Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Into the Clouds, A Bird: Matsuo Bashō, 1644-1694

The adventures and hokku poems of Matsuo Bashō' (1644-1694) are like a magical interplay between St. Francis of Assisi -- Francesco, Giovanni de Pietro de Bernardone (circa 1181-1226) -- and Patti Smith (b. 1946). 

Bashō composed hundreds of pithy, brief poems, all the while moving around, traveling light, staying  here and there in a hut with some rice and wine, among drinking friends or on some pilgrimage. 

According to the dictates of his day, his hokku, or "opening shot" haiku, all contained a kigo, a seasonal sign, word, trace or link. 

For example:

Thoughts on a journey

this autumn:
         why do I feel so old? 
                  into the clouds, a bird

[Source: #720 (Autumn of A. D. 1694). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 154.]

And now, a tiny sample of my favorites:

to the capital,
         half the sky left --
                 clouds of snow

Source: #223 (Winter of A. D. 1687-1688). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 62.
resting on my journey,
         I watch the year-end housecleaning
                 of the floating world

Source: #239 (Winter of A. D. 1687-1688). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 65.

villagers sing
        verses in the rice fields:
                the capital

Source: #287 (Summer of A. D. 1688). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 74.

these fireflies,
         like the moon
                 in all the rice paddies

Source: #297 (Summer of A. D. 1688). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 76.

At Takadachi in Ōshū Province

summer grass:
          all that remains 
                   of warriors' dreams

Source: #386 (Summer of A. D. 1689). In, Bashō's Haiku: Selected Poems of Matsuo Bashō, translated by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2004, page 93.

Today's Rune: Defense. 

2 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Glorious. I do love me a haiku; It is brief enough that I can wrap my squirrelly brain around the imagery.

Danny Tagalog said...

Some choice haiku there, Erik. Thanks for the kind words, too. Linking Patti Smith to Bashō is quite some feat! Or maybe not, as you have shown!  "Thanks for bringing cheer /During the long, rainy day / Visit again, soon"