal word: summer obi (kimono sash) ( summer)

sakuo’s renku & renga

自慢話や昨夜の女
jimanbanashi ya sakuya no onna

his bragging of
a woman of last night

nunoko

2009-08-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1821

卯の花に布子の膝の光哉
u no hana ni nunoko no hiza no hikari kana

David’s English

the deutzia blossoms
light up
my lap

Not translated: the subject of the haiku is wearing padded cotton clothing (nunoko).
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renku & renga

初夏に綿入れ病疑う
syoka ni wataire yamai utagau

in early summer
wearing cotton cloth
Are you sick?

sorrow in spring

2009-08-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Masajo 真砂女 1955 age 49

人のそしり知つての春の愁ひかな
hito no soshiri shitte no haru no urei kana

Lee & Emiko’s English

people’s censure
I know all about it…
sorrow in spring

Seasonal word: spring sorrow ( spring )

In a small town people are more concerned about what other
are doing. From my hair style to the clothes I
wore, I was the target of their curiosity and objections. Being flamboyant for a small town, I took this interest as a matter of course.

sakuo renku

胸の想いを知る人ぞ無し
mune no omoi wo siruhito zo nashi

Nobody know
my passion in my heart

sakuo haiga

Harvest moon

2009-08-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Issa 一茶 1811 age 49

名月や薮蚊だらけの角田川

meigetsu ya yabu ka darake no sumida-gawa

David’s English

harvest moon--
Sumida River thick
with mosquitoes

According to R. H. Blyth, "thicket mosquito" (yabu ka) refers to a species of "striped mosquitoes"; Haiku (Tokyo: Hokuseido, 1949-1952; rpt. 1981-1982/reset paperback edition) 3.805. Robin D. Gill notes that the scientific name for these large striped, bloodthirsty mosquitoes is Stegomyia fasciata, according to Kenkyu^sha's Japanese-English Dictionary.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo renku

痒さに耐えて名句を詠まん

kayusani taete meiku wo yoman

enduring the itch

I will make excellent haiku

sakuo haiga