| |
Matsuo BashoMatsuo Basho's name should be known even for Westerners. His haikus have been translated into many languages. Its difficult to explain what makes these very short poems so extraordinary...
年暮れぬ
笠きて草鞋
はきながら
Toshi kurenu
Kasa kite waraji
Hakinagara
Another year is gone;
and I still wear
straw hat and straw sandal.
kureru: - get dark, come to an end. The nu suffix expresses
completeness: toshi kurenu - The year has come to an end.
借りて寝む
案山子の袖や
夜半の霜
Karite nemu
kakashi no sode ya
yowa no shimo
I would sleep,
borrowing the sleeve of the scarecrow.
Midnight frost.
nemu is from neru - to sleep. The mu suffix
indicates intention or conjecture.
Back to main page
|
|