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I stare at,
Rarely seen in Edo,
The moon in the mountain.
—Basho
詠むるや江戸には稀な山の月
(nagamuru ya / Edo niha marena / yama no tsuki)
For today's haiku, we return to the great Basho. In this autumn haiku, we feel the typical loneliness of the season, but there is also a sense of the awe of nature here, as well as a not-so-subtle rebuke of Edo† life (and city life in general), where you can't even see the moon.
†: Modern day Tokyo.
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |