native village or Edo city

１８０４
一茶
うかうかと盆も過たる灯ろ哉
uka-uka to bon mo sugitaru to^ro^ kana

David’s English
the Bon Festival
flickers out too...
Lanterns for the dead

David’s comment http://cat.xula.edu/issa/
Uka-uka to is an old expression meaning (1) not at peace or (2) thoughtless or absentminded; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 182. In this case I am assuming that Issa is using the first meaning: the lamplights flicker restlessly as the festival ends. The Bon Festival of the Dead takes place in Eighth Month in the old lunar calendar. At this time, people light lanterns to guide their ancestors' spirits back home.

sakuo Renku
1804 Age 42, lived in Edo. His father died before 3 years.
His works began to get reputation in Edo. But he though that
he have to come back to the native village as the successor.

故郷恋し江戸にも未練
furusato koisi Edo nimo miren

longing for native village
still attached to Edo 

forest of temple

David’s English
three dewdrops--
Ueno's cicadas
break out into song

Issa, 1812

一茶
露三粒上野の蝉の鳴出しぬ
tsuyu mi tsubu ueno no semi no nakidashinu

sakuo Renku
成仏願い寺の森行く
jyou-butu negai tera no mori yuku

pray becoming Buddha
go through the forest of temples


visit http://cat.xula.edu/issa/ 

a souvenir for family

1818
一茶
山寺や茶の子のあんも菊の花
yamadera ya cha no ko no an mo kiku no hana

David’s English
mountain temple--
teacakes, red bean jam
chrysanthemums

sakuo Renku
餡の茶菓子や家族の土産
an no tyagasi ya kazoku no miyage

jam teacakes—
a souvenir for family 

the love of stars,men and insects

David’s English
katydid--
caught by someone
waiting for the stars

一茶
きりぎりす星待人に取られけり
kirigirisu hoshi matsu hito ni torare keri
by Issa, 1809

sakuo Renku 連句
星人虫の恋の夜
hoshi hito mushi no koi no yoru

of stars, men and insects
the night of love

David’s comment
The haiku refers to Tanabata, a festival that takes place on the seventh day of Seventh Month. According to a romantic legend, two celestial lovers--the stars Altair and Vega--are separated by Heaven's River (the Milky Way). One night a year (Tanabata night), they cross the starry river to be together. A katydid (kirigirisu) is a green or light brown insect, a cousin of crickets and grasshoppers.

visit http://cat.xula.edu/issa/ 

sit down beside

David’s English
the nightingale
doesn't bow...
plum trees in bloom

uguisu ya eshaku mo nashi ni ume no hana
一茶
鶯や会釈もなしに梅の花
by Issa, 1814

sakuo Renku
横へ座ってお茶を一杯
yoko he suwatsu te otya wo itsupai

sit down beside
have a cup of tea

David's comment.
The courtly nightingale seems to take the plum blossoms for granted, not bowing to them--unlike, one presumes, Issa. Issa uses two spring season words in the poem: nightingale and plum blossoms, a popular combination in Japanese art.

visit http://cat.xula.edu/issa/ 

the speech of the go-between

David’s English
"Good luck's coming!"
the peony longs
to be heard

fuku kuru to kiite hosigaru botan kana
一茶
福来ると聞てほしがるぼたん哉

by Issa, 1824

Shinji Ogawa points out that the phrase, kiite hoshigaru means "longing to be listened [to]." He comments, "The peony is so beautiful that it seems to say in a loud voice, 'Good luck is coming.'"
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

sakuo comment
Peony is the kigo of fifth month. In 1824 May Issa married with third wife.
He was 62 years old with loneliness of single.
After three months they divorced.

sakuo's Renku
仲人口につい乗せられて
nakoudo-guti ni tui nose rare te

the good speech of the go-between
unintentionally followed
 

go around for waking up

David’s English
wake up! wake up! my children--
swallows, pigeons
sparrows

oki yo oki yo ako ga tsubame hato suzume
一茶
起よ起よあこが乙鳥鳩すずめ

by Issa, 1814

sakuo 連句
朝だ朝だと起こして廻る
asa da asa da to okoshi te mawaru

morning has come
go around for waking up

dog pray for the flowers

David’s English
cherry blossoms scatter--
growling Buddha's name
a temple dog

hana chiru ya sho^myo^ unaru tera no inu
一茶
花ちるや称名うなる寺の犬

by Issa, 1810

sakuo　連句
南無阿弥陀仏と花を供らう
nami ami dabutsu to hana wo tomonau

namu-ami dabutsu
dog prays for the flowers

my heart like as water

David’s English
water flowing over
the word "heart"...
plum blossoms

shin no ji ni mizu mo nagarete ume no hana
一茶
心の字に水も流れて梅の花

1827 age 65, he died on December of this year.
Last year he married with third wife.

sakuo Renku
心も水もわだかまり無し
kokoro mo mizu mo wadakamari nasi

my heart like as water
flowing freely.

Edo castle at the back

David’s English
in my province
even trained monkeys
wear noble hats

waga kuni wa saru mo eboshi wo kaburi keri

一茶
我国は猿も烏帽子をかぶりけり

by Issa, 1816

David's comment
A jab at local politicians? Literally, Issa says that the monkey is wearing the courtly headgear of a nobleman. Dancing monkeys perform their tricks in the New Year's season.

sakuo’s comment
The founder of Edo government is Ieyasu.
When he come into Edo castle firstly, his horse got injured at the leg.
A monkey dancing team prayed for the horse. After saving the horse ,
the monkey team got high confidence from the founder and got special
permition that was free entrance to the castle at three times a year .
They were given money as rewards every year.
In Edo era, there were many monkey dance teams in Edo city.

sakuo Renku
edo-jyou wo seni saru ibaru kana

Edo castle at the back
were monkeys arrogant

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

the time of harvest

1805 age 43, his father died before 4 years.

