Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Bashō, born 松尾 金作, then Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa, was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku. Matsuo Bashō's poetry is internationally renowned; and, in Japan, many of his poems are reproduced on monuments and traditional sites. Although Bashō is justifiably famous in the West for his...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionPoet
CountryJapan
Breaking the silence Of an ancient pond, A frog jumped into water - A deep resonance.
Seek on high bare trails Sky-reflecting violets... Mountain-top jewels
Ballet in the air... Twin butterflies until, twice white They Meet, they mate
Just washed, How chill The white leeks!
Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die
Along my journey / through this transitory world, / new year's housecleaning.
When I speak My lips feel cold - The autumn wind.
Orchidbreathing incense into butterfly's wings
Harvest moon: around the pond I wander and the night is gone.
Awakened at midnight by the sound of the water jar cracking from the ice
The journey itself is my home.
Around existence twine, (Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!) ropes of twisted vine.
Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.
The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.