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A Few Flies and I: Haiku
Ninety-five haiku written over two hundred years ago by the Japanese poet Issa.
96 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 1970
2 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Kobayashi Issa
118 books261 followersKobayashi Issa was a Japanese poet known for his haiku poems and journals. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson and Shiki. Reflecting the popularity and interest in Issa as man and poet, Japanese books on Issa outnumber those on Buson, and almost equal those on Bashō.
Although better known by his pen name Issa, he was born Kobayashi Yataro in 1763 on a farm in central Japan.
Although better known by his pen name Issa, he was born Kobayashi Yataro in 1763 on a farm in central Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 27, 2019
No human being, past the thoughtless age of boyhood, will wantonly murder any creature which holds its life by the same tenure that he does.
— Henry David Thoreau
An apposite introduction to this collection by Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson and Shiki. His verse displays a simplicity hardly achievable without sounding artificial; as if written by a child who is always laying his ingenuous eyes on nature. Far from tradition, he doesn't focus his attention on the graceful creatures frequently chosen by most poets, but on the marginalized living things no one would want in their homes. Snails, frogs, fleas, mosquitoes, a few flies.
A mosquito bit me
Under the cherry tree,
And I spoke ill
Even of the blossoms.
*
For you fleas too,
The night must be long,
It must be so lonely.
*
We are forever talking
About snowmen
And yet they last
No more than a day.
*
The snail
Goes to bed and gets up
Just as he is.
Feb 28 19
* Later on my blog
** Sumi-e via Pinterest
April 24, 2018
Note: If you’re reading this on the app, I realized that the line spacing of the haiku that I included is very off. Ignore, or read them on the full site!!
My grandfather introduced me to true haiku when I was in my teens. I was surprised that they're not all 5-7-5. Remember writing haiku in elementary school? But I've now read Issa and Basho and even Richard Wright via Haiku: The Last Poetry of Richard Wright. I enjoy these poems that convey so much in so few words. My only complaint about this book is that it's too short! I love the haiku it contains, and the simple line drawings that accompany each haiku or two are perfect accompaniments.
Some favorites:
In the dawn of day, The cool breeze We are forever talking
The color of the sky Takes up its abode About snowmen
Has a "change of clothes." Even in a single blade of grass. And yet they last
No more than a day.
Just being here, On the porch
I am here, Of an old
And the snow falls Mountain temple--
A deer crying.
At the flower-vase,
The butterfly too seems to be listening
To the One Great Thing.
I love Issa's appreciation and valuing of nature. He writes about fleas, flies, mosquitoes, and frogs along with people. He connects people to nature in intricate ways, emphasizing our connection without making it obvious or pedantic. It's clear through his poetry, as the introduction of my addition explains, that Issa was a very humble man of humble means and that he did not take advantage of or take for granted the world around him. He loved nature, and he loved life, and he found company in the flowers as well as with the sparrows. His poems put images in my mind (like the deer at the temple) through evocation and precise word choice. It's amazing how I can picture exactly what he conveys even though there are so few words.
I highly recommend this book, but more than that, I recommend a fuller collection of Issa's work, so you can really appreciate his world view and the care he took to give glimpses of meaning through his words.
My grandfather introduced me to true haiku when I was in my teens. I was surprised that they're not all 5-7-5. Remember writing haiku in elementary school? But I've now read Issa and Basho and even Richard Wright via Haiku: The Last Poetry of Richard Wright. I enjoy these poems that convey so much in so few words. My only complaint about this book is that it's too short! I love the haiku it contains, and the simple line drawings that accompany each haiku or two are perfect accompaniments.
Some favorites:
In the dawn of day, The cool breeze We are forever talking
The color of the sky Takes up its abode About snowmen
Has a "change of clothes." Even in a single blade of grass. And yet they last
No more than a day.
Just being here, On the porch
I am here, Of an old
And the snow falls Mountain temple--
A deer crying.
At the flower-vase,
The butterfly too seems to be listening
To the One Great Thing.
