Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

7/27/2013

BUSON - koromogae

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿－ Koromogae Bijinzu 《更衣美人図

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hitotose o oi wa kuwashi ya koromogae

The past year
An aged man so clearly remembers --
A seasonal change of clothing
Tr. Nelson/Saito

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かりそめの恋をする日や更衣
karisome no koi o suru hi ya koromogae

Fleeting though,
They felt a fresh love
On the day of changing clothes.
Tr. Kumano Shoji

A transient love
This day --
A seasonal change of clothing.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

A careless
Bit of dalliance today
In my new clothes!
Tr. Ueda

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絹着せぬ家中ゆゆしき更衣
kinu kisenu kachuu yuyushiki koromogae

Silk not allowed
Stern and grave, the family --
A seasonal change of clothing.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

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ころもがへ母なん藤原氏也けり
koromogae haha nan Fujiwara uji nari keri

time for summer clothes
Mother was surely
a Fujiwara
Tr. Cheryl A. Crowley

time for summer clothes--
indeed my mother had come
from the Fujiwara clan
Tr. Ueda

The Tachibana, Fujiwara, Genji and Heike are the four great clans of Old Japan.
Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-uji or Fujiwara-shi), descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of regents in Japan.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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ころもがへ印籠買ひに所化（しょげ）二人
koromogae inroo kai ni shoge futari
koromogae inroo kai ni shoke futari

For the new wardrobe
To buy a seal-case
Two monks have come!
Tr.Thomas McAuley

. inroo 印籠 Inro. pill box .

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koromogae mi ni shiratsuyu no hajime kana

A seasonal change of clothing--
In me, the dew's evanescence
Begins.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

time for summer clothes--
dew shining white,
starts to fall on this body
Tr. Ueda

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更衣野路の人はつかに白し
koromogae noji no hito hatsuka ni shiroshi

A seasonal change of clothing--
Travelers through the green fields
Slight dots in white.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

Time of summer clothes,
and someone on the path through the field,
showing faintly white.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert

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更衣うしと見し世をわすれ顔
koromogae ushi to mishi yo mo wasuregao

le changement d’habits -
ce qui semblait un monde de peine et de douleur :
on dirait que tu en as tout oublié
Tr. Daniel Py

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御手討の夫婦なりしを更衣
oteuchi no meoto narishi o koromogae

Deserving punishment and death
The man and wife Now spared,
changing clothes for the season.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

Death penalty by their Lord
Remitted;
The couple changes clothes.

In the Edo period 'Oteuchi' was the death penalty, mostly being cut to death by the sword, imposed by the Lord of samurai family, when his retainers committed some indiscretion or violated family bans. In former times, the custom of seasonal change of clothing, or koromogae was regularly kept, young and old, high and low.
In the Edo period the custom was kept exactly on April 1 according to the lunar calendar. They changed their 'Wataire' for 'Awase'.
'Wataire' is a thick kimono clothes containing a lot of cotton to keep the body warm. 'Awase' is a lined kimono clothes, very thin to keep the body cool.
Tr. and comment by Kumano Shoji

quote
Oteuchi no meoto: a married couple sentenced to capital punishment which is to be carried out by the landlord (Daimyo) in person
Narishi o: have been given a reprieve and years after that
Koromogae: are changing garments for the season (literally)

Following is the traditional interpretation of this typical four-dimensional haiku:

In the feudal era of Tokugawa (1600-1868) which upheld a strict code of conduct, a young samurai (warrior) who fell in love with his lord's maid was sentenced to capital punishment.

However, they were given a reprieve because of their contribution to the lord's government, and because they lived unobtrusively. As the years went by, they gradually felt relaxed, and when the season came to change clothes, they replaced padded clothes with lined kimono (summer wear), and felt grateful for their lord's lenience.

From a structural viewpoint, "oteuchi no meoto: the married couple sentenced to capital punishment" implies a space including the married couple, or a three-dimensional field. And "narishi o koromogae" implies what a long time passed before they were able to change clothes for the season with a feeling of ease (Fig.3.A). Moreover, "oteuchi: capital punishment" and " koromogae: changing clothes" forms a bipolar structure (Fig. 3. B).

My favorite interpretation of this haiku is slightly different from the above. A young, runaway, married-couple who have eluded the pursuit of the lord, gradually become relaxed as the years go by. Now they are comfortably changing clothes for the season. However, they are always suspicious that strangers passing by or people talking in whispers might be pursuers or informants. They never feel completely free from pursuit. The latter interpretation is more thrilling than the former.

