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.
As the goddess Lakshmi /so indeed is the Moon /A good omen /headdress on mountaintop /clouds at dawn
吉祥天女も/これほどの月/あつらえの/瓔珞かかる/山かづら
Basho in 1675, only 33 years of age, begins this stanza-pair and Shinshou follows:
1675年、わずか33歳の芭蕉がこの句を書き始め、信章 がそれに続く:
As the goddess Lakshmi
so indeed is the Moon
A good omen:
her headdress on mountaintop
clouds at dawn
Complete Basho Renku Interpretationsvol. 1: p. 105
芭蕉連句全註解 １巻：１０５
Kisshou tenjo mo / kore hodo no tsukiBasho
１８ 吉祥天女も / これほどの月芭蕉
幸運 こううんをもたらす女神と同じく月は輝き、美しく、励まし、鼓舞する
Like the goddess who brings good fortune, the moon is radiant, beautiful, inspiring, hope-giving
(
Atsurae no / youraku kakaru / yama kazuraShinshou
１９ あつらえの /瓔珞かかる / 山かづら 信章
前の句の月がまだ輝いていて、山頂の周りの雲は女神の輝く瓔珞です。
With the moon of the previous stanza still shining at dawn,
the clouds around the mountain top appear as the shining headdress of the goddess.
In the Moon Basho sees Kisshotenjo, the Japanese form of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi who makes life auspicious. Her name comes from the Sanskrit Laksya, meaning ‘aim’ or ‘goal,’ so She is a goddess of Hope, the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. The Sun, still below the horizon to our eyes, shines on clouds around the high peak, so they appear as Lakshmi’s jeweled headdress.
An Indian woman, Priya says about this linked verse:
“I remember as a young girl growing up, my grandmother would insistthat I light the oil lamp
in the kitchen altar, just before dusk – to welcome Lakshmi into the home, she said.
The moon throws light on dark nights, so this hope giving quality of Lakshmi is subtly brought out with the comparison to the moon. Your additional lines are like the sprinkle of magic sparkle dust
add a completeness. It brings out the full radiance of the brief poem.Alluding the sacred head ornaments to the rays of the sun lighting the mountain clouds is visually striking and moving.”
Ancient Buddhist temples in Nara have statues and a famous painting of Hindu goddesses dressed in Chinese Tang style robes. The most notable of these is this image of Kisshotenjo at Yakushi Temple painted in about 771. Her hair is dressed with gorgeous hair ornaments. A halo surrounds her head. Shinshou may have drawn his stanza from this famous painting.
Basho merges Indian and Japanese goddess worship. In the relationship of Lakshmi with Moon, four qualities converge: divine, female, shining, hope-giving.The beauty of nature becomes the goddess.
Carol Christ ends her essay “Why Women Need the Goddess?” with this answer:
As women struggle to create a new culture in which women's power, bodies, will, and bonds
are celebrated, it is natural that the Goddess would reemerge as symbol of the newfound
Basho wrote hundreds of poems about women and children, about friendship, love, and compassion, possibly the most pro-female, child-centered, and life-affirming works in world literature.
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.
