Oh I did it , I'm a snake too !

the long snake


David English
the long snakehead to tail, down the hatch

Issa in 1820
58 years old, on October second son born. fall over and was smitten by palsy ,but lightly. wrote haiku literatures.

sakuo Japanese
nagai hebi no atama kara sittupo he ana oriru
長蛇の頭から尾へ穴降りる

Issa　Original
ô hebi mo shubi yoku ana e iri ni keri
大蛇も首尾よく穴へ入にけり

sakuo Comment
Who is another snake? It is Issa who has got estate, family and haiku students around him. He shout " Oh I did it " in his hole.

Issa site

his attendants behind the mist

attendants


David English
his attendants behindhaul the mist...Lord Kaga
-Issa, 1820

sakuo Japanese
kasin ture kiri ni kie yuku kaga no tono
家臣連れ　霧に消え行く　加賀の殿

Issa　Original
atodomo wa kasumi hiki keri kaga no kami
後供はかすみ引けり加賀の守

sakuo impression
Great ! Lord of Kaga who had passed through Hottukoku
-kaido along that Issa's house was standing.
The marching attendants were so long that the last part of them were
not seen in the mist.

Issa site

Don't be disliked, evening lark !

evening lark


David English
evening lark don't let the field's smoke annoy you
-Issa, 1804

sakuo Japanese
yuu hibari no no kemuri ni kirawareru na
夕雲雀　野の煙りに　嫌われるるな

Issa　Original
yû hibari nobe no keburi ni akaruru na
夕雲雀野辺のけぶりに倦るるな

sakuo impression
Spring day grow long, and evening never come soon. Lark also is keep to fly and sing in evening sky. Seeing it Issa has made this haiku.

Issa site

the first winter rain


David English
the first winter rain didn't forget...the twelfth day!
-Issa, 1817

sakuo Japanese
hatu sigure wasure mesaru na 12 no hi
初時雨　忘れめさるな　十二の日

Issa Original
hatsu shigure o-jû ni nichi wo wasurenu ya
初時雨お十二日を忘ぬや

sakuo brief comment
12 th of Octber is the death day of Great poet, Basho who liked winter rain.This haiku is a little comical !

Issa website

keenly cold sickle moon

David's English haiku
the sickle moonbends, winter's cold returns -Issa, 1818

sakuo's Japanese translation
mike no tuki magaru ya kan no modori kana
三日の月　曲がるや　寒の戻かな

Issa　Original
mikazuki wa soru zo samusa wa saekaeru
三ケ月はそるぞ寒は冴かへる

sakuo Comment
Moon bright so keenly that it is cold as it stinked me.

Issa site

A plover can take a rice bag on his head ?

a plover sings--


David Englisha
plover sings--with a rice bag on his headhe passes

sakuo Japanese
tidori naku tawara　atama ni sugini keri
千鳥鳴く　俵頭に　過ぎにけり

Issa Original
naku chidori tawara kabutte tôri keri
鳴千鳥俵かぶって通りけり

sakuo image
Issa watched the bird moving quickly from left to right. He could see rice bag on the head of the bird.

Issa website

Can cat willow become temple flower ?

the willow


David English
the willowlike a gray cat...a temple flower too

sakuo Japanese
siro　neko ni　niru yanagi mata hotoke bana
白猫に　似る柳また　仏花

Issa Original
shiro neko no yôna yanagi mo o-hana kana
白猫のやうな柳もお花哉

sakuo Imagination
Cat willow is simple flower that grows on the bank. It looks like cat tail
, and white cottom.
Even such wild flower is votive to the altar of buddha. It is still and peace.

">Issa website

Does horse-shit bloom ?

chrysanthemum blooming
1813


David English

chrysanthemum blooming

horse-shit mountain... one scene

sakuo Japanese
kiku saku ya uma kuso yama mo hito nagame
菊咲くや　　　　馬糞山も　　　　　　 一眺め

Issa　Original
kiku saku ya ma-guso yama mo hito keshiki
菊さくや 馬糞山も 一けしき

sakuo image
I feel a fine Autumn day in this haiku that is really natural movment with healthy feeling.

