Matsuo Bashō
failed samurai, thoughtful servant, haiku master
Biography
A monk sips morning tea
it's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering.
Originally written in Japanese the english translations rarely follow the 5-7-5 format of the hakui. Many of Matsuo's poems are of his surroundings. He may have seen these things one morning of his journey. The poem implies a peaceful morning in the spring.
Don't imitate me
it's as boring
as the two halves of a melon.
Matsuo may be referring to his followers in this poem. He doesn't want them to copy him. If they did it would just be more of the same. Which is boring. Matsuo wants his followers to be unique, if they want to do something they should be different and not the other half of the melon.
Frog Poem
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.
Frog Poem is one of the most famous haikus ever written. There are hundreds of translations. I chose one written by Robert Hoss who has translated many haikus by Matsuo. The poem may represent the tranquility and stillness of nature broken by a simple action.
Basho Death Poem
Sick on my journey,
only my dreams will wander
these desolate moors
While Basho had not written a formal death poem his last haiku is considered as such. The poem describes how he got sick and foreshadows the end of his journey. Shortly after he wrote this haiku Matsuo became bedridden and died after that.