You, No Work

1795

Issa
つくづくと鵜ににらまるる鵜飼哉
tsuku-zuku to u ni nirama[ru]ru ukai kana

David’s English
the cormorants stare
at them hard...
cormorant fishermen

sakuo　Renku
水に潜らず魚も取らず
mizu ni mogurazu sakana mo torazu

no diving into water
no catching fish

tomorrow, Festival

1795　

Issa　一茶
御旅所を吾もの顔やかたつぶり
o-tabisho wo waga mono-gao ya katatsuburi

David’s English
imperial inn--
acting like he owns it
a snail

sakuo　Renku
明日は祭りだ御輿は揃った
asu ha mature da mikosi ha sorotssuta

tomorrow is the festival
portable shrines lined up

sakuo's Comment
Imperial inn is a kind of shrine where god takes temporary rest.
At festival, portable shrines coming from each area gather at here
and march to the head shrine.

a lot of bullets

1795

一茶　Issa
青梅や餓鬼大将が肌ぬいで
aoume ya gaki-daishô ga hada nuide

David’s English
green plums--
the baddest of bad boys
bare-chested


sakuo Comment
No 1 bad boy is ready to fight, putting off his wear.
There are many green plums fallen that are good for bullet.

sakuo Renku
弾は一杯 硬い青梅
tama ha ittsupai katai aoume

a lot of bullets
hard green plums

Autumn in river mouth!

1794

Issa
すくも火やかがしの果も夕煙り
sukumo-bi ya kagashi no hate mo yû keburi

David’s　English
peat fire--
a scarecrow also ends up
in evening's smoke

sakuo　Renku
秋の河口寂しき夕暮れ
aki no kawa-guti samisiki yugure

Autumn river mouth
lonesome dusk

hot day

1794
　　　　
Issa
憎るる稗は穂に出て青田原
nikumaruru hie wa ho ni dete aodabara

David’s English
the hated barnyard grass
rears its head...
green rice field

sakuo Renku
一家総出で稗抜く暑さ
itssuka soude de hie nuku atsu sa

all of family
puling the grass
hot day

on the main road

1794

Issa
雲のみね見越見越て阿蘇煙
kumo no mine mikoshi mikoshite aso kemuri

David’s English
peaks of clouds--
looking down, down...
Mount Aso's smoke

sakuo　Renku
街道続く阿蘇の山

the main road
leading to Mount Aso

New tea please!

1794

Issa　Original
茶の煙柳と共にそよぐ也
cha no kemuri yanagi to tomo ni soyogu nari

David’s English
the tea smoke
and the willow
dance partners

sakuo Renku
新茶一杯いかがです
shin-cha itsupai ikagadesu ka

how about drinking

the new tea

my journy saftey too

1794

一茶
杜若よりあの虹は起りけん

kakitsubata yori ano niji wa okoriken

David’s　English
irises--
where that rainbow
starts from


sakuo's　Renku
明日は好天旅また無事に
asu ha kouten tabi mata buji ni

tomorrow will be fine
my journey safety too

moon ship

1794

Issa　一茶
涼しさや半月うごく溜まり水
suzushisa ya hangetsu ugoku tamarimizu

David's English
coolness--
the half moon moves
across a puddle

sakuo Renku
月の舟行く 海から海へ
tuki no fune yuku umi kara umi he

moon ship shift
from the sea to the other

last night's dream

1794
Issa　　一茶
窓明て蝶を見送る野原哉
mado akete chô wo mi-okuru no hara kana

David’s English
window open--
a butterfly pulls my eyes
across the field

sakuo　Renku
昨夜の夢や春霞かな
sakuya no yume ya haru kasumi kana

last night's dream
becomes spring fog

but main dish

1793

Issa Original
涼しさや欠釜一ッひとりずみ
suzushisa ya kakegama hitotsu hitori-zumi

David’s English
coolness--
with one cracked pot
my life alone

sakuo Renku
飯は炊けたがおかずどうする
mesi ha taketa ga okazu dousuru

rice boiled up
but main dish

Bon Dance

1793

Issa Original
手叩て親の教ゆるをどり哉
te tataite oya no oshiyuru odori kana

David’s English
nglish hands clapping
mother teaches her child
the dance

sakuo Renku
夏の夜空やお盆近づく
natu no yozora ya Obon tikazuku

Summer’s night sky
Obon coming

get tired

1793

Issa Original
きりぎりすしばし布団のうへに哉

kirigirisu shibashi futon no ue ni kana

David’s English
a katydid
suddenly lands smack
on the futon

sakuo Renku
歌い疲れし夏の宴会

get tired with singing
party at summer night

figures trick

1793
Issa Original
鞍壷に三ッ四ッ六ッいなご哉
kuratsubo ni mittsu yo[tsu] mutsu inago kana

David’s English
in the saddle's seat
three, four, six...
locusts

sakuo　Comment
This is parody haiku,having figures trick.
鞍壷に三ッ四ッ六ッいなご哉 …Issa Original
鞍壷二ッ三ッ四ッ六ッ一七五哉….letters .replacing by number

In English
kuratsubo ni mittsu yo[tsu] mutsu inago kana

kuratsubo 2 3 4 6 1 7 5 kana

This haiku also is parody of Basho, great haiku Master
鞍壷に小坊主乗るや大根引き　　芭蕉
kuratubo ni kobouzu noru ya daiko hiki

on the saddle's seat
riding a little boy
radish pulling (sakuo translated)

This ku is very famous of it’s humor.