Nowadays, local war is still breaking out in some areas, though tension from the Cold War is neutralizing. The haiku may ring true with a married couple who are refugees seeking political asylum after crossing a border, tearing themselves from the hot pursuit of intelligence. In the case of a single refugee leaving his family in his country, his heart would be even more miserable than those expressed in this haiku.
source : Yasuomi Koganei - WHR

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痩脛の毛に微風あり衣更
yasezune no ke ni bifuu ari koromogae

the hair of my thin legs
moves in the light breeze -
changing of the robes
Tr. Gabi Greve

a breeze through the hairs
of skinny shanks -
spring clothes
Tr. Haldane

On shins of thin legs
breezes touching the hair --
time of summer clothes.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert

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. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 - Introduction .

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

. ABC - List of Buson's works in the WKD .
busonkoromogae

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7/26/2013

BUSON - drinking sake

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. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 (1715-1783) .
ABC - List of Buson's works in the WKD

. ABC - List of Buson's works in the WKD .

Buson has a few hokku about sake, but it does not seem he was a heavy drinker himself.
He captures the daily life situation around him very well.
There are also a few about sushi 鮓 .

. WKD : sake 酒 local ric ewine from Japan .

- Japanese Reference : jofuan/myhaiku

under construction busonsake
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- - - - - Sake in Summer

酒十駄ゆりもて行や夏こだち
sake juuda yurimote yuku ya natsu kodachi

Ten horses carrying loads of sake,
Swinging, pass by a thicket
Of trees in full summer foliage.
Tr. Shoji Kumano

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酒を煮る家の女房ちょとほれた
sake o niru uchi no nyooboo choto horeta

I fall in love again a bit
with my wife
who boils Sake for me
Tr. Gabi Greve

In the Edo period, sake for drinking was boiled in summer to prevent it from turning into vinegar. His wife took good care of the health of Buson, explains
- Uematsu Naotaka san -

Shinshu hi-ire 新酒火入 heating new rice wine
sake niru 酒煮る（せけにる）, sakeni 酒煮（さけに）
nizake煮酒（にざけ）

Rice wine prepared in winter is heated up to 60 degrees centigrade, to make it last during the hot summer. It is then filled in pine barrels and gives a pleasant smell to the sake brewery. After heating the rice wine is not called SHIN, new, any more, but KO, old 古酒.
. WKD : Drinks in Summer .

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主しれぬ扇手にとる酒宴哉

柚の花や能酒蔵す堀の内

あま酒の地獄もちかし箱根山

愚痴無知のあま酒造る松が岡

御仏に昼備へけりひと夜酒　　
- - - hitoyozake is amazake 甘酒　

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鮓おしてしばし淋しきこころかな
. sushi oshite shibaraku sabishiki kokoro kana .

Pressing sushi;
After a while,
A feeling of loneliness.
Tr. Blyth

From whence does this feeling of loneliness come? It comes, and that is enough, whether it is by silent sympathy with the heavy stones pressing it down, or the suggestion of time passing, or the thought of the person for whom it is being prepared.
Comment by Blyth

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- - - - - Sake and sushi poems translated by Cheryl A. Crowley

鮓を圧す我酒醸す隣あり
sushi o osu ware sake kamosu tonari ari

at my house we just ferment sushi
at my neighbor's
they brew sake

鮓をおす石上に詩を題すべく
sushi o osu sekijoo ni shi o dai subeku

I must inscribe a poem
on the stone
sushi press

すし桶を洗えば浅き遊魚かな
sushi oke o araeba asaki yugooo kana

rinsing out the sushi tub
attracts fish
to the water surface

真しらけのよね一升や鮓のめし
mashirage no yone isshoo ya sushi no meshi

a peck of
pure silvery white
rice for sushi

卓上の鮮に目寒し観魚亭
takujoo no sushi ni me samushi Kangyotei

the sushi on the table
has a chilling effect
Fish-Viewing Pavillion

Buson refers to the funazushi, fermented sushi served in Edo.
source : Cheryl A. Crowley

なれ過ぎた鮓をあるじの遺恨かな
naresugita sushi o aruji no urami kana

At the over-matured sushi,
The master
Is full of regret.
Tr. Blyth

鮒ずしや彦根が城に雲かかる
. funazushi ya Hikone no shiro ni kumo kakaru .
Hikone Castle

MORE hokku about SUSHI

妖術といふ身で握る鮓の飯
寂寞と昼間を鮓の馴れ加減
鮓桶をこれへと樹下に床几かな
鮓を圧す我れ酒醸す隣あり
source : buson-an.co.jp/roman

funazushi (鮒寿司) narezushi with crucian carp
narezushi (熟れ寿司, lit. matured sushi) fermented style
. WKD : Sushi 寿司 -　すし -　寿し　 .

