Sick of this autumn migration
in dreams I drift
over flowerless fields ...
―Matsuo Basho
Except for a woodpecker
tapping at a post,
the house is silent.
―Basho
That dying cricket,
how he goes on about his life!
―Basho
Like a glorious shrine―
on these green, budding leaves,
the sun’s intense radiance.
―Basho
In a better world
I'd leave you my rice bowl,
little fly!
― Kobayashi Issa
Cries of the wild geese―
spreading rumors about me?
― Kobayashi Issa
While a cicada
sings softly
a single leaf falls ...
― Kobayashi Issa
The cry of a pheasant,
as if it just noticed
the mountain.
―Kobayashi Issa
Don't weep, we are all insects!
Lovers, even the stars themselves,
must eventually part.
―Kobayashi Issa
In our world
we walk suspended over hell
admiring flowers.
―Kobayashi Issa
Autumn wind ...
She always wanted to pluck
the reddest roses
―Kobayashi Issa
A pity to pluck,
A pity to pass ...
Ah, violet!
―Naojo
Silence:
a single chestnut leaf
sinks through clear water ...
―Shohaku
Denied transformation
into a butterfly,
autumn worsens for the worm
—Matsuo Basho
Higher than a skylark,
resting on the breast of heaven:
mountain pass.
—Matsuo Basho
Farewell,
my cloud-parting friend!
Wild goose migrating.
—Matsuo Basho
An exciting struggle
with such a sad ending:
cormorant fishing.
—Matsuo Basho
Secretly,
by the light of the moon,
a worm bores into a chestnut.
—Matsuo Basho