Issa would think I am Basho’s successors in making this haiku.

sakuo Renku
俳句の旅へ師の馬引かん
haiku no tabi he si no uma hikan

to haiku journy
lead the Master’s horse

poor inn

1793

Issa Original
歯噛みする人に目覚て夜寒哉
hagami suru hito ni mezamete yo samu kana

David’s English
his chattering teeth
wake me...
a cold night

sakuo Renku
貧乏宿の夜中の小便
binbou yado no yonaka no syouben

a poor inn
piss in midnight

autumn coming near

1790s

Issa　Original
浦風に旅忘レけり夕涼
ura kaze ni tabi wasure keri yusuzumi

David’s　English
nglishin the beach breeze
my travels forgotten...
evening cool

sakuo Renku
故郷恋しや秋遠からじ
furusato koisi ya aki tookaraji

longing for home town
autumn coming near

love wind

1793 31 years old on his journey around western province.

Issa Original
青すだれ白衣の美人通ふ見ゆ
ao sudare byakue no bijin kayou iyu

David’s English
green bamboo blinds--
a pretty woman in white
through the cracks

sakuo Renga
夏の夜空に恋の風吹く
natsu no yozora ni koi no kaze fuku

sky in summer night
blow love wind

Christ shift into Buddha

1793 30 years old ,on the journey, being in Nagasaki where many Christians
had lived. To pray Christ was prohibited under Edo Government.

Issa Original
君が世や茂りの下の那蘇仏

kimi ga yo ya shigeri no shita no yaso-botoke

David’s English
Great Japan--
overgrown with weeds
Jesus-Buddha

sakuo Renku
禁制の耶蘇仏になりけり
kinsei no yaso hotoke ni nari keri

prohibited Christ
shift into Buddha

the sun shines

1790s his 30 year’s

Issa Original
雨上り柱見事にきのこ哉
ameagari hashira migoto ni kinoko kana

David’s English
rain is over--
on the post a splendid
mushroom

sakuo Renku
暗き部屋にも日は射し込めリ
kuraki heya nimo hi wa sasikomeri
the sun shines
even into dim room

look like too

Issa Original
日ぐらしや我影法師のあみだ笠
higurashi ya waga kageboshi no amida-gasa

David’s English
cicada chirrs--
my shadow's umbrella-hat
makes a halo!

David’s Comment
The higurashi is a type of cicada. The name, as Shinji Ogawa points out, means "evening cicada." One dictionary calls it, a "clear toned cicada." Shinji explains, "An evening cicada sings in rich modulation in a sing-song way." While ordinary cicadas are associated with summer, higurashi is an autumn season word in haiku, "based on the elegant tones."

Literally, Issa sees in his own shadow an "Amida umbrella-hat" (amida-gasa), an old expression that denotes a halo; see Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 70. Amida is the Buddha to which Pure Land devotees such as Issa faithfully depend for rebirth in the Western Paradise. The poet is delighted to see in his shadow the blessing of an unexpected halo. The poetic leap from cicada song to haloed shadow is one of Issa's most delightful.

sakuo’s Rennku
我又近し阿弥陀仏
ware mata tika shi amida-butsu

I look like too
Amida-Buddha

at sea bottom

1792 age 30, on his journy to Western Province.

Issa Original
うたかたや淡の波間の平家蟹
utakata ya awa no namima no heike-gani

David’s English
sea foam--
in the fleeting wave
a Heike crab

David's Comment
Crabs with special markings resembling faces of samurai are thought to be reincarnated heroes who died in a famous battle, recounted in the medievalTale of the Heike.

sakuo's Comment
Heike's enemy is Genji. [ awa no] is translated as [sea foam]
I think [awa no] means [Awa no Kuni, 阿波の国]at the same time.

sakuo Renku
海の底にて源氏を睨む
umi no soko nite genji wo niramu

at the bottom of seastares at enemy Genji

cake shop too

1790s

Issa Original
雁おりて畠も名所のひとつ哉
kari orite hata mo meisho no hitotsu kana

David’s English
geese landing--
the farmer's field too
a famous resort

sakuo　Renku
近くに団子屋開きけり
near at the site Dango cake shop opens

the chorus of heaven and earth!

1790s
Issa　Original
きりぎりす野の牛も聞風情哉
kirigirisu no no ushi mo kiku fuzei kana

David’s English
song of the katydid--
even the field cow
a connoisseur

sakuo　Renku
天地に虫の合唱満ちる
tenti ni musi no gattsusyo mitiru

fill heaven and earth
the chorus of the insect.

the best harvest, this year

1792 30 years old, on his journey to the West.

Issa　Original
鎌倉や今はかがしの屋敷守
kamakura ya ima wa kagashi no yashiki mori

David’s English
Kamakura--
these days scarecrows
are the gatekeepers

Daviv’s　Comment
Kamakura is one of Japan's ancient capitals, on Sagami Bay southwest of Tokyo.

sakuo Renga
栄華は昔、今年豊作
the prosperity is the past
and the best harvest this year