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- - - - - Sake in Autumn

故郷や酒はあしくと蕎麦の花
furusato ya sake wa ashiku to soba no hana

My hometown --
Though the sake is not good
Buckwheat flowers
Tr. Nelson/Saito

(1774)

帰去来酒はあしくとそばの華
kaeri nanisa sake wa ashiku to soba no hana

'Go Back To Your Home',
the sake is terrible and the
buckwheat's in flower.

As often is the case, Buson reworked a haiku theme by changing only part of it. The version with the allusion to Tao Yuanming's poem rings against the linein it that goes
'Go back to my old home?
Stop traveling; stop socializing with those who sing a different tune!'
Buson is someplace, maybe a bar, where he isn't comfortable and he's trying to talk himself into getting up and going home. This versions counts as 19. //The reference to the hometown in the second version is making a descriptive statement about either living or coming back to visit where he is from. I think the second version is better, anyone who has left their hometown but comes for a visit can understand the emotion Buson is expressing.
Your hometown is always a part of you and as you get older you realize the good and bad in both staying or leaving it.

- James Karkoski - facebook 2016 -

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秋風に酒肆に詩うたふ漁者樵者

鬼貫や新酒の中の貧に処す

升飲の値は取らぬ新酒哉

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- - - - - Sake in Winter

漁家寒し酒に頭の雪を焼く

いざ一杯まだきににゆる玉子酒

炉開きや雪中庵の霰酒

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. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 - Introduction .

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

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7/19/2013

BUSON - mijika yo

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. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

kigo for summer
. WKD : mijika yo, mijikayo 　短夜 short night .
night getting shorter, yo no tsumaru 夜のつまる
"dawn hastens", ake isogu 明急ぐ

The shortest night is experienced at the summer equinox.
This feeling of evanescence, ephemeral fleeting of things is expressed here.

Buson is a master of the summer kigo 'the short night'-- mijikayo. At one point, Blyth contrasts the use of the subject of footprints by Buson and Shiki: one set of footprints used in relation to 'the long day', an one set used in relation to 'the short night':

みじか夜や足跡浅き由比ヶ浜
mijika yo ya ashiato asaki Yuigahama / mijikayo ya ashiato asaki yui no hama

A short night of summer:
Faint footprints
On the shore of Yuigahama.

Yosa Buson

Yuigahama 　由比ガ浜　 is the long sandy beach of Kamakura, Japan.

砂浜に足跡長き春日かな
sunahama ni ashiato nagaki haruhi kana

On the sandy beach,
Footprints:
Long is the spring day.

Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規

"The Long Day" also includes haiku on the topic 'osoki hi　遅き日'-- the slow day.

- - - - -　Blyth gives three examples of 'slow day' haiku　by Buson:

遅き日のつもりて遠き昔かな
osoki hi no tsumorite tooki mukashi kana

Slow days passing, accumulating,--
How distant they are,
The things of the past!

遅き日や谺聞ゆる京の隅
osoki hi ya kodama kikoyuru kyoo no sumi

The slow day;
Echoes heard
In a corner of Kyoto.

遅き日や雉子の下りゐる橋の上
osoki hi ya kiji no oriiru hashi no ue

The slow day;
A pheasant
Settles on the bridge.

. WKD : mijika yo　短夜 short night .

under construction
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?
mijikayo no yami ni kakurete nio no umi

hidden in the darkness
of this short night -
Lake Biwako
Tr. Gabi Greve

. nio no umi におの海 - 鳰の海 "the sea of the grebe bird, lake Biwako　琵琶湖 .
kaitsuburi, nio カイツブリ　ニオ

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みじか夜の闇より出て大井川
. mijikayo no yami yori idete ooigawa .
the river Ooigawa, Oigawa 大井川
- - - - - and
みじかよや2尺落ち行く大井川 - mijikayo ya nishaku ochiyuku ooigawa

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みじか夜や暁早き京はづれ　
mijika yo ya akatsuki hayaki Kyoo hazure

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短夜や浅井に柿の花を汲む
mijikayo ya asai ni kaki no hana o kumu

this short night -
from a shallow well I scoop
a persimmon flower
Tr. Gabi Greve

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source :　rakanneko.jp/buson

みじか夜や浅瀬にのこる月一片
mijikayo ya asase ni nokoru tsuki hitohira

this short night -
in the shallows remains
one sliver of the moon
Tr. Gabi Greve

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短夜や芦間流るる蟹の泡
mijikayo ya ashi ma nagaruru kani no awa

