Basho's thoughts on...

• Woman Central
• Introduction to this site
• The Human Story:
• Praise for Women
• Love and Sex in Basho
• Children and Teens
• Humanity and Friendship
• On Translating Basho
• Basho Himself
• Poetry and Music
• The Physical Body
• Food, Drink, and Fire
• Animals in Basho
• Space and Time
• Letters Year by Year
• Bilingual Basho 日本語も
• 芭蕉について日本語の論文
• Basho Tsukeku 芭蕉付句
• BAMHAY (Basho Amazes Me! How About You?)
• New Articles


Matsuo Basho 1644~1694

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.




basho4humanity
@gmail.com




Plea for Affiliation

 

Plea For Affiliation

 

I pray for your help

in finding someone
individual, university,

or foundation - 
to take over my

3000 pages of material,   
to cooperate with me 

to edit the material,
to receive all royalties 

from sales, to spread

Basho’s wisdom worldwide,
and preserve for

future generations.


basho4humanity

@gmail.com

 



Home  >  Topics  >  Basho Tsukeku 芭蕉付句  >  K-20


Verses only : Tsukeku section 10

Tsukeku in the final five months of Basho's life

Legend:
Words of Basho in bold
Words of other poets not bold

Renku of summer 1694 to early winter death;  Basho’s final renku, 8 undated pairs he composed by himself,

4 authorship-doubtful renku, and 2 pairs I found in another book.

 

Father and son-in-law
greeting to make-up -
Castle servant
back in her home town
close to tears
Things from lacquered box                                 10: 21
taken out and put back

 

 

 

Village embraced
by vast pine mountain
in the dawn light
All the folks I meet                                              10: 28
have the smell of fish

 

 

From back door to village
shortcut through the woods
Enough to eat,                                                     10: 60
father and son-in-law talk
of helping others

 

Facing into the wind
his wind blown face
Plump and healthy                                             10: 76
the young son sits
on the lap

 

In the year 1694, on the twenty-first day of the Sixth Moon (August 11), at the tea hut of Bokusetsu in Otsu:

 

With autumn near                             10: 87
our hearts drawing close –
small tea room
Disorderly drooping
nadeshiko in the dew

 

    

 

From the marsh rising
and descending white heron -
Incessantly
falling mixture of
sleet and hail -
Wiping palms of hands                      10: 88
things made with paste

 

 

 

Drying their wet socks
air shimmers from wall
New Years Day                       10: 92
our little buggers
we take along
With meaning hidden
standing there to listen
Lantern light
above it, her pale white
complexion
Upon tatami the lute                       10: 93
put down with a thud

 

 

Vulgar words to insult
the wife and daughter
All the guests                                      10: 95
sit there cold, freezing
at the kotatsu

 

 

 

For a while raftsman
at rest on the bank
Pilgrim-robed                                        10: 110
heart on a journey
becomes quiet

 

 

 

The monk praises the child
who is slow at learning
Winter-withered                                                   10: 156
pitiful the fallen oranges
covered with frost
Hardly ever used
the bath tub leaks

 

 

Showing no signs
of being busy, the shop
of a herbalist
Three years have passed                               10: 169
yet bride has no child

 

 

Frantically
crying babyis thrust
into the cradle      
Carpenters and roofers                          10: 182
go home as it darkens

 

 

 

Wind from the east
blows from the west, then
from the north 
The pulse in my wrist                                10: 204
is of great concern

 

 

Bright red cockscomb
in front of the garden
To quiet down                                                  10: 208
the unsettled heart
of the daughter
Night sweats have stopped
in this morning’s dream
Pine breeze
awakens the chorus
of caged birds
Carpenters start to work                                   10: 208
heard by wife deep within

 

 

 

Hulling rice,
enough done for today
I go home
By myself jostling                                           10: 209
through the marketplace 

 

 

At the village square
they gather, then nap
Women only                                             10: 217
about incoming brides
yakkety-yak
Children they pamper
frostbitten in autumn

 

 

 

