What do you think?
Rate this book
Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times: Selected Haiku of Basho
Vivid new translations of Basho's popular haiku, in a selected format ideal for newcomers as well as fans long familiar with the Japanese master.
Basho, the famously bohemian traveler through seventeenth-century Japan, is a poet attuned to the natural world as well as humble human doings; "Piles of quilts/ snow on distant mountains/ I watch both," he writes. His work captures both the profound loneliness of one observing mind and the broad-ranging joy he finds in our connections to the larger community. David Young, acclaimed translator and Knopf poet, writes in his introduction to this selection, "This poet's consciousness affiliates itself with crickets, islands, monkeys, snowfalls, moonscapes, flowers, trees, and ceremonies...Waking and sleeping, alone and in company, he moves through the world, delighting in its details." Young's translations are bright, alert, musically perfect, and rich in tenderness toward their maker.
Basho, the famously bohemian traveler through seventeenth-century Japan, is a poet attuned to the natural world as well as humble human doings; "Piles of quilts/ snow on distant mountains/ I watch both," he writes. His work captures both the profound loneliness of one observing mind and the broad-ranging joy he finds in our connections to the larger community. David Young, acclaimed translator and Knopf poet, writes in his introduction to this selection, "This poet's consciousness affiliates itself with crickets, islands, monkeys, snowfalls, moonscapes, flowers, trees, and ceremonies...Waking and sleeping, alone and in company, he moves through the world, delighting in its details." Young's translations are bright, alert, musically perfect, and rich in tenderness toward their maker.
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1694
50 people are currently reading
510 people want to read
About the author
Matsuo Bashō
318 books587 followersKnown Japanese poet Matsuo Basho composed haiku, infused with the spirit of Zen.
The renowned Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉) during his lifetime of the period of Edo worked in the collaborative haikai no renga form; people today recognize this most famous brief and clear master.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuo_...
The renowned Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉) during his lifetime of the period of Edo worked in the collaborative haikai no renga form; people today recognize this most famous brief and clear master.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuo_...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
March 14, 2025
Beautiful.
Matsuo Basho wrote these travel poems in the mid 1600s and is one of the most recognizable haiku writers of all time.
"Oh, tranquility!
Penetrating the very rock,
A cicada’s voice."
Much of Basho's poems regard nature and moments of beauty. These are like snapshots of a moment in time and revere simple truths and pleasures.
"The old pond
A frog leaps in.
Splash!"
A reader quickly discovers that these brief poems are accessible and Basho himself shines through as if he was our guide in this 17th century Japanese landscape.
"Don't know
this tree's name
the blossoms smell fantastic"
Told with personality and charm this would be an excellent introduction to Basho's work and for haikus in general.
Matsuo Basho wrote these travel poems in the mid 1600s and is one of the most recognizable haiku writers of all time.
"Oh, tranquility!
Penetrating the very rock,
A cicada’s voice."
Much of Basho's poems regard nature and moments of beauty. These are like snapshots of a moment in time and revere simple truths and pleasures.
"The old pond
A frog leaps in.
Splash!"
A reader quickly discovers that these brief poems are accessible and Basho himself shines through as if he was our guide in this 17th century Japanese landscape.
"Don't know
this tree's name
the blossoms smell fantastic"
Told with personality and charm this would be an excellent introduction to Basho's work and for haikus in general.
January 19, 2015
Beautiful, simple and meditative. Basho is one of my favorite Japanese poets. This is a good book to start reading Basho. When modern life has me feeling depressed or anxious or stressed, I turn to haiku for they bring me back down to Earth and remind me of the beauty in the simplicity of nature and the things around me and of being alive.
Read
June 1, 2024Reading Basho makes me feel like I'm drinking a tall glass of chilled beer on a hot summer afternoon with my old friends. Words can have such a calming effect and Basho's haiku reflect a narrative that I'm still grasping.
