Whenever winds blowthe butterfly finds a new placeon the willow treeA Dutchman arrivesto view cherry blossomsfrom his saddleA lovely spring nightsuddenly vanished while weviewed cherry blossomsNothing in the cryof cicadas suggests theyare about to dieWith no umbrellain cold, early winter rain--ah, well! So be it!
Being useless,my daydreams are disturbedby noisy warblers
-Matsuo Bashō (tr. Sam Hamill)
Bashō (1644-1694) was a Japanese poet and travel writer, famous in his own day. (Write me a poem, Matsuo Bashō, and he frequently did.) I recently finished this collection--very good! A mix of poems and travel writing. I was a bit surprised how his travels felt quite like a modern tourist, off to see temple complexes or areas of great natural beauty. Of course the one time I got to see something in Japan, I went and saw a temple complex.
These are just a random few of the haiku in the volume, ones that appealed to me. You'll notice that in Hamill's translation they're not particularly rigorous about the 5-7-5 syllable system, but the introduction suggests that Bashō himself wasn't particularly rigorous either. They do show the typical haiku structure: an observation of a natural setting with a turn in the third line.
I love these selections, but I am yet to read the whole of this book. I particularly like how the second or third line confounds our expectations.
ReplyDeleteI thought that volume was a great introduction to Basho. The travel narratives were fun, and the selection of poetry was wonderful. And it's not too long!
DeleteI feel like I've "met" him as a fictional character, too, somewhere along the way, but I can't think of the book just now. Regardless, I can see where this collection would be very satisfying.
ReplyDelete-Marcie
He would make a good character--you really feel like you know him from his travels. I'd be curious if you figured out if there was a novel about him.
DeleteHamill's master Kenneth Rexroth on the haiku, in his excellent introduction to his One Hundred Poems from the Japanese. It's worth mentioning that neither Rexroth nor his disciple knew the language, if only because it makes their achievement as translators that much more impressive.
ReplyDelete"I am aware that most Japanese do not share my opinion of haiku. But I feel that the great period of classical art and literature ended with the Ashikagas. Thereafter something different — more secular and middle class — took its place."
https://adilegian.com/rexrothintro.htm
Phillip Ernest