365 まんぽ haiku (45) Bashō《猫の恋》
麦めしにやつるる恋か猫の妻
(mugimeshi-ni yatsururu-koi-ka neko-no-tsuma)
(Basho )
a cat’s wife_
emaciated with boiled barley-rice;
yet in love?
(Lovee)
麦めしにやつるる恋か猫の妻
(mugimeshi-ni yatsururu-koi-ka neko-no-tsuma)
(Basho )
a cat’s wife_
emaciated with boiled barley-rice;
yet in love?
(Lovee)
(Suzume-ra-mo hito-o-osorenu kuni-no-haru)
(虚子 Kyoshi)
spring season of a country,
where sparrows are also
unafraid of people
(Note)
Kyoshi composed this haiku at Kew Gardens in London.
明けぼのやしら魚しろきこと一寸
(akebono-ya shirauo-shirokikoto issun)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
at dawn_
whitebaits
one inch of whiteness
(Lovee)
(Note)
In the first version of this haiku, Bashō used "雪薄し” instead of "あけぼのや".
(See: https://www2.yamanashi-ken.ac.jp/~itoyo/basho/nozarasi/nozara21.htm)
(onoga-yaku omoi-aratani kenkoku-bi)
(薫風士)
renewing my thought
for my role_
National Foundation Day
(Lovee)
This picture shows a partial portion of NHK-TV news which Kunpūshi saw on February 10, 2025.
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(itechōno onogatamashii outetobu)
(虚子 Kyoshi)
a frozen butterfly
fly, chasing
her own spirit
(Lovee)
(Note)
In the translation of this haiku, the verb “fly” in the form of bare infinitive is adopted because it is not real description of natural scene but imaginary expression of what Kyoshi felt upon seeing a butterfly in the winter.
Click nere and see "虚子100句英訳をHIAホームページでご覧下さい。"
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This picture shows a partial portion of NHK-TV news, which L.P. Lovee watched on February 6, 2025.
春一番万博期間延長を!
(haruichiban banpaku-kikan enchō-o)
(薫風士)
first spring gale_
Please extend
the term of “EXPO 2025”
(Lovee)
Click here and see "大阪・関西万博の開催期間を延長して下さい!"
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衰ひや歯に喰ひ当てし海苔の砂
(otoroi-ya ha-ni-kuiateshi nori-no-suna)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
waning_
teeth hit a grain of sand
upon biting the laver
(Lovee)
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早春や紙飛行機を犬追ひて
(soshun-ya kami-hikoki-o inu-oi-te)
(薫風士)
early spring_
my dog used to chase
grandson’s paper plane
(Lovee)
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多事多難短気は損気冴返る
(taji-tanan tanki-wa-son-ki saekaeru)
(薫風士)
eventful days of difficulties,
relapsing into intense cold _
unremunerative is the short temper,
(Lovee)
These pictures are some parts of NHK-TV news.
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木枯に岩吹きとがる杉間かな
(kogarashi-ni iwa-fuki-togaru sugima-kana)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
wintry blasts_
rocks look sharpened
among cedar trees
(Lovee)
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凍て解けて筆に汲み干す清水哉
(ite-tokete fude-ni-kumi-hosu shimizu-kana)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
thawing_
I soaked a calligraphy brush,
having the spring water run dry
(Note)
According to "芭蕉db.", Bashō composed this haiku around the spring called "toku-toku" at Yoshino in Mie prefecture.
(Refer to the first picture by 芭蕉db.)
You may notice that they mistranslated this haiku of Bashō.
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我が夢は鬼打ち豆を食む白寿
(waga-yume-wa oniuchimame-o hamu-hakuju)
(薫風士)
my dream:
celebration at the age of ninety-nine,
eating ninety-nine oniuchimames
(Note)
The word “oniuchimame” means “roasted soybeans which are hurled at imaginary ogres on February 2 or 3 (the day before the calendrical beginning of spring) according to Japanese traditional customs.
This picture shows, among other things, an ogre mask and "oniuchimame" put in a measuring box.
