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.
From volume 2 of the Basho Renku Zenchuukai: Tsukeku written between 1678 and 1681
芭蕉連句全注解、二冊から付句; 日本語もRomanization given.For commentaries, see Section 2 B
Selected, Translated and Explored by Jeff Robbins
Words of Basho in this font, bold
Words of other poets in same font, not bold
To embroider she prefers the threads of a cascade
In the storm over Otowa 2: 26 pines the young princess
縫いは /くに好むとうる / 滝の糸
音羽嵐の/ 松も姫君
Nuihaku ni / konomu touru / taki no ito
Otowa arashi no / matsu mo himegimi
Superior one, 2: 39 forget not the hard times use them well
Fancy hairstyle tied up with ornamental comb
Getting married 2: 39 second one without trouble you had before
上方の /かたぎ 忘れぬ / 使だて
はねもと結びに / かざす さし櫛
縁付や /二度返る (??) / 事なかれ
Kami-gata no / katagi wasurenu / tsukawadate
Hanemoto musubi ni / kazasu sashi kutsu
Enzuku ya / nido kaeru ( ?? ) / koto nakare
From the brothel 2:47 moon among the clouds returns home
The form of a virgin her white satin obi
揚屋より /月は雲居に / かえらるる
乙女の姿 / しろじゆすの帯
Ageya yori / tsuki wa kumoi ni / kaeraruru
Otome no sugata / shiro jusu no obi
Lovers speak hesitantly as firefly crawls out robe
Along with the Buddha 2: 58 short night in a dream
むつ言 の きがね の 蛍の / はい出て
釈迦に そいねの / 夢 の 短夜
Mutsugon no / kigane no hotaru no / hai idete
Shaka ni soinu no / yume no mijikayo
Droplets from the spear of Bishamon autumn in our land
The heads of heathen 2: 63 descend with the moon
毘沙門の / 鉾のしたたり / 国 の 秋
外道の 首 の / 落かかる 月
Bishamon no / hoko no shitatari / kuni no aki
Gedou no kubi no / ochikakaru tsuki
As naked seeds blossoms are returning to their roots
Bath water bottom 2: 71 dragon palace spring
Roadhouse hooker or Sea-God’s daughter, which is she? Age of the Gods unheard love for a hundred coins
Bowing with respect 2: 72 to that precious treasure, the Pillow Book
花は 根に / もとの 裸で / かえる也
風 呂の 底は / 龍宮 の 春
出女の / 玉依り姫 は / 是 と かや
神代 もきかず / 百文 の 恋
霊宝の / 枕 草紙を / ふし 拝み
Hana wa ne ni / moto no hadaka de / kaeru nari
Mizu furo no soko wa / ryuujin no haru
De-onna no / tamayori hime wa / kore to ka ya
Kamiyo mo kikazu / hyakumon no koi
Reihō no / makura sōshi o / fushi ogami
Her long sleeves’ fine silk, yet a beard 2: 75 there is born
The fate of Komachi to female-impersonate
ふり袖の / 薄も髭と / 生出でて
小町が果の / 女方ども
Furi sode no / usaji mo hige to / iki idete
Komachi ga hate no / onna gata domo
Storehouses and fences overgrown with water weeds
Seen by morning, 2:84 woman who stayed the night, Goddess of Poverty
蔵も籬も / 水草生けり
今朝みれば / いてこし女は /貧乏神
Kura mo magaki mo / mikusa ikekeri
Kesa mireba / itekoshi onna wa / bimbō-gami
To join with a widow, he pounds robe of love
Man who left 2:91 cared only for money, autumn passes
後家を相手に /恋衣うつ
去男 / かねにほれたる / 秋更けて
Goke o aite ni / koi koromo utsu
Saru otoko / kane ni horetaru / aki fukete
His old haori jacket makes old age appear
Concentrating on 2: 101 the babe in remembrance she puts to sleep
古い羽織に/ 老ぞしらるる
つくづくと/ 記念のややを / 寝させ置
Furui haori ni / oi zo shiraruru
Tsukuzuku to / katami no yaya o / nesase oki
“Weak as green willow” 2: 139 the wife is despised
‘Path of blood’ her day by day misery in the spring rain
She drops a tea bag 2: 139 in steam from her chest
青柳よわき / 女房あなづる
血の道気 / うらみ 幾日の / 春の雨
胸のけぶりに /さがす茶袋
Aoyagi yowaki / nyōbo anazuru
Chi no michi ki / urami ikka no / haru no ame
Mune no keburi ni / sagasu cha-bukuro
It would be good for you to see from practice that your following stanza suits the previous one as an expression of the same heart’s connection.
ある付句に前句を添えて、同じ付心が表現 できるような訓練などをしてみるのもよい
Aru tsukeku ni maeku o soete, onaji tsuke-kokoro ga hyōgen dekiru yō na kunren nado o shite miru no yoi.
How many moons 2: 149 shall young pines be hidden in your belly?
Asking the servant girl beside the cliff, no reply
Spring water flows 2: 149 on the shore, will you stand against the current?
