Yosa Buson on Bashô Haisei.

# 1


A Meeting at Bashô's Hut:

Someone tills the field
one single unmoving cloud
will not pass on.


Translation: 白狐

[YB96 - Spring haiku:]
hatake utsu ya
ugokanu kumo mo
nakunarinu.

"field -- (someone) - tills
not-moving -- cloud -- one-single
passes - on/away - not."

# 2


On the Day Bashô's Hut was restored (1776):

Writing poetry on a woodblock
here souls unfurl like banana leaves
at Bashô's Hut.


Translation: 白狐

[YB328 - Summer haiku:]
ji-moku-hai-chou
koko-ni tama maku
bashou-an.

"ji = handwriting -- moku = woodblock
-- hai = poetry -- chou = writing
here -- souls -- unfurl (like banana leaves)
Bashô (= "banana-tree") - hut."

# 3


On showing Bashô:

By writing something
on the back of a banana leaf
I show you Bashô.


Translation: 白狐

[YB620: Autumn haiku:]
mono kaku ni
ha-ura ni mezuru
Bashou ka na.

"something -- write -- by
leaf - back -- on -- I - show
Bashô -- (funny huh ?)."

[NB: mezuru = me + suru = "eye-do" > miseru = to show !!]

# 4


As I prepare for Travel with My Straw Hat and Sandals:

Since Bashô left us
no year since then as yet
has done us a favour.


Translation: 白狐

[YB868: Winter haiku:]
Bashou sarite
sono nochi imada
toshi kurezu.

"Bashô -- leaving
that(adj.) -- after/later -- as-yet
year -- do-a-favour-nót."
[> "nó year do a favour"]

Source: "Collected Haiku of Yosa Buson",
translated by W.S. Merwin & Takako Lento,


. . . but in my opinion it leaves a lot to be desired !!
Japanese only in Romaji, so some haikus I couldn't be sure about,
yet the translations of the four haikus above I can be fairly sure about !!

one X-tra


Variation on YB178 [I need the Kanji to translate precisely.]

From the back of my knapsack
cherry blossoms are falling
like Niagara Falls.


Translation: 白狐

hana chiru ya
omotaki oï no
ushiro yori.

"blossoms -- fall -- (--)
omoï = heavy, main, chief, important, momentous
taki = waterfall, cascade
>> omota[k]i = omoï so: "omotaki oï" = "heavy knapsack"
oï no = 1. of old age, old; 2. of nephew; 3. of knapsack.
ushiro = back, rear, behind
yori = from."
>> "from (my) back where (my) knapsack is".
>> ". . . heavy knapsack is."

Cherry blossoms fall
from my back where
my heavy knapsack is.


The right version is bit boring though !!