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AIに読ませ興ずや歌留多取り
(eiai-ni yomase-kyōzu-ya karutatori)
(薫風士)
game of karuta_
enjoyable,
having AI read
(Lovee)
(Note)
In this haiku, "karuta" means "hyakunin-isshu" (百人一首), which is a set of cards consisting of one hundred poems by one hundred poets.
In the past, I used to play as a reader for such karutatori.
"Karutatori" is a game normaly played in New Year days.
In general, there is another kind of "karuta" called "iroha-karuta"(いろはかるた), which is composed of cards with texts to be read and corresponding picture cards.
This picture shows a part of explanatory article of "きごさい歳時記”(kigosai-saijiki)as a result of my WEB search for the word "歌留多取り" (karuta-tori).
These pictures show, as a result of my Google WEB search for the word "いろはかるた”(iroha-karuta), a part of explanatory article "郷土かるたコレクション”(https://carta.media.gunma-u.ac.jp/kinki/data_193kyoiroha/index.html).
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面白し雪にやならん冬の雨
(omoshiro-shi yuki-ni-ya-naran fuyu-no-ame)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
amusing!
the rain in winter
will turn to snow
(Lovee)
This picture shows Page 322 of "575 THE HAIKU OF BASHO" by John White & Kemmyo Taira Sato.
Comments are welcome in English or Japanese only.
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比良三上雪さしわたせ鷺の橋
(hira-mikami-yuki sashiwatase sagi-no-hashi)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
Hira Mikami in the snow_
Build a bridge
of white herons.
(Lovee)
(Note)
I assume that Bashō composed this haiku, calling to white herons, when he saw snowy herons flying around Mt. Hira, which is famous for the beauty of snowy mountain at evening dusk.
I wish I were there when Basho composed this haiku.
This picture shows Page 85 of "575 THE HAIKU OF BASHO" by John White & Kemmyo Taira Sato.
Comments are welcome in English or Japanese only.
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君火たけよき物みせむ雪丸げ
(kimi-hi-take yoki-mono-misen yukimaroge)
(芭蕉 Bashō)
Make a fire_
I’ll show you something nice:
a snowman
(Lovee)
This picture shows Page 94 of "575 THE HAIKU OF BASHO" by John White & Kemmyo Taira Sato.
Comments are welcome in English or Japanese only.
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混沌は宇宙の秩序帰り花
(konton-wa uchuu-no-chitsujo kaeribana)
(薫風士)
“kaeribana” in bloom_
chaos:
That’s the system of the cosmos.
(Lovee)
(Note)
The word “kaeribana” means a flower that is unusually in bloom in winter, although it normally blooms in spring, such as dandelion and cherry blossoms.
There is another seasonal word "kuruizaki", which is equivalent to "kaeribana" but which has quite a different nuance, literally meaning "crazy flower".
This is a picture showing a part of NHK TV news, which I saw in the morning on January 29. 2025.
You might think that some of the occurences, such as abolishment of "DEI", are equivalent to "kaeribana" or "kuruizaki".
"DEI" means "Diversity", "Equity" and "Inclusion".
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白蛇の呼ぶ参道や春浅し
(shirohebi-no yobu-sandō-ya haru-asashi)
(薫風士)
early spring_
white snakes invite us into a shop
on the street approaching to a temple.
(Lovee)
(Note)
The word "や" (ya) in the above haiku has three functions:
"exclamation", "question", and "pause".
A pause is an essential facter in the Japanese conventional haiku, in which brevity and rhythm are important.
You will notice a big difference in length between Japanese and English in the above haiku.
To enjoy haiku, it is advisable for you to learn the Japanese language.
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愛犬に添ひ寝の猫や雪の夜
(aiken-ni soine-no-neko-ya yuki-no-yoru )
(薫風士)
our cat sleeping
with our beloved dog_
living room in the snowy night
(Lovee)
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愛犬の糞も寒肥庭手入れ
(aiken-no fun-mo-kangoe niwa-teire)
(薫風士)
excrements of our beloved dog_
used as fertilizer for
gardening in the midwinter
(Lovee)
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