March 28, 2020
A delightful collection. David Young's introduction is informative and easy to read, which is a rarity in poetry collections and must be praised, though you won't learn a thing about Bashō from it. Young says you can get that everywhere else; instead, the introduction addresses Young's approach to translating these poems, and I was quite surprised at the amount of latitude Young gave himself. Due to the differences between the number of syllables in English and Japanese, he disregards the West's belief that haiku must conform to a 5-7-5 arrangement, which is fine by me, but he also elides cultural references he thought would be lost on English-speaking audiences, reorders the lines themselves, and even removes the occasional question mark, and I don't know how I feel about that. The result is lovely, but is it an honest reflection of Bashō's words?
In Young's hands, Bashō's poetry is clear and simple, each haiku a meditation on life and nature. They are, by turns, longing, playful, soothing, and contemplative, and it's remarkable how many sensory details they include. So much is packed into these little sentences, giving you brief glimpses of another life, transporting you to where Bashō was three hundred years ago, listening to the rain, gardening, or:
Really accessible, and highly recommended.
March 2020: I've now re-read this book alongside Reichhold's, and while Reichhold's translations are perhaps more faithful to Basho's words, I feel like Young's do a better job of getting across Basho's intentions. Many of Reichhold's translations wouldn't have made much sense to me without the historical and cultural context included in her translator notes, but Young's translations stand on their own.
In Young's hands, Bashō's poetry is clear and simple, each haiku a meditation on life and nature. They are, by turns, longing, playful, soothing, and contemplative, and it's remarkable how many sensory details they include. So much is packed into these little sentences, giving you brief glimpses of another life, transporting you to where Bashō was three hundred years ago, listening to the rain, gardening, or:
Big white leeksThe poetry is transcendent, in that it moved me to a different place. Once I came back, though, I wondered a lot about the choices Young made. I really would have liked some translator's notes (outside of those in the introduction), but instead I'll have to content myself with reading Jane Reichhold's Basho: The Complete Haiku and go over her notes to see how their translations differ. This is actually Young's idea, and he helpfully includes an appendix that correlates his page numbers with Reichhold's numbering system for easy comparison.
washing them off
feeling how cold
Really accessible, and highly recommended.
March 2020: I've now re-read this book alongside Reichhold's, and while Reichhold's translations are perhaps more faithful to Basho's words, I feel like Young's do a better job of getting across Basho's intentions. Many of Reichhold's translations wouldn't have made much sense to me without the historical and cultural context included in her translator notes, but Young's translations stand on their own.
June 7, 2013
This is far and away the best collection of Basho's Haiku that I've ever read. The translations seem really fresh, alive, and consistent throughout the book. This book is also laid out wonderfully, the Haiku's look beautiful on the page. I read one or two poems a day and it was really great to have my daily moment with Basho. This is a great book.
December 28, 2014
Back in my school days, haiku was really the only poetic form that I understood. I could even succeed in writing some haiku that were decent, at least they were more successful than any other poetry I wrote. i decided to revisit haiku by reading the master of the form, Basho. I was entranced again by the beauty of such a short collection of words. The simplicity that holds so much more meaning than you would think could be contained in such a small package is a large part of why haiku appeals to me. I expected the beauty of nature to shine through in these poems and it did, but the surprise was the many times I laughed out loud at the clever humor throughout the selections. I highly recommend this collection of Basho’s work!
January 13, 2017
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages
✱ The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa
✱ On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho
✱ Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages
✱ The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa
✱ On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho
July 6, 2013
Very enjoyable book. David Young's translation of selected Haiku by Basho. Young's introduction to the 188 Haiku in this book provides context to the reading. Would definitely recommend this book.
October 17, 2024
lightning
doesn't leave u enlightened
--good to kno that
-bashō
doesn't leave u enlightened
--good to kno that
-bashō
August 29, 2016
So beautiful! Joyful and sorrowful, reading this haiku was very enjoyable. Even with it's limited words, each haiku gave such rich settings and emotions that while reading them, I felt i was right there with the poet! I highly recommend this slim volume to just about anyone. Even someone who may not like poems or haiku. I feel that most people would love to read this relaxing little book and soak up it's beauty.
