Haiku

by Matsuo Bashō, Lucien Stryk (Translation)

By combining the ideals of karumi - lightness of touch - and oneness with nature, Bashō (1644-94) rose above the artificiality of previous haiku poets to become the master of the genre in his time. His exquisite compositions reflect the influence of Zen Buddhism and a life spent travelling, and reveal him to be an inspired perfectionist who sought to express himself in the purest possible form. These translations by Lucien Stryk are drawn from On Love and Barley, published in Penguin Classics.

Genres: Poetry, Japan, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature

64 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Known 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_...

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

古池
蛙飛び込む
水の音

*

furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto

*

Old pond
leap-splash—
a frog.

The translation I quoted above of the most famous haiku of all time belongs to Lucien Stryk. The ageless pond, the frog and the sound of water. Since there's nothing new to say about Bashō 's delightful poetry, I wonder. How many times can you play with different words to convey the same idea?


Old pond — frogs jumped in — sound of water.
Lafcadio Hearn


A lonely pond in age-old stillness sleeps . . .
Apart, unstirred by sound or motion . . . till
Suddenly into it a lithe frog leaps.
Curtis Hidden Page


Into the ancient pond
A frog jumps
Water’s sound!
Translated by D.T. Suzuki


The old pond;
A frog jumps in —
The sound of the water.
R.H. Blyth


An old pond —
The sound
Of a diving frog.
Kenneth Rexroth


Pond, there, still and old!
A frog has jumped from the shore.
The splash can be heard.
Eli Siegel


Old pond
and a frog-jump-in
water-sound
Harold G. Henderson


The old pond, yes, and
A frog-jumping-in-the-
Water’s noise!
G.S. Fraser


The ancient pond
A frog leaps in
The sound of the water.
Donald Keene


old pond
frog leaping
splash
Cid Corman


The old pond,
A frog jumps in:
Plop!
Alan Watts


Breaking the silence
Of an ancient pond,
A frog jumped into water —
A deep resonance.
Nobuyuki Yuasa


The quiet pond
A frog leaps in,
The sound of the water.
Edward Seidensticker


The old pond —
A frog leaps in,
And a splash.
Makoto Ueda


old pond
a frog in-leaping
water-note
Cana Maeda


The old pond
A frog jumped in,
Kerplunk!
Allen Ginsberg


The old pond is still
a frog leaps right into it
splashing the water
Earl Miner & Hiroko Odagiri


old pond . . .
a frog leaps in
water’s sound
William J. Higginson


Old dark sleepy pool
quick unexpected frog
goes plop! Watersplash.
Peter Beilenson


Listen! a frog
Jumping into the stillness
Of an ancient pond!
Dorothy Britton


The old pond;
A frog jumps in —
The sound of the water.
Robert Aitken


The old pond —
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.
Robert Hass


At the ancient pond
a frog plunges into
the sound of water
Sam Hamill


Ancient silent pond
Then a frog jumped right in
Watersound: kerplunk
John S. Major


old pond
a frog leaps in —
a moment after, silence
Ross Figgins


ancient is the pond —
suddenly a frog leaps — now!
the water echoes
Tim Chilcott


pond
frog
plop!
James Kirkup


old pond
a frog jumps into
the sound of water
Jane Reichhold


There once was a curious frog
Who sat by a pond on a log
And, to see what resulted,
In the pond catapulted
With a water-noise heard round the bog.
Alfred H. Marks


Within aging pond
frogs jumping vibrate the calm
water’s resonance
Sarah Isbell


Any favorites?

March 2, 19
* Later on my blog.
** Credit: Translations from here.
Ohara Koson (1926). Frog and Tadpoles with Lotus

[Majenta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique! Quelle belle trouvaille! (What a lovely find)

[Daren]

Haiku - poetry nevertheless, and for me poetry was murdered in high school with that painful analysis we were forced to undertake (usually just before I was sent from class). I have never enjoyed poetry, but I thought I might at least be able to find one to chuck into a review to justify my (admittedly very brief) time spent here.
Honestly, I targetted reading three of these Penguin 60 Classics this year, and this being 31 December I am out to meet whatever targets I could. To be honest, I have reached the point with the P60s that I have read those which hold any real appeal, so this one was going to occupy me for less than half an hour, it seemed a deal.