The short night--
bubbles of crab froth
among the river reeds
Tr. Hass

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? attributed to Buson
mijikayo ya ashi no hazure no mizu o deru

A short night--
Reed tips
From the water peeking
Tr. Nelson / Saito

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短夜や吾妻（あずま）の人の嵯峨どまり　
mijika yo ya Azuma no hito no Saga-domari

短夜や化けそこなひし地蔵尊
mijikayo ya bakesokonaishi Jizoo son

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短夜や同心衆の川手水
mijikayo ya dooshinshuu no kawachoozu / かはちょうず kahachoozu (kawa temizu)

this short night -
Edo policemen wash their hands
in the river
Tr. Gabi Greve

. dooshin, dōshin 　同心　Doshin, police officers in Edo .

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みじか夜やいとま給る白拍子
mijikayo ya itoma tamawaru shirabyooshi
. shirabyooshi 白拍子 Shirabyoshi.
female dancers that performed traditional Japanese dances

みじか夜や葛城山の朝曇り
mijikayo ya Katsuragisan no asagumori
. WKD : Katsuragi no hitokotonushi no ōkami .
Mount Katsuragi

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みじか夜や毛虫の上に露の玉 / みじか夜や毛むしの上に露の玉
mijikayo ya kemushi no ue ni tsuyu no tama

Brief night!
Atop the caterpillar
a dewdrop
Tr. Beichman

quote from
A Poet's Anthology: The Rqnge of Japanese Poetry, by Oooka Makoto (Katydid Books, trans. by Janine Beichman, 1994)
Ooka wrote:
Had [Buson] said ue no instead of ue ni, the weight would have fallen on the last line, tsuyu no tama, emphasizing the dewdrop's concrete physicality and giving rise to a different effect.
A modern haiku poet might in fact be more likely to choose the latter route.

The short night--
on the hairy caterpillar
beads of dew.
tr. Hass

The short night is through:
on the hairy caterpillar,
little beads of dew.
tr. Henderson

The night is brief --
on a hairy caterpillar
jewels of dew.
tr. Sawa & Shiffert

short night--
a dewdrop on
the hairy caterpillar
tr. Yasuhiko Shirota

short night;
pearls of dew
on the butterfly grub
tr. Haldane

This night's so short
The caterpillars' spines
Are beaded with dew.
tr. McAuley

short night!
all over the wooly bear
are dew beads
Tr. Dennis Chibi - fb

this short night -
drops of dew
on the hairy caterpillar
tr. Gabi Greve

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みじか夜や小見世明たる町はづれ
mijikayo ya komise aketaru machi hazure

this short night -
some shops are open
at the outside of town
Tr. Gabi Greve

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みじか夜や枕にちかき銀屏風
. mijikayo ya makura ni chikaki ginbyoobu .
a silver folding screen

みじか夜や村雨わたる板庇
. mijika yo ya murasame wataru itabisashi .
planks of the eaves

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source :　rupe.exblog.jp/tags

短夜や浪うち際の捨篝
mijikayo ya namiuchigiwa no sutekagari

this short night -
an abandoned fire
at the shoreline
Tr. Gabi Greve

mijika yo ya nami uchigiwa no sute-booki

the night is short—
on the beach,
a discarded broom
Tr. Addiss

nami-uchi 浪うち where the waves come to an end at the shore

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source :　rakanneko.jp/buson

短夜やおもひがけなき夢の告
mijikayo ya omoigakenaki yume no tsuge
短夜や思ひもよらぬ夢の告げ - mijika yo ya omoi mo yoranu yume no tsuge

this short night -
such an unexpected notice
in my dream
Tr. Gabi Greve

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みじか夜や六里の松に更たらず
mijikayo ya roku ri no matsu ni fuketarazu

みじか夜や僧をとめたる飯けぶり
mijika yo ya soo o tometaru meshi keburi

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明やすき夜をかくしてや東山
. akeyasuki yoo kakushite ya higashiyama .
the night comes to an end fast . . . and the Higashiyama mountains

明安き夜や住の江のわすれ草　
akeyasuki yo ya Suminoe no wasuregusa

明安き夜や稲妻の鞘（さや）走り
akeyasuki yo ya inazuma no saya hashiri

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明けやすき夜を磯による海月かな　
akeyasuki yo o iso ni yoru kurage kana

dawn comes early
to this night and at the beach
a jellyfish

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. - ABC- List of Buson's works in the WKD - .

