The only substantial collection in English of Basho's renku, tanka, letters and spoken word along with his haiku, travel journals, and essays.
The only poet in old-time literature who paid attention with praise to ordinary women, children, and teenagers in hundreds of poems
Hundreds upon hundreds of Basho works (mostly renku)about women, children, teenagers, friendship, compassion, love.
These are resources we can use to better understand ourselves and humanity.
Interesting and heartfelt (not scholarly and boring) for anyone concerned with humanity.
“An astonishing range of social subject matter and compassionate intuition”
"The primordial power of the feminine emanating from Basho's poetry"
Hopeful, life-affirming messages from one of the greatest minds ever.
Through his letters, we travel through his mind and discover Basho's gentleness and humanity.
I plead for your help in finding a person or group to take over my 3000 pages of Basho material, to edit and improve the material, to receive 100% of royalties, to spread Basho’s wisdom worldwide and preserve for future generations.
Quotations from Basho Prose
The days and months are guests passing through eternity. The years that go by also are travelers.
The mountains in silence nurture the spirit; the water with movement calms the emotions.
All the more joyful, all the more caring
Seek not the traces of the ancients; seek rather the places they sought.
Basho Spoken Word
Only this, apply your heart to what children do
"The attachment to Oldness is the very worst disease a poet can have."
“The skillful have a disease; let a three-foot child get the poem"
"Be sick and tired of yesterday’s self."
"This is the path of a fresh lively taste with aliveness in both heart and words." .
"In poetry is a realm which cannot be taught. You must pass through it yourself. Some poets have made no effort to pass through, merely counting things and trying to remember them. There was no passing through the things."
"In verses of other poets, there is too much making and the heart’s immediacy is lost. What is made from the heart is good; the product of words shall not be preferred."
"We can live without poetry, yet without harmonizing with the world’s feeling and passing not through human feeling, a person cannot be fulfilled. Also, without good friends, this would be difficult."
"Poetry benefits from the realization of ordinary words."
"Many of my followers write haiku equal to mine, however in renku is the bone marrow of this old man."
"Your following stanza should suit the previous one as an expression of the same heart's connection."
"Link verses the way children play."
"Make renku ride the Energy. Get the timing wrong, you ruin the rhythm."
"The physical form first of all must be graceful then a musical quality makes a superior verse."
"As the years passed by to half a century. asleep I hovered among morning clouds and evening dusk, awake I was astonished at the voices of mountain streams and wild birds."
“These flies sure enjoy having an unexpected sick person.”
Haiku of Humanity
Drunk on sake woman wearing haori puts in a sword
Night in spring one hidden in mystery temple corner
Wrapping rice cake with one hands she tucks hair behind ear
On Life's journey plowing a small field going and returning
Child of poverty hulling rice, pauses to look at the moon
Tone so clear the Big Dipper resounds her mallet
Huddling under the futon, cold horrible night
Jar cracks with the ice at night awakening
Basho Renku Masterpieces
With her needle in autumn she manages to make ends meet Daughter playing koto reaches age seven
After the years of grieving. . . finally past eighteen Day and night dreams of Father in that battle
Now to this brothel my body has been sold Can I trust you with a letter I wrote, mirror polisher?
Only my face by rice-seedling mud is not soiled Breastfeeding on my lap what dreams do you see?
Single renku stanzas
Giving birth to love in the world, she adorns herself
Autumn wind saying not a word child in tears
Among women one allowed to lead them in chorus
Easing in her slender forearm for his pillow
Two death poems:
On a journey taken ill dreams on withered fields wander about
Clear cascade - into the ripples fall green pine needles
For commentaries and Japanese originals, see Section 5A
Legend:
Words of Basho in bold
Words of other poets not bold
Basho said "In tsukeku, have a three-foot child get the link."A three-foot tall child would be age 5 or 6. Children have the clarity of mind to get the point of tsukeku
-------------------------------------------
Sadly falcon suffers his loss of feathers
Only a woman in an old mansion with a torn screen
By moonlight my poor mother at work beside the window -
She would hide fingers stained with indigo
Doorway curtain behind it, deep within northside plum
Pine needles are falling in the month of March
Before my eyes the scene just as is makes a haiku - As a child turns seven face becomes clear
--------------------------------------------
The days pile up getting used to a woman who floats along
The grass of love weakens his arm for archery
Telling the Truth of Buddhism is sad, field of graves
Chased, the doe flees, leaving behind her fawn
Sister from the Capital here to have her baby
Weaving folded at back door she lights flower incense
Missing teeth, Granddad’s nembutsu sounds strange
Giving breast to baby, something she must say: “Leaving thoughts behind, Papa sent far away”
Strumming lute from evening, she cries past daybreak
Baby duck seems to be interested in the water
Lake ripples - 5: 119 waiting for lantern light to end today
Memorial service in tears she recites request for alms
A beautiful child 5：150 asleep on her lap
Far from village under cherry in bloom broiling tofu Butterfly goes crazy inside netted hat
Not letting on his boots rain falls at day break
As they part 5: 157 ever so delicate and fascinating
Beauty of her voice when she has a cold
Sliding back 5: 157 her tray with lunch untouched
The shop is lonely, 5: 160 barley that he ground
Without a home only wrapped in silk mirror clear
What the miko thinks 5: 160 is what she speaks
Wretched in her distress she gazes at the evening sky
In those clouds, whose 5: 161 tears are contained?