Sorry, I can't really say I am overly taken with any. Some are awful, some nonsensical, so I have selected a couple which I can best categorise as harmless!

Summer grasses,
all that remains
of soldier's dreams.

South valley-
wind brings
a scent of snow.

In defense of this book, I have elected not to rate it!

[Demeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pred Vianocami haiku. #trebacitat, toto je klasika.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pas seulement une magnifique collection de haikus, mais aussi une superbe édition. L’intégrale des poèmes de Basho sous trois formes : les idéogrammes Japonais, l’écriture phonologique du Japonais et la traduction française. J’aime beaucoup les haikus, le côté contemplatif, la lenteur, le côté paisible aussi. Un livre qu’on lit par petit bout, qu’un ouvre au hasard de temps à autre pour savourer cette œuvre. J’ai adoré!

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms

Not a big fan of Haiku, nonetheless I gave this collection a try.
I've got to say that, it was a good compagnon in tonight's windy weather. With the right music, appreciation of little things was evoked, and that alone was really something.

[Book of Sand · Rating 5 out of 5]

დღეს ჰაიკუებზე გავიგე ოდნავ უფრო მეტი, ვიდრე ვიცოდი 😌 მომეწონა, რომ წიგნს წინასიტყვაობა ჰქონდა ჰაიკუების განმარტებით, ისტორითაა და პოეტების ბიოგრაფიით. ცალკე, უდიდესი პლუსი დიზაინისთვის - ამ წიგნის გადაშლა უდიდესი სიამოვნება იყო.

[Will Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentle Thunderous Precision

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems moved me and put a smile on my face. They reflect my love for and connection with nature. The poems are about the things I was more aware of as a kid and would like to notice more again. I really enjoyed it! I found it interesting after finishing the book to discover the spirituality, ideas and commitement the writer had while writing this.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing like a little Haiku to clear the mind. I prefer the likes of Chuang Tzu and Li Po, but there's so much energy, passion and humor in Basho.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cute little 3 line 17 syllable (supposed to be anyway) pieces of poetry. amazing what you can portray in 3 lines. favourite one is the one about the chinese philosopher and the butterfly.

[Emily Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lil poems that highlight the beauty in the everyday!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing creativity can flow from artificial restrictions.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such fragrance--
from where,
which tree?

[Manaswita R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another haiku?
Yet more cherry blossoms-
Not my face

[George Gonzaga Deoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Haiku Made in Lieu of a Review


I just found myself
smiling--a page followed by
another deep breath.

[Beronymph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moparuli wignis kvalobaze 4/5. Ra poeturia haikuebis moparva 🥷🏻

[Oliver Mayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

How thoughtful,
Bashō has a way with words,
That I do not understand

[Knižný (Valéria Scholtzová) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tak som to prečítala. A som veľmi hrdá, že sa niekto na Slovensku do toho pustil. Najviac sa mi páčili vysvetlivky na konci a doslov prekladateľov. Dozvedela som sa veľa o samotných básňach, ich vývoji, ale aj o histórii Japonska a niektorých tradíciách. Čítala som však eknihu, a tak sa mi tam tie básne kadejako zobrazovali (nie vždy 3 riadky na jednej obrazovke). Odporúčam siahnuť po tlačenej verzii.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bashō never had
to do this shit. I stay same -
no new songs to play.

Bashō never wrote
a haiku about Costco.
It’s purgatory.

Nevermind it is
fucking hell. Ah, the checkout -
soon $1.99 bliss.

Bloated, monstrous -
there is no use fitting in
old jeans or this world.

[Sudhir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really tiny—just 4x5 inches, 60 pages , 60 haikus. This is not for someone who isn't familiar with Bashō or his works. The cover has a stunning Shibata Zeshin woodblock which is a wonderful visual that sets the expectation.

[victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and beautiful, just like a haiku.

[Lily Tice Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Fl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certains poèmes sont des chefs-d'oeuvre, la traduction est très lourde et les notes semblent surtout condescendantes.

[Marie PIERRE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vouloir créer des haïkus et remettre sans cesse sur le métier les mots alignés...

[Jo Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful haiku.

[anbrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

C’est sublime, apaisant. Véritablement le livre qui m’a fait plonger dans les haïkus.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Spider, are you
crying － or
the autumn wind?”

- -

“Dying cricket －
how full of
life, hissing.”

[Natjinqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

prekrasne, ciste a jemne