. Yosa Buson - Study Group on Facebook .

. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 - Introduction .

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7/12/2013

BUSON - kawa - rivers

source :　katazome.com/buson

易水にねぶか流るる寒さかな
ekisui ni nebuka nagaruru samusa kana

A leek,
Floating down the Ekisui, -
Ah, the cold!
Tr. Blyth

According to Blyth:
Keika, of the kingdom of En, who intended to kill King Shi, of the kingdom of Shin, 222-206 B.C., parted from Prince Tan, of En, at this river in North China. (He failed, and was himself killed).

Buson has taken this long, cold leek and put it in a place a thousand miles away, and at a time of two thousand years ago. What a long way to go to express the apparently simple sensations of whiteness and cold!

The River Ekisui,
A leek is flowing;
How cold it is!
Tr. Shoji Kumano

along river Ekisui
a leek is floating down
in this cold . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

. WKD : nebuka 葱 leek and Buson .
Buson was very fond of negi leek　葱　 (nebuka) and also of nira 韮 , Chinese garlic chives.

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春雨の中を流るる大河かな　
. harusame no naka o nagaruru taiga kana .
big river in spring rain

みじか夜の闇より出て大井川
mijikayo no yami yori idete ooigawa - (1774)

A short night --
Out of its darkness
Flows the Oi River.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

みじかよや2尺落ち行く大井川
mijikayo ya nishaku ochiyuku ooigawa - (1769)

A short night -
Dropping two inches
The Oi River.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

The short night--
the Oi River has sunk
two feet.
Tr. Hass

さみだれの大井越たるかしこさよ
samidare no Ôi koshitaru kashikosa yo

Early summer rains -
crossing the Oi River,
an accoplishment!
Tr. Sawa / Shiffert

With all the rains of May in the Ôi,
I have crossed it!
Pretty clever-- eh?
Tr. Henderson

. Ooigawa (大井川, Ōi-gawa) Oi River, Ohigawa .
The Ōi River flows from the Akaishi Mountains, the branch of the Japanese Southern Alps which form the border between Shizuoka, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures.

. mijika yo 短夜 and haiku by Yosa Buson .

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すゞしさや都を竪にながれ川
suzushisa ya miyako o tatsu ni nagaregawa - (1768)

Coolness -
Through the capital from the north
A river flowing.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

A coolness -
lengthwise through the capital,
the flowing river.
Tr. Sawa / Shiffert

. Miyako 都 A river flowing through Kyoto. .

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行年や芥流るゝさくら川
yuku toshi ya akuta nagaruru sakuragawa - (1740)

A passing year -
Garbage drifting down
The Sakura River.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

the year about to end -
dirt and rubbish flowing
in the Sakura River
Tr. Ueda

The river Sakuragawa flows from the west side of Mount Tsukuba.

Buson refers to a famous Noh play, Sakuragawa.

quote
Sakuragawa (The River of Cherry Blossoms)
In the Sakura-no-Baba (Cherry Blossom Riding Grounds) in the province of Hyūga (the present-day Miyazaki Prefecture), a mother and a son lived in poverty. The son, Sakurago (Cherry Blossom Child), distressed at his mother’s hardships, sold himself to a human trafficker. The mother learnt by a letter from the trafficker that her son sold himself. In a frenzy of grief and tears, she dashed out from her house and set out on a journey to find Sakurago.
snip
This is one of the madwoman stories in which a mother, separated from her child, travels in her madness to look for that child. Although this piece has a happy ending, in which finally the child and mother meet, as it unfolds, the emotions of the son who pities his mother and of the mother who whole-heartedly loves her son are finely described and come to settle in the hearts of the audience.
source : www.the-noh.com/en

. WKD : Tsukubasan 筑波山　Mount Tsukuba .
Sakuragawa 桜川, 櫻川

- - - - - Naotaka Uematsu wrote:
. . . . . there is a tributary river of Yodo, Akuta(芥）-gawa near Takatsuki city.
And there is the canal named Sakuragawa in Osaka city.
Once I have been living near Akutagawa. I don't think this Haiku is concerned the Noo "Sakuragawa".
The canal Sakura-gawa was digged in 17c. and it's even now not clean. Akuta-gawa is the first grade river but the basin has been developed and the river becomes very narrow stream.

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春風や堤長うして家遠し
harukaze ya dote nagoo-shite ie tooshi

spring breeze -
the river bank so long and
my home so far

. Buson - harukaze - Discussion of the translation .

