with all families

1818

一茶
陽炎や庇の草も花の咲く
kagerô ya hisashi no kusa mo hana no saku

David’s English
heat shimmers--
among grasses of the eaves
flowers

sakuo’s preface and Renku
On the fifth month of 1818 the first daughter was born. His half-brother’s family would be pleased
the birth. For long time Issa and his brother have fought for father’s asset.

celebrated with two families
the birth of the baby

stop to make haiku

1814
一茶
うかれ猫奇妙に焦れて参りけり
ukare neko kimyô ni jirete mairi keri

David’s English
the love-crazed cat
strangely on edge
wander off

sakuo Renku( 猫は若妻。The cat is his young wife.)

俳句を止めて早く床入り
haiku wo yamete hayaku tokoiri

stop to make haiku
let’s get in bed


David’s Comment

1814, Age 52Fourth Month, 11th day, he marries Kiku ("Chrysanthemum": age 28).

heavily on my mind

1822

一茶
おのづから頭が下る也神路山
onozukara zu ga sagaru nari kamiji yama

David’s English
by itself
my head bows...
Mount Kamiji

sakuo Renku
There were many famous poems on Mount Kamiji that is at the back of Ise Shrine that offes Imperial God

名歌数々心に重し
meika kazukazu kokoro ni omoshi

many famous poems
heavily on my mind

David’s Comment.
http://haikuguy.com/issa/queryallcodetest4.php?keywords=by+itself&year=1822

empity life

1803

一茶
露けしや草一本も秋の体
tsuyukeshi ya kusa ippon mo aki no tei

David's English
humidity--
even one blade of grass
is autumn

sakuo Renku
忍び寄る秋儚い命
shinobi　yoru aki hakanai inoti

creeping autumn
empty life

shall we go back?

year unknown

一茶
影法師もまめ息災で御慶かな
kageboshi mo mame sokusai de gyokei kana

David’s Engish
my shadow too
fit and trim...
"Happy New Year!"

sakuo Renku
さて帰らんか一人住まいへ
sate kaeran ka hitori sumai he

shall we go back
to a lonesome hut 

Oh Sole Mio !!

1816
一茶
小便を致しながらもなく蛙
shôben wo itashi nagara mo naku kawazu

David’s English
taking a leak
he keeps on croaking...
frog

sakuo Renku
オーソレミヨや声の限りに
osore miyo ya koe no kagiri ni

Oh Ｓｏｌｅ　Ｍiｏ
at the top of voice
 

easy delivery of a dog

1817

一茶
どら犬の尻で明るや雪囲
dora inu no shiri de akeru ya yukigakoi

David’s　English
the stray dog
opens it with his butt..
.snow shed

sakuo Comment　and Renku
On last April the first son born but soon die. He wished truly to have a strong baby.

犬の安産丈夫な赤子
inuno anzan jyoubuna akago

the easy delivery of a dog
a strong baby 

ready to fire !!

1812

一茶
鉄砲の三尺先の小てふかな
teppô no san shaku saki no ko chô kana

David's English
three feetfrom the musket's barrel...little butterfly

sakuo Renku
昔も今も打ち方用意
mukashi mo ima mo utikata youi

once and now too
ready to fire 

no thank you priest

1810

一茶
霜がれや勧化法度の藪の宿
shimogare ya kange hatto no yabu no yado

David’s English
frost-killed grass--"No Begging Allowed"at the thicket's inn

David’s Comment
Literally, there is a ban against Buddhist priests soliciting funds. The coldness that has killed the grass is echoed in the heart of the innkeeper.

sakuo　Comment and Renku
[kange] is Buddha word, to recommend Buddha’s principle. or to ask contribution to Temple.
[hotsuto] is low or ban.
Together [kange hotsuto] means [no thank you to read Buddhist scriptures]

坊主無用のつれない宿屋
bouzu muyou no turenai yadoya

no thank you priest
heartless inn 

half of asset

1808

一茶
秋風に御任せ申す浮藻哉
aki kaze ni o-makase mô[su] ukimo kana

David’s　English
trusting its fate
to the autumn wind...
duckweed

sakuo’s Comment and Haiku

In this year 1808, he went to and from between Edo and home village .
In Autumn his inheritance struggle has settled down. But he must come back to Edo.