I love Issa's appreciation and valuing of nature. He writes about fleas, flies, mosquitoes, and frogs along with people. He connects people to nature in intricate ways, emphasizing our connection without making it obvious or pedantic. It's clear through his poetry, as the introduction of my addition explains, that Issa was a very humble man of humble means and that he did not take advantage of or take for granted the world around him. He loved nature, and he loved life, and he found company in the flowers as well as with the sparrows. His poems put images in my mind (like the deer at the temple) through evocation and precise word choice. It's amazing how I can picture exactly what he conveys even though there are so few words.
I highly recommend this book, but more than that, I recommend a fuller collection of Issa's work, so you can really appreciate his world view and the care he took to give glimpses of meaning through his words.
November 11, 2009
Favorite lines:
1. "In the dawn of day, / The colour of the sky / Has a change of clothes."
2. "Even among insects, in this world, / Some are good at singing, / Some bad."
3. "A single mat / Beneath a pine tree / Makes a summer mansion."
4. "The Buddha smiles / And points his finger / At a stink worm."
5. "I punished my child / By tying him to a tree, / Knowing a gentle breeze / Would come and cool him off."
6. "Don't kill! / The fly is asking you / To save his life / By rubbing his hands together."
1. "In the dawn of day, / The colour of the sky / Has a change of clothes."
2. "Even among insects, in this world, / Some are good at singing, / Some bad."
3. "A single mat / Beneath a pine tree / Makes a summer mansion."
4. "The Buddha smiles / And points his finger / At a stink worm."
5. "I punished my child / By tying him to a tree, / Knowing a gentle breeze / Would come and cool him off."
6. "Don't kill! / The fly is asking you / To save his life / By rubbing his hands together."
August 18, 2022
Here are a few samples:
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitos.
Whose is it then,
My children,
This red, red moon?
A few flies
And I
Keep house together
In this humble home.
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitos.
Whose is it then,
My children,
This red, red moon?
A few flies
And I
Keep house together
In this humble home.
August 2, 2011
This is minimalist's minimalistic work. A short book of Haiku, it's subject matter includes the smallest creatures: sparrows, a wren, fleas, and even mosquitoes and earthworms. Read this when you are sick of the "big things" in life, the budget deficit for example.
March 26, 2011
Although I find Basho more appealing than Issa, I really enjoyed this slim volume - a great collection of haiku. What really stood out for me however were the illustrations by Ronni Solbert (each haiku was illustrated & those I give 5 stars).
Here were two of my favorite haiku from the collection (pgs 74-75)
We human beings,
Squirming about among
The flowers that bloom.
***
Even among insects, in this world,
Some are good at singing,
Some bad.
Here were two of my favorite haiku from the collection (pgs 74-75)
We human beings,
Squirming about among
The flowers that bloom.
***
Even among insects, in this world,
Some are good at singing,
Some bad.
July 29, 2007
Playfully funny almost child-like haiku, all focused on nature and animals. Really lovely poetry from one of the masters.
January 7, 2026
Even these days Issa sounds like a modern poet. His haikus are warm, sensitive and, most importantly, don't lack irony.
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitoes.
***
I punished my child
By tying him to a tree,
Knowing a gentle breeze
Would come and cool him off.
***
If you are tender to them
The young sparrows
Will poop on you.
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitoes.
***
I punished my child
By tying him to a tree,
Knowing a gentle breeze
Would come and cool him off.
***
If you are tender to them
The young sparrows
Will poop on you.
June 18, 2016
"Insects on a bough
Floating down the river
Still singing."
"I cleaned
My garden
To give welcome
To my bird."
"A mosquito bit me
Under the cherry tree,
And I spoke ill
Even of the blossoms."
Floating down the river
Still singing."
"I cleaned
My garden
To give welcome
To my bird."
"A mosquito bit me
Under the cherry tree,
And I spoke ill
Even of the blossoms."
July 31, 2025
A little something to take the edge off before I get The Malevolent Tooth out of my head. Favorites below.
A single mat
Beneath
A pine tree
Makes a summer mansion.
People are few;
A leaf falls here,
Falls there.