Part of the longer poem
. Shunpuu Batei kyoku 春風馬堤曲 Spring Wind on the Riverbank of Kema .

. Yodogawa 淀川　－ Osaka .

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ukawa 鵜川 river for cormorant fishing
The most famous is the Nagaragawa　長良川 in Gifu

朝風の吹きましたる鵜川哉
asakaze no fukisamashitaru ukawa kana

Mornig breeze has blown off
The excitement
Cormorant fishing-river.
Tr. Shoji Kumano

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

me fusaide soo no sugiyuku ukawa kana - (1769)

Eyes averted
A monk passes along--
Cormorant fishing in the river.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

naki tama mo tobu yo mama aru ukawa kana

Spirits of the dead
often flying over at night,
the cormorant-fishing river.
Tr. Sawa / Shiffert

殿原の名古屋貌なる鵜川かな
Tonobara no Nagoya kao naru ukawa kana

all men of high status
look like born in Nagoya
on a cormorant river
Tr. Gabi Greve

夜やいつの長良の鵜舟嘗て見し
yo ya itsu no Nagara no ubune katsute mishi

at night
we can see cormorant boats
on river Nagara
Tr. Gabi Greve

. WKD : ukai　鵜飼　cormorant fishing .

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nameless river　名もなき川

さみだれや名もなき川のおそろしき
samidare ya na mo naki kawa no osoroshiki - (1771)

Early summer rain -
A river even nameless
Frightening.
Tr. Nelson / Saito

The rainy season,
and the river with no name
a frightening thing.
Tr. Sawa / Shiffert

summer showers
a river with no name
has become fearful
Tr. Gilles Fabre

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. WKD : ABC- List of his works .

. Yosa Buson - Study Group on Facebook .

. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 - Introduction .

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7/10/2013

BUSON - numbers

source : cardiac.exblog.jp

. Mount Myogisan 妙義山 - Gunma .

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ni 二 futatsu　ふたつ　two

二もとの梅に遅速を愛す哉
. futamoto no ume ni chisoku o aisu kana .
two ume trees

二村に質屋一軒冬こだち
. futa-mura ni shichiya ikken fuyu kodachi .
two villages, one pawn shop

蓮の香や水をはなるる茎二寸
. hasu no ka ya mizu o hanaruru kuki ni sun .
one SUN 寸 is about 3.03 cm.

このふた日砧聞えぬ隣かな　
. kono futahi kinuta kikoenu tonari kana .
two days

河骨の二もとさくや雨の中　
. koohone no futatsu mo saku ya ame no naka .
two spatterdocks

みじかよや2尺落ち行く大井川
. mijikayo ya nishaku ochiyuku ooigawa .
two shaku - one shaku is about 30 cm

五月雨や大河を前に家二軒
. samidare ya taiga no mae ni ie niken .
two houses near the swollen river

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ni san 二三 two or three

牡丹散て打かさなりぬ二三片
botan chirite uchikasanarinu nisanpen

peonies scatter . . .
two or three petals fall
on top of each other

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san 三　 mitsu みつ three

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go 五　itsutsu いつつ　five

買うて且うれしさよ炭五俵
. an koote katsu ureshisa yo sumi gohyoo .
five bags of charcoal

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hachi 八 eight

秋ふるや楠八畳の金閣寺　
. aki furu ya kusu hachijoo no Kinkakuji .
camphor wood board of eight tatami-mat size

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juu, to 十 ten　10

あなたうと茶もだぶだぶと十夜哉
. ana tooto cha mo dabu-dabu to juuya kana .
ten nights (of Amida Buddhist Prayers)

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gojuushi 五十四 - 54 　

阿武隈や五十四郡のおとし水
. abukuma ya gojuushi gun no otoshi-mizu .
fifty-four counties

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- - - - - dates and special days - - - - -

卯月八日死んで生まるる子は仏
. uzuki yooka 卯月八日 eighth day of the fourth lunar month - Buddha's Birthday .

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- - - - - ikutsu いくつ how many ? - - - - -

極楽の近道いくつ寒念仏
. gokuraku no chikamichi ikutsu kan nenbutsu .
how many shortcuts to paradise ?

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. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 .

