Haiku of Japan 71–80 :: Collection #8

They say time flies. Well, the time between these collection posts certainly does. It seems like I just posted collection #7 a day or two ago. Now here we are, ready for the 8th collection in this haiku adventure!

Are you ready? Let's go!


  1. Born Lucky


    鳥のうちの鷹に生まれし汝かな




    tori no uchi no taka ni umareshi nanji kana
    —Hashimoto Keiji


    among all birds
    you had the fortune
    to be born a hawk







  2. Late New Year's


    昼頃に元日になる庵かな




    hiru-goro ni ganjitsu ni naru iori kana
    —Issa


    close to noon
    new years day starts
    at my hermitage







  3. New Year's Cleaning


    極月や箱階段の薄埃




    gokugetsu ya hako kaidan no usubokori
    —Keiji Ishida


    end of the year
    on the step-chest
    a thin layer of dust







  4. Dreams of Turtles


    はつ夢や正しく去年の放し亀




    hatsuyume ya masashiku kozo no hanashi-game
    —Gonsui


    first dream
    it was last year's
    freed turtle







  5. An Early Spring


    春や来し年や行きけん小晦日




    haru ya koshi toshi ya yukiken kotsugomori
    —Basho


    is spring here?
    is the year over already?
    second-to-last-day







  6. Fan After Bath


    湯上りを暫く冬の扇かな




    yuagari o shibaraku fuyu no ougi kana
    —Meisetsu


    after a bath
    i fan myself
    folding fan in winter







  7. How High is the Snow?


    いくたびも雪の深さを尋ねけり




    iku tabi mo yuki no fukasa wo tazunekeri
    —Shiki


    repeatedly I ask
    how high
    is the snow







  8. Lover Cat


    寝て起て大欠して猫の恋




    nete okite oakubi shite neko no koi
    —Issa


    sleeping then waking
    then a big yawn
    the cat goes out in search of love







  9. Sunset Desire


    一杯やりたい夕焼空




    ippai yaritai yūyake-zora
    —Santoka


    a drink now
    would taste so good
    sunset sky







  10. Secret Dream


    初夢や秘めて語らず一人笑む




    hatsuyume ya himete katarazu hitori emu
    —Shōu


    first dream...
    I keep it secret
    and smile to myself








And there we go. Hope you enjoyed. Remember, you can click on the title of each haiku to go to the original post on that haiku where I give some commentary on the poem and perhaps some insight.

All of these were translated by me. Feel free to use any of these translations anywhere you want, but if you do, please credit me (or the proper translator). I ask that not so much because of my ego, but as a haiku reader myself I always want to know who did the translation so I can find more from them if I like it, so I'm happy when I can easily find that info.

Needless to say, if you enjoyed any of these, follow me for more. I try to post one a day. Sometimes I miss a day if work or family gets in the way, but I do try to keep up.






If you liked these, there are more! Here are the other collections in the Haiku of Japan series.

  1. Collection 1, haiku 1–10
  2. Collection 2, haiku 11–20
  3. Collection 3, haiku 21–30
  4. Collection 4, haiku 31–40
  5. Collection 5, haiku 41–50
  6. Collection 6, haiku 51–60
  7. Collection 7, haiku 61–70
If you enjoyed this post, please like and resteem. Also be sure to follow me to see more from Japan everyday.

I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, 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.

Who is David?
Hi thereDavid LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.
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