一茶
山々も年よるさまや種瓢
yama-yama mo toshiyoru-sama ya tane fukube

David’s English
all the mountains
are looking old...
gourds

D’s comment
Or, more literally, "seed gourds" (tane fukube). Though the kanji for "gourd" is today read as hisago, Issa read it as fukube.

sakuo Renku
jinsei mo aki syukaku no toki
人生も秋収穫の刻

life approaching to Autumn
now the time of harvest


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

from one founder

一茶
君が世や主なし塚もかざり松
kimi ga yo ya nushi nashi tsuka mo kazari matsu

by Issa, 1818

David’s English
Great Japan!
even an ownerless grave
decorated with pine

His comment
"Great Japan" is my translation of kimi ga yo, a phrase that refers to the emperor's reign and begins the Japanese national anthem. Someone has placed a New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration on the grave.

sakuo comment and Renku
kimi means emperor, and yo is reign.
Issa admitted that Japan is owned by Emperor.
Ownerless mound is an ancient grave that would belong to followers of
old emperors.
Mostly Japanese think that we have come from same ancestors that were all emperor’s families.
At Issa’s age, nationality has been elevated by approaching of foreign ships.


我等始まる一元の始祖
ware ra hajimaru itigen no shiso

we have started
from one founder

without freedom

David’s English
does the caged
nightingale hear?
mountain cuckoo

一茶
鶯は籠で聞かよ閑古鳥
uguisu wa kago de kiku ka yo kankodori

1822 Age 60,

sakuo Renku
自由なき身は上手く歌えぬ
jiyu naki mi ha umaku utae nu

without freedom
does not sing well

traveling hats in mist

David’s English
their traveling hats
looking small...
mist

一茶
旅笠を小さく見せる霞かな
tabi-gasa wo chiisaku miseru kasumi kana

1796 , age 34. journey on West District,

David's comment
The hat is an umbrella-hat.

poor Haiku-isst

David’s English
in plum blossoms
kettle soot won't come off...
my wrinkled hands

his comment
Is Issa "ashamed" of his dirty hands amid the pure blossoms?


一茶
梅さくに鍋ずみとれぬ皴手哉
ume saku ni nabe-zumi torenu shiwade kana

sakuo 寸評

1804 age at 42, Leaving from the old sect, he had jointed to new
Seibi's party who was Issa's sponcer as well as great haiku-ist.

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

two houses

1805
一茶
家二ッ三ッ四ッ凧の夕哉
ie futatsu mitsu yotsu tako no yûbe kana

David’s English
flying from houses--
a two, threefour-kite
evening

And his comment
Shinji Ogawa notes that the numbers grammatically modify the houses, yet "the numbers influence the 'kites' also." He adds that the normal Japanese expression is to give just two numbers, "two, three," or "three, four," but here, "Issa uses three numbers to create special effects--to make the image more clear, the image of a tranquil and peaceful village."

sakuo comment

Tr,David said the kites are two, three, and four.
If you read this haiku with 5,7,5.,
the sentence is devided as follows,

ie futatsu
mitu yotsu tako no
yuube kana

The houses are two.

sakuo’s English

two houses
three, four kites
evening

sakuo Renku
二軒の家に元気な子達
niken no ieni genkina kotati

two houses and
cheerful children.

begger's party in grave yard

1795, age 33

一茶
乞食も護摩酢酌むらん今日の春
kojjiki mo gomazu kumuran kyô [no] haru

David’s English
even beggars toast
with sesame sake...
first of spring

his comment
I originally thought that this was a scene at a Shinto shrine. I was misled by the kanji with which Issa writes the word, goma; he uses the characters that signify "holy fire" instead of those that mean "sesame seeds." Shinji Ogawa set me straight. He adds that kumu, in this context, means "drink." The ending -ran changes the verb into a conjecture ("they may or may not be drinking"). In my re-translation, I use the verb "toast" in its simple, present tense, but Issa more exactly is saying, "perhaps even beggars may toast..." In English, the "perhaps" and "may" weaken the poem, so I've left them out.

sakuo comment.
sesame binegar is sake whick is used as secret language of priest.
護摩酢は僧侶の隠語で酒の事

Renku
お墓で正月、乞食のパーティ
ohaka de syougatu kojiki no paatii

New Year in the grave yard
beggar’s party.

shutter open in the morning

1795, Age 33 He visits Matsuyama City.

一茶
朝がすみ天守の雨戸聞へけり
asa-gasumi tenshu no amado kikoe keri

David’s English
morning mist--
the castle's shutters
bang open

David’s comment
Literally, Issa says that the "shutter(s)" or "storm door(s)" can be heard. At first I imagined someone shutting them, but Sakuo Nakamura points out that in the morning the shutters would be opening.
In his translation, Makoto Ueda imagines the sound is a "creak"; Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2004) 34.

For your convenience.

天守
image
www4.airnet.ne.jp/kmimu/castle/kinki/hikonef0.jpg
http://www4.airnet.ne.jp/kmimu/castle/kinki/hikone_f0.html
Wikipedia
English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep
Japanese
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/天守閣

Come on Strike

1795, Age 33
He visits Matsuyama City.

一茶
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
安い賃金ストをも辞せず
yasui tingin suto wo mo jisezu

cheap wage
come on strike　

About Photographs of Japan - Ukai Cormorant Fishing
http://www.phototravels.net/japan/ukai-cormorant-fishing.html