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

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7/06/2013

ISSA - chiri no mi

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. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

chiri no mi　塵の身 this body of dust

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塵の身のちりより軽き小てふ哉
chiri no mi no chiri yori karuki kochou kana

small butterfly
lighter than the dust
of your dust body
Tr. Chris Drake

This hokku is from the 4th month (May) of 1824.
In Japanese mi in line 1 means both body and social status, and "dust body" was a standard metaphorical expression meaning 1) to have a social status or position (mi) so low no one pays any attention to you or cares about you, making you socially invisible, and 2) to live in the midst of the dusty, dirty world of ordinary affairs and become dusty and dirty yourself.

Issa seems to be using both the literal meaning of chiri as dust or small trash and the first metaphorical meaning of "dust body": being worthless, insignificant, or tiny. On the one hand, the small butterfly (and others like it) is usually marginalized and overlooked if not looked down on by humans and presumably by larger butterflies as well.

On the other hand, the small butterfly's incredibly light movements through the air show it to be even more mobile and less earthbound than motes of dust. It is so graceful and seemingly unbound by gravity that its small size and light weight are its greatest assets, and it leaves the dust of the world behind as it flies here and there very rapidly and seemingly at will. Issa thus turns the normal meaning of "dust body" on its head and uses it to praise the small butterfly.

And, since "dust body" is an expression used mostly with regard to humans, the lightness and flying ability of the small butterfly here may be suggesting that the people often referred to as the "dust" or "trash" of the society, people without wealth, power, or visibility, have the potential to transcend or leave their dust bodies in the normal, discriminatory sense behind as they fly around socially in unthinkable ways.

Chris Drake

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蝶とんで我身も塵のたぐひ哉
choo tonde waga mi mo chiri no tagui kana

butterfly flitting--
I too am made
of dust
Tr. David Lanoue

塵の身もともにふはふは紙帳哉
chiri no mi mo tomo ni fuwa-fuwa shichoo kana

this body of dust
suits this wispy-soft
paper mosquito net
Tr. David Lanoue

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poems using CHIRI but in the more real sense of DUST:

塵塚にあんな小蝶が生れけり
chirizuka ni anna ko chô ga umare keri

in the trash heap
that little butterfly
is born!
Tr. David Lanoue

老僧が塵拾ひけり苔の花
roosoo ga chiri hiroi keri koke no hana

the old priest
picks off the dust...
moss blossoms
Tr. David Lanoue

塵の身も拾ふ神あり花の春
chiri no mi mo hirou kami ari hana no haru

even for this body of dust
a guardian god!
blossoming spring

Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase hirou kami ("the god who picks you up") is part of a longer expression:

捨てる神あれば拾う神あり
suteru kami areba hirou kami ari

"If a god discards you,
there must be another god who may pick you up".

Tr. and comment David Lanoue

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春風や柱の穴も花の塵
haru kaze ya hashira no ana mo hana no chiri

spring wind -
even in the pillar's hole
petals of cherry blossoms
Tr. Gabi Greve

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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 - Introduction .

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7/02/2013

BUSON - emotions

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Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村
(1715-1783)

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

. ABC- List of Yosa Buson's works in the WKD .

. WKD : Emotions expressed directly in Haiku .

Buson used a lot of word to express his emotions directly. Here is a growing ABC list.

under construction

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kanashii　悲しい　I feel sad
the full meaning is difficult to translate :
1. kawaii, itooshii 　悲しい／哀しい／愛しい　- loved, lovable, adorable, charming, sweet, cute, pretty . . .
2. kanashii, kawaisoo, itawashii - (sad, sorrowful,mournful, depressing, miserable, pathetic . . .

hatake ni mo narade kanashiki kareno kana

even it couldn't become a farm,
it's sad -
withered field
Tr. Stephen Addiss

Not even being farmed
How sad!
The withered field.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

悲しさや釣の糸ふく秋の風
. kanashisa ya tsuri no ito fuku aki no kaze .

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masuzhisa 貧しさ poverty, he is poor

鋸の音貧しさよ夜半の冬
. nokogiri no oto mazushisa yo yowa no fuyu .

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natsukashiki, natsukashii　懐かしい to remember fondly

. natsukashiki ge-gaki no sumi no nioi kana .

蜻蛉や村なつかしき壁の色　
. tonboo ya mura natsukashiki kabe no iro . 　　