Issa haiku site

Happy in day mist ?

day mist 1821


David English
day mist--the census taker reckons itabout seven miles

sakuo Japanese
hiru kiri ya monomi hakari te sanri hodo
昼霧や　物見測りて　三里程

Issa Original
kasumu hi ya shûban [oshi] ni san ri hodo
かすむ日や宗判押しに三里程

sakuo　imaging
On one day of silent and peacefull Spring Issa walked to a temple for stamping seal that prove himself as Buddhist of Jyoudo-syu.It was like in dream as he was strolling in the day mist.

-Issa, 1821
59 years old. on January his second son died on his mother's back. on April his wife got sick of gout. At Zenkou-ji , the biggest Temple of Jyoudo Buddhist, his haiku board was displayed. His effort has been admitted in the area of north Sinano province.

Issa haiku website

If sweet, would be mine and thine

if they sweet 1820


David English haiku
if they were sweet dewdrops, no doubt, would be"mine" and "thine"

sakuo Japanese haiku
ama kere ba tuyu kanarazu ya ore omae
甘けれ ば 露 必ず や　 俺 お前

Issa Original haiku
amakara ba sazo oraga tsuyu hito no tsuyu
甘から ば さぞ おれが 露 人 の 露

sakuo feeling Issa would laugh at human's deep desire, but without it we couldn't live on.


-Issa, 1820
58 years old, on October second son born. fall over and was smitten by palsy ,but lightly. wrote haiku literatures.

Issa haiku website

even a cutpurse saved too

winter prayers 1819

David English

winter prayers--a cutpurse, too in moonlight

sakuo Japanese
kangyo ya kintyaku-kiri mo tuki akari
寒行や　巾着きりも　月明かり

Issa Original
o-jûya wa kinchakukiri mo tsuki yo nari
御十夜は巾着切も月夜也

sakuo　feeling
Very thankful poem it is ! Moon light is Amida san's saving grace.
At the night all is promised to be saved by Buddha, even cutpurse too.

-Issa, 1819
57 years old. wrote [ oraga haru-- my spring ]. On June first daughter died.

Issa English haiku website

Cloud get old !

ten cloudy days


David English
ten cloudy days--this is getting old cuckoo!

sakuo Japanese
kumori touka tosi oite yuku hototogisu
曇り十日　年老いていく　時鳥

Issa Original
tôka hodo kumo mo furubinu hototogisu
十日程雲も古びぬほととぎす

sakuo imagination
Every day it's cloudy and cloudy.The cloud has covered sky and never moved away. Issa has got tired of cloudy days. He expressed this feeling as the clouds have grown old.

Issa haiku website

My rice , cool and alone

in cool morning-glories


David Englishin
cool morning-glories eating my rice alone

sakuo Japanese
asagao ni ware mesi kuu ya tada hitori
朝顔に　われ飯食うや　ただ一人

Issa　Original
asagao ni suzushiku kuu ya hitori meshi
朝顔に涼しくくふやひとり飯

sakuo image,
It is hot summer. Issa got up early in the morning. He took break fast ,seeing morning-glories that looked cool.
" alone" is well expressed his cool mind.

Issa haiku website

How about town moon ?

harvest moon


David English
harvest moon--deep in the mountain a mountain moon

sakuo Japanese
meigetu ya yamaoku fukaku yama no tuki
名月や山奥深く山の月

Issa Original
meigetsu ya yama no oku ni wa yama no tsuki
名月や山の奥には山の月

sakuo impression
At a glance ,sakuo and Issa seem to be same, but they are quite difference. Issa's is much stronger than sakuo.The difference comes from [okufukaku]=deep and [niha]=nothing but.

Issa English haiku website

Blue and yellow , New year's sky ?

David English
a made-to-order pale blue...the year's first sky

sakuo's Japanese
aturae no tosi no hatu sora usuao si
誂えの　年の初空　薄青し

Issa's original
aturae no tooriasagi no hatu zora zo
誂えの　通り浅黄の　はつ空ぞ

Then question?

Is new year's sky blue or yellow ?
At this New year Issa was sick on his journey without backing to homevillage.
He was so gloomy that he would see the sky to be yellow.

Issa English website