The Moon passes through the infinite sky and disappears
Pounding cloth far away 5: 162 dozing off on the saddle
Majestic Chinese gables on tile roof of a herbalist
A child well-treated 5: 163 should not be skinny
On his Chinese- style hood scatter cherry blossoms
Drunk from ox falling 5: 172 in the spring breeze
Youngest daughter hates the mole on her face
Robe for dancing 5: 180 aimlessly she folds it inside the box
For the hell of it stealing single orchid
Dew heavy 5: 182 the monk in silence opens the door
Fuji pilgrim’s 5:192 straw backpack becomes pillow of grass
For a while the Gods Mother’s soul to keep
From emaciated breasts squeezing tears of dew
In his absence 5: 210 meal tray placed inside mosquito net
I am one person in 5: 254 a floating world of love
When I try to speak of this desire, only stutter
Waves make the misty Mount Fuji move about
Inviting folks 5:267 to the low-tide beach for pickled squid
Arising to blow on embers, 5: 268 the wife of a bell ringer
Going and returning she calls for her lost child moonlight and stars
Blackwood smoldering shack hidden in a hollow
To whom can she 5: 269 be given as a bride? her thoughts of love
As I speak, 5: 281 her face hidden by folding fan
That sleep-tousled hair a difficult boat ride
Today again 5: 288 on the Stone to worship the Rising Sun
Washing starch from rice white water cascade
Collective roof thatching autumn in the village
Lowly women 5: 298 serve nembutsu dancers cups of tea
There are times when even cicadas enter a dream
Twigs of the catalpa 5: 299 block messages of love
How the wife really hates being called the farmer’s “field”
Sled pulling firewood, one path through the snow
Each house’s warrior 5: 303 in winter seclusion
Summonned to the palace ashamed by the gossip
Easing in 5: 304 her slender forearm for his pillow
Water forbidden black hair’s distress - At an age to take care of dolls she is lovely
Harp held in her hands 5: 317 heavy upon her lap
Even as a dream in a snooze, no recall of being at court
I plead for your help in finding a person or group to take over my 3000 pages of Basho material, to edit and improve the presentation, to receive all royalties from sales, to spread Basho’s wisdom worldwide and preserve for future generations.
The only substantial collection in English of Basho's renku, tanka, letters and spoken word along with his haiku, travel journals, and essays.
The only poet in old-time literature who paid attention with praise to ordinary women, children, and teenagers in hundreds of poems
Hundreds upon hundreds of Basho works (mostly renku)about women, children, teenagers, friendship, compassion, love.
These are resources we can use to better understand ourselves and humanity.
Interesting and heartfelt (not scholarly and boring) for anyone concerned with humanity.
“An astonishing range of social subject matter and compassionate intuition”
"The primordial power of the feminine emanating from Basho's poetry"
Hopeful, life-affirming messages from one of the greatest minds ever.
Through his letters, we travel through his mind and discover Basho's gentleness and humanity.
I plead for your help in finding a person or group to take over my 3000 pages of Basho material, to edit and improve the material, to receive 100% of royalties, to spread Basho’s wisdom worldwide and preserve for future generations.
Quotations from Basho Prose
The days and months are guests passing through eternity. The years that go by also are travelers.
The mountains in silence nurture the spirit; the water with movement calms the emotions.
All the more joyful, all the more caring
Seek not the traces of the ancients; seek rather the places they sought.
Basho Spoken Word
Only this, apply your heart to what children do
"The attachment to Oldness is the very worst disease a poet can have."
“The skillful have a disease; let a three-foot child get the poem"
"Be sick and tired of yesterday’s self."
"This is the path of a fresh lively taste with aliveness in both heart and words." .
"In poetry is a realm which cannot be taught. You must pass through it yourself. Some poets have made no effort to pass through, merely counting things and trying to remember them. There was no passing through the things."
"In verses of other poets, there is too much making and the heart’s immediacy is lost. What is made from the heart is good; the product of words shall not be preferred."
"We can live without poetry, yet without harmonizing with the world’s feeling and passing not through human feeling, a person cannot be fulfilled. Also, without good friends, this would be difficult."
"Poetry benefits from the realization of ordinary words."
"Many of my followers write haiku equal to mine, however in renku is the bone marrow of this old man."
"Your following stanza should suit the previous one as an expression of the same heart's connection."
"Link verses the way children play."
"Make renku ride the Energy. Get the timing wrong, you ruin the rhythm."
"The physical form first of all must be graceful then a musical quality makes a superior verse."
"As the years passed by to half a century. asleep I hovered among morning clouds and evening dusk, awake I was astonished at the voices of mountain streams and wild birds."
“These flies sure enjoy having an unexpected sick person.”
Haiku of Humanity
Drunk on sake woman wearing haori puts in a sword
Night in spring one hidden in mystery temple corner
Wrapping rice cake with one hands she tucks hair behind ear
On Life's journey plowing a small field going and returning
Child of poverty hulling rice, pauses to look at the moon
Tone so clear the Big Dipper resounds her mallet
Huddling under the futon, cold horrible night
Jar cracks with the ice at night awakening
Basho Renku Masterpieces
With her needle in autumn she manages to make ends meet Daughter playing koto reaches age seven
After the years of grieving. . . finally past eighteen Day and night dreams of Father in that battle
Now to this brothel my body has been sold Can I trust you with a letter I wrote, mirror polisher?
Only my face by rice-seedling mud is not soiled Breastfeeding on my lap what dreams do you see?
Single renku stanzas
Giving birth to love in the world, she adorns herself
Autumn wind saying not a word child in tears
Among women one allowed to lead them in chorus
Easing in her slender forearm for his pillow
Two death poems:
On a journey taken ill dreams on withered fields wander about
Clear cascade - into the ripples fall green pine needles
