Haiku (2 page)

The coming of autumn

is determined

by a red dragonfly

Dragonfly on a rock—

absorbed in

a daydream

In each case, the observation of an insect leads to a deeper consideration of our own perceptions, although neither poem has a “moral” or an obvious message. We may well ask who is judging, and who is daydreaming? In this sense, it could be said that every haiku is at least partially about human beings, if only the one who originally composed it and the one reading and experiencing it now. Perhaps all fine poems are expressions of experience rather than merely “things,” and haiku, above all, elicit our own participation as readers, almost as though the poet had disappeared and left us to determine our own experience.

There has been some controversy about the influence of Zen in haiku. Certainly some poets (such as Bashō) studied Zen, and a few were actually Zen masters (such as Sengai). Many other Japanese poets, however, followed other Buddhist sects, Shintō, or were completely secular, so we should be careful about claiming too much direct influence of Zen. In a broader sense, however, Japanese culture and the arts during the past seven centuries have been suffused with Zen influence, ranging from the tea ceremony and flower arranging to Noh theater, ink painting, and
shakuhachi
(bamboo flute) music. In particular, Zen's insistence on the enlightenment of the ordinary world at the present moment, right here and right now, has both mirrored and influenced the haiku spirit. As Issa wrote:

Where there are people

there are flies, and

there are Buddhas

The Zen influence in haiku may need more examination, but it has touched Japanese culture so deeply that it can never be entirely absent. What Zen, other Buddhist sects, and Shintō all have in common with haiku is the harmony between nature and humans.

Regarding This Volume

The three author-editors of the present volume have previously published a series of five books:
A Haiku Menagerie
(Weatherhill, 1992),
A Haiku Garden
(Weatherhill, 1996),
Haiku People
(Weatherhill, 1998),
Haiku Landscapes
(Weatherhill, 2002), and
Haiku Humor
(Weatherhill, 2007). The haiku in this new book are excerpted from those books, with some modifications in translation, along with newly added verses. This anthology includes a representative number of poems by each of the three great masters (Bashō, Buson, and Issa), a generous group of haiku by observant and creative poets ranging in time from the early fifteenth through the later twentieth centuries, and a sprinkling of anonymous comical
senryū
.

The poems are grouped into three categories: The Pulse of Nature, Human Voices, and Resonance and Reverberation. Each category moves along a time line, not linearly but rather cyclically, reflecting natural life rhythms.

These poems are expressions not only of Japanese sensibilities but of age-old human responses to the world around us. We wish all of our readers the joy of experiencing this kaleidoscope of all living creatures and their multifaceted interactions with enveloping nature as expressed by the finest Japanese haiku and
senryū
poets.

The Pulse of Nature

 

Illustration 2

Opening their hearts

ice and water become

friends again

—T
EISHITSU

The spring sun

shows its power

between snowfalls

—S
HIGEYORI

Not in a hurry

to blossom—

plum tree at my gate

—I
SSA

White plum blossoms

return to the withered tree—

moonlit night

—B
USON

The warbler

wipes its muddy feet

on plum blossoms

—I
SSA

With each falling petal

they grow older—

plum branches

—B
USON

Dried grasses—

and just a few heat waves

rising an inch or two

—B
ASHŌ

Overflowing with love

the cat as coquettish

as a courtesan

—S
AIMARO

Both partners

sport whiskers—

cats' love

—R
AIZAN

Spring sun

in every pool of water—

lingering

—I
SSA

Is the dawn, too,

still embraced by

hazy moon?

—C
HŌSUI

In the shimmering haze

the cat mumbles something

in its sleep

—I
SSA

Spring rain—

just enough to wet tiny shells

on the tiny beach

—B
USON

 

Illustration 3

The nurseryman

left behind

a butterfly

—R
YŌTA

Again and again

stitching the rows of barley—

a butterfly

—S
ORA

A pheasant's tail

very gently brushes

the violets

—S
HŪSHIKI-JO

Over the violets

a small breeze

passes by

—O
NTEI

Each time the wind blows

the butterfly sits anew

on the willow

—B
ASHŌ

Spring chill—

above the rice paddies

rootless clouds

—H
EKIGODŌ

Daybreak—

the whitefish whiten

only one inch

—B
ASHŌ

Domestic ducks

stretch their necks

hoping to see the world

—K
ŌJI

The warbler

dropped his hat—

a camellia

—B
ASHŌ

Crazed by flowers

surprised by the moon—

a butterfly

—C
HORA

White camellias—

only the sound of their falling

moonlit night

—R
ANKŌ

Squeaking in response

to baby sparrows—

a nest of mice

—B
ASHŌ

 

Illustration 4

Out from the darkness

back into the darkness—

affairs of the cat

—I
SSA

Joyful at night

tranquil during the day—

spring rain

—C
HORA

A camellia falls

spilling out

yesterday's rain

—B
USON

A hedge of thorns—

how skillfully the dog

wriggled under it!

—I
SSA

Misty day—

they might be gossiping

horses in the field

—I
SSA

An old well—

falling into its darkness

a camellia

—B
USON

Trampling on clouds,

inhaling the mist,

the skylark soars

—S
HIKI

Crouching,

studying the clouds—

a frog

—C
HIYO-JO

On the temple bell

perching and sleeping—

a butterfly

—B
USON

Could they be sutras?

in the temple well

frogs chant

—K
ANSETSU

Recited on and on,

the poems of the frogs

have too many syllables

—E
IJI

Bracing his feet

and offering up a song—

the frog

—S
ŌKAN

From the nostril

of the Great Buddha comes

a swallow

—I
SSA

 

Illustration 5

On the brushwood gate

in place of a lock—

one snail

—I
SSA

Sunlight

passes through a butterfly

asleep

—R
ANKŌ

With the power of non-attachment

floating on the water—

a frog

—J
ŌSŌ

Highlighting the blossoms,

clouded by blossoms—

the moon

—C
HORA

Flower petals

set the mountain in motion—

cherry blossoms

—H
ŌITSU

On the surface

of petal-covered water—

frogs' eyes

—F
ŌSEI

The retreating shapes

of the passing spring—

wisteria

—K
ANA-JO

Spring passes—

the last reluctant

cherry blossoms

—B
USON

 

Illustration 6

Shallow river

twisting west and twisting east—

young leaves

—B
USON

Forsythia—

and radiant spring's

melancholy

—M
ANTARŌ

In daytime “darken the day”