Basho - Blossoms on the waves - Complete Haiku (5): 1668-1672

1668-1672 (Kanbun 8 - Kanbun 12), 25-29 years old

(34)

crests on waves and snow crystals: water blooming out of season

nami no hana to yuki mo ya mizu no kaeribana

波の花と雪もや水の返り花

In Japanese poetry, the caps or crests of waves are often compared to white blossoms, "the blossoms of waves". Similarly, the poetic name for snow is "the blossom of snow". Since both of these "blossoms" are actually water, Basho calls them "the untimely (unseasonable) flowers of water". For "untimely flowers," he uses the word "kaeri-bana," "returned flowers" or "flowers blooming out of season," because these two unreal flowers are actually water and have returned to their natural state. This is a complicated argument, and there is also a play on words: "yuki" is not only "snow" but also "going," an antonym of "kaeri," "returning".

The season is winter (kigo: yuki).

(35)

on rainy nights, no immortal dwells under the moon's Katsura tree

Katsura-otoko sumazu narikeri ame no tsuki

桂男すまずなりけり雨の月

According to Chinese mythology, there is no "man in the moon", but "an immortal living on the moon (sennin)". He lives under the katsura tree, which, according to the same mythology, grows on the moon. This tree is the Cercidiphyllum japonicum, also known as the Judas tree. On Earth, it is a medium-sized deciduous tree that provides nice shade.

"Sumazu" has a double meaning, as it means both "not living (there)" and "not clear (of the moon)". This is because the view of the full moon (and thus of the Immortal under the Katsura tree) is obscured by rain.

The season is autumn (kigo: ame no tsuki).

 

(36)

outsiders unaware of flowers blooming in the temple grounds

uchiyama ya tozama shirazu no hanazakari

うち山や外様しらずの花盛り

"Uchiyama" is Uchiyama Eikyuji, one of the largest temples in Nara, which was under Kofukuji and also functioned as the jinguji (shrine temple) of Isonokami Shrine. It was located along the Yamabe no michi. This beautiful temple with its many treasures was completely destroyed during the anti-Buddhist movement in the early Meiji period (haibutsu-kishaku); although a few works can still be found in Japan, most of its magnificent treasures were purchased by museums and collectors outside of Japan.

There is a play on words in "uchiyama", as uchi means "inside", as opposed to the outsiders indicated by "tozama". At the same time, "yama" is also a word for temple, as most temples since the Heian period were built on mountains.

Basho says that the complicated doctrine of the temple (Hosso Buddhism) is not understood by outsiders, and at the same time he compares this doctrine to the flowers that bloom inside the temple grounds, which are also unknown to the outside world.

The season is spring (kigo: hanazakari).

(37)

even monsoon rain tests Minare River's shallows

samidare mo sebumi tazunenu Minaregawa

五月雨も瀬踏み尋ねぬ見馴れ河

"Sebumi" is a term for measuring or testing the depth of the shallows of a river - the rain falls so heavily that it looks like it is testing the depth of the river (I suppose people would "test the shallows" of a river to see if the water was low enough to ford). "Minare", the name of the river in Nara Prefecture in Gojo City, also means "often seen", "familiar", so the "often seen river".

The season is summer (kigo: samidare).

(38)

even children know the New Year's arrived: by the sacred straw rope

haru tatsu to warawa mo shiru ya kazarinawa

春立つとわらはも知るや飾り縄

[Decorative rope as used at New Year's in Mie Prefecture]

"Kazari-nawa" is a sacred straw rope (for decorative purposes, e.g. at New Year's); it is made of straw, which is "wara", and that sound returns in "warawa", the children with whom the hokku begins.

The season is spring (kigo: harutatsu & kazarinawa).