July 9, 2013
I really enjoyed these translations which kept true to the spirit of the writing without attempting to choosing words that forced the syllables into the traditional haiku format. The poems were written that way, but sometimes meaning becomes obscured when translators pay more attention to the meter than the content. This is a book of beautiful poems that have been nicely translated.
May 16, 2015
Interesting new translations; very terse compared to the translations I've read in the past. I still prefer Robert Hass's translations, but that's probably just because Hass's versions are what I read first (a long time ago) and am accustomed to.
April 7, 2013
This is simple beauty. Love it.
December 21, 2013
The best translation out there, plus a superb introduction on Basho's like and why the haiku is such a immortal poetic form, esp in his hands.
February 20, 2015
Wonderful, free form translations of Basho poems.
April 10, 2015
Wonder filled simplicity
April 30, 2015
Unusual translations of Bashō--quite playful and sound-oriented. Intro is worth a read, as well.
September 16, 2018
''Look at its shape
the moon is just a young girl
Sent to bed early''
David Young does an excellent job in writing a beautiful introduction to this collection of haiku by Basho as well as in the selection of Basho's works is done in such a way that it amplifies the feelings expressed in the haiku's and offers a framework for their unfolding.
Matsuo Basho abandoned his life in the privileged samurai class of 17th century Japan and spent many years roaming Japan in all directions looking to gain inspiration for his writing. His works, short, concise yet they are, each and every one of them, the equivalent of a spice jar, they contain concentrated feelings and images that when read bring about an image, followed by a feeling. The reader can see the experience Basho might have had and then recall a similar feeling him or herself. Often, this comes about with a slight sense of melancholy, nostalgia, although some of his poems are sometimes hilariously funny and playful:
''Flowers bloom everywhere
Fun-loving priest
Available wife''
''Moon almost full
I am thirty-nine
A child still.''
Many of his works are born out of the effect the world has on Basho as he travels through Japan, David Young does a great job in chronologically arranging his works so that the continuity is felt strongly and we can see the authors feelings unfold over several seasons. Basho often is triggered by small moments, the sound of wooden clogs in a monastery, a hesitant dragonfly trying to decide which blade of grass to land on. His feelings are often enveloped in sadness, loneliness, the sense of nostalgia and melancholy often dominates and even sometimes an overwhelming feeling of sorrow, yet these feelings are so well encapsulated despite the shortness of the poems that they are beautiful in and of themselves as they so beautifully weave language into images in the mind of the reader. Basho acts as a constant observer of his environment and weather its people or nature or the general surroundings, he manages so well to capture the essence of this process of perception that one can easily understand his genious.
''Old yam digger
Please explain
This mountain's sorrow.''
This collection is definitely a great way to get into Basho or haiku in general, the poems read easily, and reread even better, nice to open the book and take a sniff out of one of the many spice jars prepared by Basho, to remind us of our humanity and our connection to the beauty of nature in the midst of a hectic world and to not forget the essence of the beauty of nature, and sometimes it only takes a walk in a park, a bird singing on a branch or beetle struggling with a sidewalk to reconnect with that which is so often obscured from us.
the moon is just a young girl
Sent to bed early''
David Young does an excellent job in writing a beautiful introduction to this collection of haiku by Basho as well as in the selection of Basho's works is done in such a way that it amplifies the feelings expressed in the haiku's and offers a framework for their unfolding.
Matsuo Basho abandoned his life in the privileged samurai class of 17th century Japan and spent many years roaming Japan in all directions looking to gain inspiration for his writing. His works, short, concise yet they are, each and every one of them, the equivalent of a spice jar, they contain concentrated feelings and images that when read bring about an image, followed by a feeling. The reader can see the experience Basho might have had and then recall a similar feeling him or herself. Often, this comes about with a slight sense of melancholy, nostalgia, although some of his poems are sometimes hilariously funny and playful:
''Flowers bloom everywhere
Fun-loving priest
Available wife''
''Moon almost full
I am thirty-nine
A child still.''