幾月の / 小松がはらや / 隠すらん
とえど岩根の / 下女はこたえず
磯清水 / 汝ながれを/ たてぬかと
Iku gatsu no / komatsu ga hara ya / kakusuran
Toedo iwane no / gejo wa kotaezu
Iso shimizu / nanji nagare o / tatenu ka to
Since Tsurayuki the moon at daybreak
Eight hundred years 2: 169 the light of his lantern survived the dew
貫之以上の / 在明のつき
八百年 / 御澄の光 / 露更けて
Tsurayuki ijō no / ariake no tsuki
Happyakunen / gochō no hikari / tsuyu fukete
Once again he is thrown Maruyama marked black
Half of go board 2: 176 over eastern Kyoto blossoms scatter
又なげられし / 丸山の色
片碁盤 /都の東 /はなちりて
Mata nagerareshi / maruyama no iro
Kata goban / miyako no higashi / hana chirite
The warriors’ sword exhibition gets violent Woman soon cry out so they are banished
Appearance 2:200 warped by a mirror, her resentment
武士の / 刃祭りを / 荒にける
女はなくに /早きとていむ
様あしく / 鏡の ひづみ /たる恨み
Mononofu no / yabai matsuri o / ara ni keru
Onna wa naku ni / hayaki tote imu
Sama ashiku / kagami no hizumi / taru urami
Miracles from 2:210 offerings to the Goddess shining on blossoms
Bird of good fortune builds nest with hemp
花に照る / 太神宮の / 寄特也
幣に巣作る / 詫の鳥
Hana ni teru / oharaibako no / kitoku nari
Nusa ni su tsukuru / kototsuge no tori
On the stage from humble cottage, a forlorn cry Without virtue loud squeal of surprise at the scene
A dog being stabbed 2: 214 that voice is so sad
舞台に柴の / 庵しぼり声
とひやう仁 /うは気より世を / 驚て
犬切って其 / 声のかなしく
Butai ni shiba no / io shibori koe
Toiyō ni / uwaki yori yo o / odoroite
Inu kitte kono / koe no kanashiku
Guard for Mouse and Ox entrusted to the Tiger
Chaos rides 2: 217
on Green to play with the Energy
子丑の番を / 寅に預けて
渾沌が / 翠にのって / 気にあそぶ
Ne ushi no ban o / tora ni azukete
Hundun ga / midori ni notte / ki ni asobu
Link verses the way children play… When we look, really look at Chuang-Tzu tsukeku should be like Chuang-Tzu
俳諧を子どもの遊ぶことせよ.
俳諧をせば荘子をよくよくみて、
荘子のごとくあるべし
Haikai o kodomo no asobu koto se yo…
Haikai o seba Sōshi o yoku yoku mite,
Sōshi no gotoku arubeshi
Where is the storm? curtain room shivers
The woman’s shadow 2: 215 seems to have returned – awesome her traces
あらしはいづく /帳の紙室
女の影 / 帰ると見えて /跡すごく
Arashi wa izuku / chou no kamimuro
Onna no kage / kaeru to miete / ato sugoku
Wretched in the dew 2: 221 my wife’s fallen hair
Speaking of love, in the mirror her face still can be seen
露にしがるむ / 妹が落髪
物いふて / 鏡に顏の / 残りみえよ
Tsuyu ni shigaramu / imo ga ochi-gami
Mono iute / kagami ni kao no / nokori mieyo
Engulfed by passion to kill younger brother
Sound deepens 2: 243 the night, pinewood door is pried open
To give birth in the ruins of a house, winter dog
恋あふれたる / 弟手打ちに
音更けて / 槇の板戸を / こぢ放す
枯ゆく宿に / 冬子うむ犬
Koi afuretaru / ototo teuchi ni
Oto fukete / maki no itado o / koji hanasu
Kare yuku shuku ni / fuyu ko umu inu
“the astonishing range of social subject matterand compassionate intuition
that Basho reveals in his links.”
Michele Root-Bernstein, Phd
Professor of theatre
Michigan State University,
In a daydream boiling rice until evening comes
No concern for others 2: 253 just waiting to die
.
昼夢の飯たくほどにゆうぐるる
人死をまって生にたわいなし
Hiru yume no / meshi take hodo ni / yuu gururu
Jinshi o matte / shō ni tawainashi
Are these pines 2: 259
on Love Cape or the daughter’s
wedding ornament
Her vows everlasting
goddess of shining snow
恋崎の/ 松か娘の / 花の臺
契世にのこる / 雪の明神
Koi-zaka no / matsu ga musume no / hana no dai
Chigiri yo ni nokoru / yuki no meigami
The aged nun has a story to tell us
Filled with pity, 2:261 her message to rescue abandoned child
A deer pulls the sleeve of someone in the village
老尼はなしの / 叙ありけり
哀余る / 捨て子ひろひに /遣して
外里に鹿の/ 裾引いる
Rōni hanashi no / tsuide arikeri
Ai amaru / sutego hirohi ni / tsuawashite
To sato ni shika no / suso hiite iru
Many of my followers write haiku equal to mine, however in tsukeku
is the bone marrow of this old man.
発句は門人の中、予におとらぬ句する人多し。俳諧においては老翁が骨髄
Haiku wa monjin no naka,yo ni otoranu ku suru oi shi.Haikai ni oite wa rou ga kotsuzui
We can live without poetry, however, without harmonizing with the world’s feeling and passing not through human feeling, a person cannot be fulfilled. Moreover, without good friends,
this would be difficult.
俳諧はなくてもあるべし。ただ世情に和せず、人情通せざれば、人ととめはず。
まして宜友なくては成りがたし
Haikai wa nakute mo aru beshi. Tada sejou ni wasezu, ninjou tousezareba,
hito to tomewazu. Mashite yokitomo nakute wa nari-gatashi.
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.