(39)

come, don a Jinbei robe, and admire the blossoms in style

kite mo miyo Jinbe ga haori hanagoromo

きてもみよ甚兵が羽織花衣

Here, too, wordplay is central: "kite" has the double meaning of "come" and "wear" and "haori" means both "robe" and "surrender to (the beauty of the blossoms)." A haori is a half coat without sleeves, as worn by men during the winter in Basho's time; a Jinbe-baori is a padded haori. "Hanagoromo" is a flowery costume, a kimono used for viewing cherry blossoms. The first two phrases of the haiku are taken from popular songs of the day. So technically this is a very intricate haiku.

This hokku was included in The Seashell Game (Kai Oi), an anthology compiled by Basho in 1672, in which each hokku is followed by critical comments made by him as a judge for this virtual haiku contest. The comments are more interesting than the poems themselves. This is Basho's earliest known book. It contains 60 hokku by 36 poets, including two by Basho himself.

The format is based on a children's game in which two seashells are placed side by side and compared. In the book, Basho compares pairs of hokku by different authors in the same way. He gives his own hokku low marks, as humility is valued in Japanese culture: "The hokku is poorly tailored, and its words are badly dyed, too. All this is due to lack of craftsmanship on the poet's part." (translated in Basho and His Interpreters by Makoto Ueda (Staford U.P. 1992, p. 30).

On February 23, 1672, Basho dedicated this book to the Tenmangu shrine in Ueno. It was probably handwritten and bound by Basho himself. The dedication to the shrine was Basho's way of saying goodbye to his hometown: in the spring of that year, Basho moved to Edo. He took Kai Oi with him, indicating that he was interested in becoming a professional haikai master who would take students and correct their verse for a fee.

The season is spring (kigo: hanagoromo).

(40)

a pair of deer: furry skin next to furry skin

meoto jika ya ke ni ke ga sorote ke-mutsukashi

女夫鹿や毛に毛が揃うて毛むつかし

The haikai element can be found in the three uses of the word "ke", hair or fur, and in the play on words of "ke-mutsukashi", which is similar to "ki-mutsukashi", discreet or fastidious.

This is the second of Basho’s two poems in Kai Oi (“The Seashell Game”).

The season is autumn (kigo: shika)

(41)

the mountainside summer grove is like a sword at the waist

natsu-kodachi haku ya miyama no koshi-fusage

夏木立佩くや深山の腰ふさげ

A mountain with a summer grove is personified and compared to a samurai warrior. The summer grove becomes a sword worn at the waist. This rather far-fetched image is based on a play on words: "kodachi" is both a grove and a short sword, and "koshi" is both a mountain side and (in koshi-fusage) a cheap sword worn at the waist (according to Toshiharu Oseko).

The season is summer (kigo: natsukodachi)

(42)

Princess Melon, destined to be Empress, how beautiful!

utsukushiki sono hime-uri ya kizaki-zane

美しきその姫瓜や后ざね

[Makuwa melons]

"Hime (princess) uri (melon)" is the same fruit as makuwa-uri (Cucumis melo), an oriental melon of high quality that was the most popular melon in Japan in the past, but lost popularity in the 20th century when new varieties appeared. It is commonly used as an offering during the Bon Festival, and the period around the festival is considered the best time to harvest it. Unripe melons are often made into various kinds of tsukemono (pickles).

There is a play on words in "kisaki-zane," which parodies "kisaki-gane," "someone who will later become an empress".

The season is summer (kigo: hime-uri)

(43)

friends separated by clouds: like wild geese temporarily parting

kumo to hedatsu tomo ka ya kari no ikiwakare

雲とへだつ友かや雁の生きわかれ

When Basho left for Edo in 1672, he wrote the above farewell haiku to his friend Jo Magodayu, who remained in Ueno. As was usual, the poem must have been pasted on Magodayu's gate or enclosed in a letter to him. Although this is a much better poem than most he produced at this time (it has real feeling), it still engages in wordplay: "kari," wild goose/geese, also has the meaning of "temporary," so Basho expresses his hope that he will see his friend again in the future after a temporary absence. Wild geese are migratory birds that leave Japan in the spring and return in the fall.     

The season is autumn (kigo: kari)


Basho Complete Haiku