solitude too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

green acorn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?