Haiku of Japan 91 – 100 :: Collection #10

Hey all. So here we are, the 10th collection of haiku, collecting translations #91–100. Enjoy!


  1. Still Laughing


    すつかり剥げて布袋は笑ひつゞけてゐる




    sukkari hagete Hotei wa waraitsuzukete iru
    —Santoka


    completely
    worn away
    Hotei still laughing







  2. Paper-rock-scissors


    じゃんけんで負けて蛍に生まれたの




    janken de makete hotaru ni umareta no
    —Sumiko Ikeda


    having lost
    at paper-rock-scissors
    born as a firefly







  3. Straight Hole


    真直な小便穴や門の雪




    massuguna shōben ana ya kado no yuki
    —Issa


    such a straight
    piss hole!
    in the snow by the door







  4. Dreams of Cherry Blossoms


    雪折やよし野ゝ夢のさめる時 蕪村




    yukiore ya Yoshino no yume no sameru toki
    —Buson


    from snow a branch snaps
    waking me from my dream
    of cherry blossoms







  5. Doll Faces


    雛の顔我是非なくも老にけり




    hina no kao ware zehi naku mo oi ni keri
    —Seifu


    the faces of the dolls
    i couldn't avoid
    growing old







  6. O Ye Sea Slug of Little Faith


    鬼もいや菩薩もいやとなまこ哉




    oni mo iya bosatsu mo iya to namako kana
    —Issa


    demons are no good
    buddhas too
    says a sea slug







  7. Harbinger of Warm Weather


    梅一輪いちりんほどの暖かさ




    ume ichirin ichirin hodo no atatakasa
    —Ransetsu


    one plum blossoms
    means one step closer
    to warmth







  8. Spring Flooding


    雪とけて村一ぱいの子ども哉




    yuki tokete mura ippai no kodomo kana
    —Issa


    snow melting
    the village overflows
    with children







  9. A Child's Hand


    じつと子の手を握る大きなわが手




    jitsuto ko no te wo nigiru ookina wagate
    —Hosai


    carefully holding
    a child's hand
    in my big hand







  10. Old Pond


    古池や蛙飛びこむ水の音




    furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
    —Basho


    an old pond...
    a frog leaps
    plop!








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.

Also note, 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. 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 always happy when a web site or book provides 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
  8. Collection 8, haiku 71–80
  9. Collection 9, haiku 81–90
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