半分けの財産残し江戸へ立つ
han wake no zaisan nokosi edo he tatu

departing to Edo
while worrying about
half of asset 

dream of rice planting

1819　age 57.

一茶
馬どもも田休す也門の原
uma domo mo ta yasumisu nari kado no hara

David’s English
the horse tooon rice-planting break...field by the gate

sakuo’s Comment and Renku
For long time he has been dreaming of planting his own rice field.
After getting his father’s estate, his dream has come true.

我が夢叶う一家で田植え
waga yume kanau itsuka de taue

my dream has come true
planting rice with all my family 

as a migrant worker

１８２２ Age 60

一茶
出代や江戸の見物もしなの笠
degawari ya edo no kembutsu mo shinano-gasa

David’s English
migrating servants--in Edo, tooShinano's umbrella-hats

David’s comment.
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.
Issa's home province was Shinano (today's Nagano Prefecture). He notices people wearing umbrella-hats from home among the throng of new servants entering Edo.

sakuo Renku and comment
Issa saw himself in old servant and young one. He came to Edo at 14 years old as the have-notes. He had made effort to become a have class.
He failed to become a master of professional Haiku-ist and retured home as have-note class.

歳を取りたり出稼ぎのまま
tosi wo toritari dekasegi no ma ma

as a migrant worker
having got old 

ash calligraphy

1816

一茶
古盆の灰で手習ふ寒さ哉
furu bon no hai de tenarau samu[sa] kana

David’s English
drawing words
in an old tray's ashes...
winter cold

sakuo comment
There was famous Haiku by Basho.
小野炭や手習ふ人の灰ぜせり
ono sumi ya tenarau hito no hai seseri

sakuo’s English
charcoal named Ono
student of calligraphy
play with ash

sakuo Renku
芭蕉も書いた灰の手習い
Basho mo kaita hai no tenarai

Basho also wrote
calligraphy on ashe 

doll and spring horse

We are talking about Issa's haiku on haru-koma in World Haiku multimedia.

The key point is concentrated on what is haru-koma

[ haru-koma]
is literally spring hores. It comes from the dance cellebrating New Year.
Just as Lary san said it is a perfomer in Edo era.
The doll above is called [fukusuke, lucky boy] with big head.
He has rid on spring horse.
I think you will undersatnd Issa's haiku by this picture.

sakuo.

the picture comes from the site,
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~hushimi/hukusuke.htm 

slander will also decrease

1813
Age 51 Second Month, he is living in his native village in a rented house. In autumn, his inheritance dispute finally settled, he moves into his family home.
Next year he married.

一茶
としの市かますかぶって通りけり
toshi no ichi kamasu kabutte tôri keri

David’s English( he or she is possible)
year's end fair--a straw bag on his headhe passes

sakuo comment
After winning the long dispute, Issa had got half of father’s asset ,
But neighbors bashed away. They were all his half-brother’s side.
The year’s end has come.

sakuo Renku
年が明ければ悪口も減る
tosi ga　akereba warukuti mo heru

If a year ends,
slander will also decrease 

hurry up to the red-light district

1810, age 48.
一茶
馬喰し虻が逃行蓮の花
uma kuishi [abu] ga nigeyuku hasu no hana

David’s Engish
after biting the horse
the horsefly hides out...
lotus blossoms

sakuo comment
In natural speaking , we don’t say horsefly bite the house, it is said horsefly sting the house. Kanji [kuisi 喰いし] means [to eat]
Then, horsefly is man, male who eat the horse meat and fly, rushing to the beautiful blossom that is lady, female.
In Edo city there were many horse steak houses near the red-light district (Yoshiwara)
where many Oiran girls waited for the sexual gust.
They were a kind of Buddha on lotus, helping sexually strayed men..


sakuo Renku
馬肉屋後に急げ遊郭
baniku-ya ato ni isoge yuukaku

leaving from horse steak house
hurry up to the red-light district