POEM
After the Gentle Poet Kobayashi Issa
New Year’s morning—
everything is in blossom!
I feel about average.
A huge frog and I
staring at each other,
neither of us moves.
This moth saw brightness
in a woman’s chamber—
burned to a crisp.
Asked how old he was
the boy in the new kimono
stretched out all five fingers.
Blossoms at night,
like people
moved by music
Napped half the day;
no one
punished me!
Fiftieth birthday:
From now on,
It’s all clear profit,
every sky.
Don’t worry, spiders,
I keep house
casually.
These sea slugs,
they just don’t seem
Japanese.
Hell:
Bright autumn moon;
pond snails crying
in the saucepan.
Robert Hass
“After the Gentle Poet Kobayashi Issa” from Field Guide.
Copyright © 1973 by Robert Hass.
costume museum @ the met
happy anniversary, issa and haiku guy
After the Gentle Poet Kobayashi Issa
New Year’s morning—everything is in blossom!
I feel about average.
A huge frog and I
staring at each other,
neither of us moves.
This moth saw brightnessin a woman’s chamber—
burned to a crisp.
Asked how old he was
the boy in the new kimono
stretched out all five fingers.
Blossoms at night,like people
moved by music
Napped half the day;
no one
punished me!
Fiftieth birthday:From now on,
It’s all clear profit,
every sky.
Don’t worry, spiders,
I keep house
casually.
These sea slugs,they just don’t seem
Japanese.
Hell:Bright autumn moon;
pond snails crying
in the saucepan.
Robert Hass
“After the Gentle Poet Kobayashi Issa” from Field Guide.
Copyright © 1973 by Robert Hass.
costume museum @ the met
happy anniversary, issa and haiku guy
Hi,
ReplyDeleteDo you know the name of the artwork of the Japanese man with the spider web behind his head?
The two top images of people are by Yoshitoshi, and the third one, on the bottom, is by Utamaro.
ReplyDelete