The Sun sets
then Moon shines between
the waiting pines
More than laughter                                      10: 235
tears are consoling

 

 

This path –                                           10: 253  (Haiku)
where nobody goes
autumn nightfall 
Rocky mountain farm
ivy covers the trees

 

 

 

White chrysanthemum                             10: 261 (Haiku)
no speck of dust rises
to meet the eye 
Morning moon makes water
with crimson leaves flow

 

 

 

New house being built,                                   10: 264
in a shack their open fire
Determined
to stay here, the wife
settles down

 

 

 

Ashes inside censer                                      10: 281a
damp from long rains
So tenderly                                                    10:281b
silkworm eyes and mouths
are first seen

 

 

A melon so big
we both can enjoy
Scraps cut off                                                 10: 307
from fabric of hemp
are lots of fun

 

 

Among cotton bursting out                          10: 312
walks a pure white cat -
Unknown to us,                                           10: 312
within warm kotatsu
lying contented

 

 

 

Although summer                                     10: 313a
my neck sinks into collar
thinking of love
An account of my prayers                         10: 313b
shows they are worthless

 

 

 

Stones and trees                                       10: 317
are said to be illusions
yet we worship --
I rinse my soup bowl                                  10:318a
to eat from again

 

 

 

“Lingering on . . .”                                  10: 318b
I take down the doll and
look at her face
Again starting to weep                           10: 318c
the cough of consumption

 

 

 

Left or right                                              10: 319
wherever I put my tray,
the loneliness
In some way or another                           10: 320
the grief of Kanefusa

 

 

 

Quiet temple,                                                 10: 321a
on verandah is spread
a straw mat,
He measures out herbs                                  10: 321a
to trade for soybeans

 

 

 

 

 

While crossing this river                            11: 73
I meet my deceiver
From the Deep North
could a thousand men pull
the rock his heart
Who shall pick up love                                11: 74
I now throw away?

 

 

 

Battle lost,                                                   11: 91
the heroes retreat
and go home
Once again night falls
and day breaks in fog

 

 

 

Watching by lantern
at entrance to town
Taking a wife                                               11 : 94
rice merchant pretends
to be young

 

 

 

Steadily growing taller                            11: 97
older and younger brothers
Just one time
to see the Big City,
our small business
Purifying self with water                        11: 98
before the holy shrine

 

 

Floating grasses
in a bundle, her pillow
firm and stable
Child of a shell diver                                A: 287
breastfeeds on the boat

 

 

All the work                                             A: 366
of one year, by barley
is resolved

 

 

 

Lilies of the field                                      A: 371
in crescent moon shadow
line up in bloom
To my dear children                                   A: 371
what can I compare?

 

 

 

With Sampu's                                            A: 398
difficulty hearing
I sympathize

 

 

basho4humanity@gmail.com

 






<< Verses Only: Tsukeku Section 9 (K-19) (L-00) Woman Central -- Introduction >>


The Three Thirds of Basho

 

 

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.

 

basho4humanity@gmail.com
Basho's thoughts on...

• Woman Central
• Introduction to this site
• The Human Story:
• Praise for Women
• Love and Sex in Basho
• Children and Teens
• Humanity and Friendship
• On Translating Basho
• Basho Himself
• Poetry and Music
• The Physical Body
• Food, Drink, and Fire
• Animals in Basho
• Space and Time
• Letters Year by Year
• Bilingual Basho 日本語も
• 芭蕉について日本語の論文
• Basho Tsukeku 芭蕉付句
• BAMHAY (Basho Amazes Me! How About You?)
• New Articles


Matsuo Basho 1644~1694

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.




basho4humanity
@gmail.com




Plea for Affiliation

 

Plea For Affiliation

 

I pray for your help

in finding someone
individual, university,

or foundation - 
to take over my

3000 pages of material,   
to cooperate with me 

to edit the material,
to receive all royalties 

from sales, to spread

Basho’s wisdom worldwide,
and preserve for

future generations.


basho4humanity

@gmail.com