We human beings,
Squirming about among
The flowers that bloom.
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitoes.
The autumn moon:
Poked away in a corner.
My thatched cottage.
A single mat
Beneath
A pine tree
Makes a summer mansion.
People are few;
A leaf falls here,
Falls there.
We human beings,
Squirming about among
The flowers that bloom.
All the while
I pray to Buddha
I keep on killing
Mosquitoes.
The autumn moon:
Poked away in a corner.
My thatched cottage.
October 2, 2020
Jean Merrill's introduction is written in simplistic language and was maybe intended for a young audience, but I did like the idea of haiku being a "one-breath poem." That it only has as many syllables that can be spoken in one breath.
Each page has one or two poems and a single illustration. The poems are arranged in such a way that two poems on the same page are often of the same subject and feel in conversation with each other. Ronni Solbert's washed ink drawings are small and charming and complement the haiku nicely, with insects, animals, and tiny human figures in the distance.
Nobuyuki Yuasa's translations have four lines instead of three, and I can't say I'm a fan. R.H. Blyth feels like the industry standard, and I'd like to read his books but they're hard to find. Because of the line break issue, I preferred Blyth's translations to Yuasa's. Here are three of my favorites:
A charming book. In its 95 selected haiku, Issa's love of insects—and other small creatures like snails and frogs—is heavily represented, but there's a good selection of his other poetry too.
Each page has one or two poems and a single illustration. The poems are arranged in such a way that two poems on the same page are often of the same subject and feel in conversation with each other. Ronni Solbert's washed ink drawings are small and charming and complement the haiku nicely, with insects, animals, and tiny human figures in the distance.
Nobuyuki Yuasa's translations have four lines instead of three, and I can't say I'm a fan. R.H. Blyth feels like the industry standard, and I'd like to read his books but they're hard to find. Because of the line break issue, I preferred Blyth's translations to Yuasa's. Here are three of my favorites:
The snail
Goes to bed and gets up
Just as he is.
The cool breeze
Takes up its abode
Even in a single blade of grass.
Under the cherry-blossoms,
None are
Utter strangers.
A charming book. In its 95 selected haiku, Issa's love of insects—and other small creatures like snails and frogs—is heavily represented, but there's a good selection of his other poetry too.
March 11, 2009
Haiku by one of the first true masters. Issa was a humble man with an incredible gift for capturing the true essence of haiku in his haiku.
December 31, 2013
The syllabic feature of haiku is so prevalent in my mind -- years of elementary school drilling. This translation discards that in favor of brevity and sense. Hard to adjust.
May 1, 2016
Issa's haiku are extremely serene, sometimes impressionistic, sometimes overly sentimental. A relaxing read.
February 2, 2020
I really liked this; quite a respite from my usual reading tastes.
March 20, 2010
Haiku reminds me of taking pictures.
February 18, 2022
A must-read for anyone who believes in the causes of animal and human rights or is interested in the eastern philosophies and symbolism/imagery consistent with and supportive to advocating those agendas. If you are a parent and desire to introduce your young ones to the reasoning driving and informing concepts underlying initiatives like economic and social justice, veganism, and demilitarization, this makes for a fine introduction and foundational brick to build upon.
A magnificent collection selected artfully to exemplify through numerous delightful examples the haijin’s most famous obsession, Issa’s customary talent and predilection for focusing on things tiny, describing insects, animals, and children, celebrating their quirks and nuances, urging their eternal stewardship and respectful treatment, accepting with a very Budhhist/Zen stoicism or even the occasional cheeky smirk and wisecrack their obligatory imperfections and challenges. The patient aplomb, unbridled tolerance, and deeply moral respect and decency the works within demonstrate, both for the smallest animal and the lowest fledgling human, make this book among the most significant treatises out there for promoting causes of animal and human rights (and the next generation’s protection and stewardship) and instilling values conducive to their championing in the most constructive and delightful ways.
