Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Bashō, born 松尾 金作, then Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa, was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku. Matsuo Bashō's poetry is internationally renowned; and, in Japan, many of his poems are reproduced on monuments and traditional sites. Although Bashō is justifiably famous in the West for his...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionPoet
CountryJapan
I hope to have gathered To repay your kindness The willow leaves Scattered in the garden.
Felling a tree and gazing at the cut end - tonight's moon
Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in armor and helmet and goes to the battlefield, or in colorful brocade kimono, attending (his lord) at a banquet, [sabi] is like this old figure.
O cricket from your cherry cry No one would ever guess How quickly you must die.
Summer grasses, All that remains Of soldiers' dreams
Go to the object. Leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself. Do not impose yourself on the object. Become one with the object. Plunge deep enough into the object to see something like a hidden glimmering there.
Breaking the silence Of an ancient pond, A frog jumped into water - A deep resonance.
Seek on high bare trails Sky-reflecting violets... Mountain-top jewels
Ballet in the air... Twin butterflies until, twice white They Meet, they mate
Just washed, How chill The white leeks!
Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die
Along my journey / through this transitory world, / new year's housecleaning.
When I speak My lips feel cold - The autumn wind.
Orchidbreathing incense into butterfly's wings