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sabishii 　寂しい　I am lonely

さびしさのうれしくも有秋の暮
sabishisa no ureshiku mo ari aki no kure

in loneliness
there is also some joy—
autumn darkens
Tr. Stephen Addiss

In the solitude
There is pleasure, too--
Autumnal sunset.
Tr. Nelson/Saito

Being alone
may also be pleasant--
autumn dusk.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert

鮓おしてしばし淋しきこころかな
. sushi oshite shibaraku sabishiki kokoro kana .
my heart feels lonely

kochira muke ware mo sabishiki aki no kure

kyonen yori mata sabishii zo aki no kure

mugi no aki sabishiki kao no kyoujo kana

sabishisa ni hana sakinumeri yamazakura

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ureshi 　嬉　うれし I am happy

近道へ出てうれし野の躑躅かな
chikamichi e idete ureshi no no tsutsuji kana

taking a shortcut
I am so happy (to see)
azaleas in the fields . . .

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

買うて且うれしさよ炭五俵
. an koote katsu ureshisa yo sumi gohyoo .
an extra joy

enpo ni kuwa wo irete ureshiki

ikedayori sumi kureshi haru no samusa kana

kao shiroki ko no ureshisa yo makura gaya

kayarishite yadori ureshi ya kusa no tsuki

kotori kuru oto ureshisa yo itabisashi

me ni ureshi koigimi no ougi mashiro naru

natsukawa o kosu ureshisa yo te ni zoori

sabishisa no ureshiku mo ari akino kure (see sabishi)

saga e kaeru hito wa izuko no hana ni kureshi

so tomete ureshi to kaya o tako tsuru

tsutsuji saite ishi utsushitaru ureshisa yo

yane hikuki yado ureshisa yo fuyugomori

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. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 .

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

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7/01/2013

BUSON - onomatopoetic

. WKD : Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

. ABC- List of works by Yosa Buson in the WKD .

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ISSA - ishizue

source :　panoramio.com
ishizue from Hitachi Kokubunji Pagoda

soseki　礎石 Lit. foundation stone.
A base stone which receives the dead load of a pillar. The upper side of the base stone was made roughly level. Natural and processed stones both have a mortise *hozoana ほぞ穴, into which a tenon *hozo ほぞ, is inserted that extends from the bottom of the pillar. A tenon sometimes is cut into the base stone to be inserted into a corresponding mortise on the bottom of the pillar. Some base stones have an extension which serves as a sill or a ground plate, jifukuza 地覆座.

During the 7-8c a porous limestone called tufa *gyoukaigan 凝灰岩, was used and the developed of stone progressed. From the latter part of the 8c after floored buildings became common, stone processing declined. Many natural base stones were cut from andesite, anzangan 安山岩, a type of volcanic rock and granite, kakougan 花崗岩. A firmly packed bed of golfball-sized stones underlay base stones in the ancient period. The use of natural stones for base stones was common until the premodern age when carefully cut stones were used.
source : JAANUS

大寺の礎殘る野菊かな
ootera no ishizue nokoru nogiku kana

the foundation stones
of the big temple remain
amid wild chrysanthemums . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

Masaoka Shiki　正岡子規 visiting Large Temples：
. Daiji, ootera, oodera 大寺 large temple .

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薄月の礎しめる柳哉
usu-zuki no ishizue shimeru yanagi kana

a willow
makes possible
this cloud-streaked moon
Tr. Chris Drake

This spring hokku was published in a New Year's collection in 1802. A faint moon seen through thin clouds is usually an autumn image, but the hokku is placed among spring hokku, so it seems to be about thin spring clouds, mist, or haze, with willows being the main seasonal image. The moon is dimly visible through thin clouds or mist, and its vague outline appears as a pale circle of light in the sky above a willow tree. If the clouds are moving, the moon may appear to be undulating or floating. The new leaves on the willow below are still small and give the whole tree a diffuse, swelling, cloudlike appearance, so the image does not seem to be about the thin, drooping limbs of the willow literally supporting the moon but about a tender balance and mutual dependence between sky and earth in which the moon on this night seems to find its basic shape in the even more diffuse, looming shape of the dimly moonlit willow below it. Somehow taught or visually supported by the willow, the cloud-streaked moon seems to be trying to realize one of its most basic forms. As for humans, without the support of the willow, we wouldn't be able to make out this very basic form of the moon: the moon couldn't exist this way for us without the willow down below.

Issa uses ishizue, 'foundation, basis, ground, support, foundation stone,' in a similar way in another early spring hokku from 1792:

harukaze ya ishizue shimeru asana-asana

spring wind --
the basic foundation
morning after morning

The days of spring seem to be defined by the early-morning strong wind. It blows hard to begin each day and sets the tone for the whole day, forming the basis for the way people experience and live through the spring.

Chris Drake

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礎や元日しまの巣なし鳥
ishizue ya ganjitsu shima no su nashi tori

cornerstone--
on New Year's morning
a bird without a nest
Tr. Lanoue

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