枯朶に烏のとまりけり秋の暮
on a withered branch
sits a crow
autumn nightfall
—Basho
(kareeda ni / karasu no tomari keri / aki no kure)
(Print by Kawanabe Kyosai, titled Crow on Branch)
This is perhaps Basho's second most famous haiku. Everyone in Japan learned this in school and knows it well, but perhaps some of you aren't familiar with it.
He wrote this in the autumn of 1680 and it is said to be the first poem of his mature style.
It's a wonderfully simple image. One can almost hear the crow as it settles on the branch, perhaps cawing into the empty night.
In the zen mode of thinking, he is hinting at the interdependence of all things.
By the way, can anyone help me in formatting these better? I would like to format the Japanese characters going up and down in 3 rows (right to left) on the right side of the translated English text. Is there an easy way to format it like this on Steemit? If you know, please let me know!
Don't miss the other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!
#1 - Traveling to the inn
#2 - Childless Woman
#3 - Old Dancing Butterfly
#4 - Seeing the Moon
#5 - Checking the Scarecrow
#6 - Skill of Insects
#7 - The Spider Lilies
#8 - A Thousand Green Mountains
#9 - Falling Lead Enlightenment
#10 - Lonely Night
#11 - Her Day Off
Thank you for reading. :)
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I post one photo everyday, as well as some misc posts such as haiku, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.