As if that were not an exciting enough proposition in and of itself, the book pairs the one or two haiku on each page with the most handsome penciled or ink washed imagery approximating the dry brush nature scenes which so often accompanied haiku traditionally and concretely translating the subjects into the most endearing visual images which lend additional power and immediacy to imparting their messages to the viewer in the most clear and cogent manner possible.
A candy box rife with wondrous pleasures, each piece packed with righteous meaning and didactic potential theory which will warm your heart and fortify your mind.
A magnificent collection selected artfully to exemplify through numerous delightful examples the haijin’s most famous obsession, Issa’s customary talent and predilection for focusing on things tiny, describing insects, animals, and children, celebrating their quirks and nuances, urging their eternal stewardship and respectful treatment, accepting with a very Budhhist/Zen stoicism or even the occasional cheeky smirk and wisecrack their obligatory imperfections and challenges. The patient aplomb, unbridled tolerance, and deeply moral respect and decency the works within demonstrate, both for the smallest animal and the lowest fledgling human, make this book among the most significant treatises out there for promoting causes of animal and human rights (and the next generation’s protection and stewardship) and instilling values conducive to their championing in the most constructive and delightful ways.
As if that were not an exciting enough proposition in and of itself, the book pairs the one or two haiku on each page with the most handsome penciled or ink washed imagery approximating the dry brush nature scenes which so often accompanied haiku traditionally and concretely translating the subjects into the most endearing visual images which lend additional power and immediacy to imparting their messages to the viewer in the most clear and cogent manner possible.
A candy box rife with wondrous pleasures, each piece packed with righteous meaning and didactic potential theory which will warm your heart and fortify your mind.
May 5, 2019
Haiku are amazing - they can say so much in so few words. This translated collection is paired with perfect drawings.
April 18, 2020
There was no one quite like Issa, and Blythe caught his voice best in translation.
May 15, 2021
Funny and cheerful haiku. I enjoyed it very much. It can be read in one sitting.
July 22, 2022
Perhaps too short, redundant & for children, but some great poems & little drawings throughout.
January 14, 2023
Haikus to collected to appeal to children. Dainty illustrations accompany these light-hearted poems.
April 22, 2024
I love the idea of a collection of poetry centering on quiet, oft-unnoticed moments. In fact, many of the moments Issa chose to write about are the exact things poetry is made for:
Don't kill!...
The fly is asking you
To save his life
By rubbing his hands together.
This seemed, at its core, to be what Issa was all about: honoring every creature both big and small. The translator comments that "Issa wrote 54 Haiku on the snail, 15 on the toad, nearly 200 on frogs, about 230 on the firefly, more than 150 on flies, over 100 on fleas, nearly 90 on the cicada, and about 70 on other insects, a total of about a thousand verses on such creatures."
When he stuck to this extremely zoomed in poetic lens, the haiku were great. When he zoomed out again, I thought they were ok.
A few standouts:
Insects on a bough
Floating down the river
Still singing
The snail
Goes to bed and gets up
Just as he is
Grasshopper!
Be the keeper of the graveyard
When I die
Don't kill!...
The fly is asking you
To save his life
By rubbing his hands together.
This seemed, at its core, to be what Issa was all about: honoring every creature both big and small. The translator comments that "Issa wrote 54 Haiku on the snail, 15 on the toad, nearly 200 on frogs, about 230 on the firefly, more than 150 on flies, over 100 on fleas, nearly 90 on the cicada, and about 70 on other insects, a total of about a thousand verses on such creatures."
When he stuck to this extremely zoomed in poetic lens, the haiku were great. When he zoomed out again, I thought they were ok.
A few standouts:
Insects on a bough
Floating down the river
Still singing
The snail
Goes to bed and gets up
Just as he is
Grasshopper!
Be the keeper of the graveyard
When I die
May 31, 2018
This book is meant for children though it's also meant for everyone. There's an introduction, however, which has a very specific and narrow audience, which is fine.
The haiku themselves are great. Almost all of them dealing with insects or animals. It's an interesting selection from Issa.
The haiku themselves are great. Almost all of them dealing with insects or animals. It's an interesting selection from Issa.
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