Many of his works are born out of the effect the world has on Basho as he travels through Japan, David Young does a great job in chronologically arranging his works so that the continuity is felt strongly and we can see the authors feelings unfold over several seasons. Basho often is triggered by small moments, the sound of wooden clogs in a monastery, a hesitant dragonfly trying to decide which blade of grass to land on. His feelings are often enveloped in sadness, loneliness, the sense of nostalgia and melancholy often dominates and even sometimes an overwhelming feeling of sorrow, yet these feelings are so well encapsulated despite the shortness of the poems that they are beautiful in and of themselves as they so beautifully weave language into images in the mind of the reader. Basho acts as a constant observer of his environment and weather its people or nature or the general surroundings, he manages so well to capture the essence of this process of perception that one can easily understand his genious.
''Old yam digger
Please explain
This mountain's sorrow.''
This collection is definitely a great way to get into Basho or haiku in general, the poems read easily, and reread even better, nice to open the book and take a sniff out of one of the many spice jars prepared by Basho, to remind us of our humanity and our connection to the beauty of nature in the midst of a hectic world and to not forget the essence of the beauty of nature, and sometimes it only takes a walk in a park, a bird singing on a branch or beetle struggling with a sidewalk to reconnect with that which is so often obscured from us.
August 30, 2020
I don’t really like or respect Haiku. I probably developed this notion in junior high where I was forced to read and write it way before I was ready. I can only guess I was a pretty crappy student and scoffed at the simplicity thinking myself above it. It’s baby-stuff. Corn-ball. Easy-peasy. That attitude, noted now with a bit of embarrassment, has stayed with me up until, well, a day or two ago. On a lark, I bought a book by Basho, who is considered the master of the form. Ok, Basho, show me what you got. And, well, he’s good. Really good. Better than emoji good. With a few simple words, he was able to paint evocative scenes, more expansive than the limited number of words could be expected to. Feeling a bit cocky I decided to try to write a little bit of Haiku myself. The second shoe dropped. It’s not especially easy to achieve elegant simplicity. In fact, it’s hard.
January 10, 2023
I’m enjoying exploring haiku, though I’ll admit most of it isn’t yet resonating with me. And I’m too new to this to say anything about this specific translation, though Young says he sometimes describes his versions as “Basho mash-ups” because he feels free to adjust the original, sometimes reordering the lines, sometimes changing meanings that might only be apparent to someone familiar with the language, culture, and historical period, to something perhaps more understandable to someone today and speaking English. One day perhaps I’ll have read enough of the other translations to have an opinion on this, but for now I just work to pull what meaning and enjoyment I can from as many of the poems as possible.
October 11, 2020
Lovely collection, well-translated!
Here are a few of my favourites:
1.
Sight of that mountain
makes me forget
I’m getting old
2.
Let’s go snow viewing
fall down a lot
before we get there
3.
We have to say farewell
the deer’s antlers
have to branch
4.
Midnight frost
I’d like to borrow
the scarecrow’s coat
5.
Battlefield, now summer grass
all that’s left of
soldier dreams
6.
Old lady cherry tree
blooming in age—
memories
7.
First rain of winter
today’s a day
people get older
Here are a few of my favourites:
1.
Sight of that mountain
makes me forget
I’m getting old
2.
Let’s go snow viewing
fall down a lot
before we get there
3.
We have to say farewell
the deer’s antlers
have to branch
4.
Midnight frost
I’d like to borrow
the scarecrow’s coat
5.
Battlefield, now summer grass
all that’s left of
soldier dreams
6.
Old lady cherry tree
blooming in age—
memories
7.
First rain of winter
today’s a day
people get older
July 11, 2015
My favorite poet, though admittedly I'm not a fan of most poetry. Basho has a way of transporting you to another time and place in just a few lines, and reading his haiku is an almost meditative experience. On the other hand, some of his haiku is surprisingly funny and breaks up what otherwise could get a bit monotonous.
August 14, 2017
the book was short
the syllables not counted
nature evoking emotion.
the syllables not counted
nature evoking emotion.
July 31, 2024
"That boy’s a peach tree! I hope autumn doesn’t scatter his leaves."
September 9, 2018
Basho (1644-1694) is the heavyweight of haiku (with a feather-light poetic touch). I'd encountered his work in anthologies and was drawn to this dedicated volume because it was contemporary, had a wonderful title and a lovely cover design.
In poetic translation, it's a truism that the translator is playing a significant role, and this is certainly true of haiku. So this is Basho and David Young. I have to admit that these versions didn't strike me as often as I was expecting (and I think the haiku is almost vitally about being struck ... by the image, the moment). I now have three versions of one of my favourite Basho haiku:
A surging sea...
reaching over Sado Isle
the Galaxy
the rough sea -
flowing toward Sado Isle
the River of Heaven
A wild ocean
and stretching over Sado Island
the Milky Way
The last one is by Young. I enjoyed reading through the book, and the introduction was excellent, containing this gem of a quote from Lucien Stryk about a haiku's effect: "The reader is aware of a microcosm related to transcendent unity. A moment, crystallised, distilled, snatched from time's flow, and that is enough." But my response was often 'that's nice' and going along enjoyably thus, with some sparks and glimmers and smiles.
And then...
That full moon
rides in on the froth
of the salt tide
And I was a child again, standing on the beach in Bon Accord Harbour on Kawau Island at night. The emotion and sense of it was there. We were farewelling evening BBQ visitors as they set off in their dinghy in the darkness - back to their moored boat I suppose. Though, the important thing that was missing in the haiku was mention of phosphorescence, and that night was calmer.
So I wrote a haiku of my own, because such things are important.
Oars dip
dripping phosphorescence
on the black satin tide
In poetic translation, it's a truism that the translator is playing a significant role, and this is certainly true of haiku. So this is Basho and David Young. I have to admit that these versions didn't strike me as often as I was expecting (and I think the haiku is almost vitally about being struck ... by the image, the moment). I now have three versions of one of my favourite Basho haiku:
A surging sea...
reaching over Sado Isle
the Galaxy
the rough sea -
flowing toward Sado Isle
the River of Heaven
A wild ocean
and stretching over Sado Island
the Milky Way
The last one is by Young. I enjoyed reading through the book, and the introduction was excellent, containing this gem of a quote from Lucien Stryk about a haiku's effect: "The reader is aware of a microcosm related to transcendent unity. A moment, crystallised, distilled, snatched from time's flow, and that is enough." But my response was often 'that's nice' and going along enjoyably thus, with some sparks and glimmers and smiles.
And then...
That full moon
rides in on the froth
of the salt tide
And I was a child again, standing on the beach in Bon Accord Harbour on Kawau Island at night. The emotion and sense of it was there. We were farewelling evening BBQ visitors as they set off in their dinghy in the darkness - back to their moored boat I suppose. Though, the important thing that was missing in the haiku was mention of phosphorescence, and that night was calmer.
So I wrote a haiku of my own, because such things are important.
Oars dip
dripping phosphorescence
on the black satin tide
January 20, 2023
Besides the positively exquisite translations, carefully selected for maximal impact and enchanting entertainment for readers, the introductory essay is one of the finest I've encountered (in going into double digits of Basho books I've had consistent pleasure of navigating) and speaks knowledgeably, and I dare say at times urgently about the process and journey a classical short form poem takes as it travels from it's native language into our own. If you are interested in improving your own haiku in accordance with traditions of the Japanese masters, or just appreciating the mechanisms of how a collection of traditional poetry is assembled for an international audience, what tends to be included and omitted, fostering an awareness of what landed on the cutting room floor to be lost in translation, this book's insightful commentary will prove absolutely instrumental to your holistic understanding. Also recommended for those who enjoy translated poetry generally, French symbolists, Paul Celan, Tangled Hair. I dare say a must read for every self-respecting Basho fan and practitioner of the short forms, tanka and waka certainly no less. The discussion of the poet's later transition into preferecing Karumi, and in depth detailing of the storied history of haiku translating, contributions of seminal pioneers including Blyth and Reichhold is also highly illuminating and beneficial toward facilitating scholars' holistic understanding of our modern landscape and the forces which shaped it. A rollicking good time I highly encourage you to seek out if you have not had opportunity, enormous pleasure!
December 30, 2024
"Crescent moon
nothing like
our similes"
Really enjoyable collection and obviously a super thoughtful translation. I did enjoy my prior reading of Bashō, which included some historical context and footnotes along with the poems, more overall, but I appreciate how the simplicity of these better reflects the poems' intent and original forms, and they're still so wonderful to read. I like how Young's foreword described haiku as unexpected, like a hummingbird landing on your arm, and how any time one tries to define the form, an exception to the rule appears. That feeling of small surprise was 100% my experience with this collection; as soon as you think you're lulled by descriptions of the moon or plum blossom, there's a horse pissing next to your pillow with fleas and lice, or a desperately sad longing for home or for mother and father. I also liked Young's included original poem; you really feel his kinship with the man whose work he translates, which gives the book such warmth and depth.
nothing like
our similes"
Really enjoyable collection and obviously a super thoughtful translation. I did enjoy my prior reading of Bashō, which included some historical context and footnotes along with the poems, more overall, but I appreciate how the simplicity of these better reflects the poems' intent and original forms, and they're still so wonderful to read. I like how Young's foreword described haiku as unexpected, like a hummingbird landing on your arm, and how any time one tries to define the form, an exception to the rule appears. That feeling of small surprise was 100% my experience with this collection; as soon as you think you're lulled by descriptions of the moon or plum blossom, there's a horse pissing next to your pillow with fleas and lice, or a desperately sad longing for home or for mother and father. I also liked Young's included original poem; you really feel his kinship with the man whose work he translates, which gives the book such warmth and depth.
January 10, 2023
Bashō, a traveler, invented the haiku form of poetry in the 1600's.
Although the English form of the haiku is in the 5/7/5 line form, the translation here focuses on the shorter length of the sounds in Japanese. The translator feels that English sounds are too long to fill the spirit of haiku and so often uses less syllables than we learned are necessary in high school English class. The result is a very light, spare verse that is still true to the themes of seasons, contrast, and nature. When writing my own haiku, although I use the 5/7/5 for structure, this translation reminds one to be mindful of the length of the sounds.
Although the English form of the haiku is in the 5/7/5 line form, the translation here focuses on the shorter length of the sounds in Japanese. The translator feels that English sounds are too long to fill the spirit of haiku and so often uses less syllables than we learned are necessary in high school English class. The result is a very light, spare verse that is still true to the themes of seasons, contrast, and nature. When writing my own haiku, although I use the 5/7/5 for structure, this translation reminds one to be mindful of the length of the sounds.
January 13, 2023
*4 stars*
Two poems per page at three lines a piece, making one sentence (sometimes). Each three-liner paints a snippet in time. They’re more abstract than straight forward in the sense that their meaning isn’t easily reached from the surface. They’re not as simple simple as you’d expect.
Favorites:
Two poems per page at three lines a piece, making one sentence (sometimes). Each three-liner paints a snippet in time. They’re more abstract than straight forward in the sense that their meaning isn’t easily reached from the surface. They’re not as simple simple as you’d expect.
Favorites:
If you’re an oak
you don’t pretend
you are a flower
Clouds pass
giving moon viewers
a rest
Temple bell
ringing ears
cicada call
December 29, 2021
"Temple bell
ringing ears
cicada call."
This collection is beautifully set, and is translated in a simple style, with straightforward choices of words, which makes for easy reading, but I have read other translated Basho collections that for whatever reason managed to leave a more intense and enduring after taste.
The introduction was useful.
ringing ears
cicada call."
This collection is beautifully set, and is translated in a simple style, with straightforward choices of words, which makes for easy reading, but I have read other translated Basho collections that for whatever reason managed to leave a more intense and enduring after taste.
The introduction was useful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews