餘命いくばくかある夜短し
yomei ikubaku ka aru yo mijikashi
my life...
how much is left?
the night is short
—Shiki
(Tr. David LaSpina)
(Print by Hasui Kawase)
Reading this, you might think it's yet another haiku on the impermanence of life. Those haiku poets were obsessed with this topic, eh? In this case, not entirely.
Shiki was a atheist and disliked the Buddhist influence in haiku up until that point. In fact, he very much disliked Basho, which even today is a bold and somewhat shocking thing to say in the haiku world. So no, Shiki is not making some reference to Buddhist ideals on transience of life. Instead he is reflecting on his own life. See, Shiki suffered from tuberculosis from an early age. He started coughing up blood from the disease when he was around 20. He fought bravely, but it would claim his life when he was 35. Only 35. Amazing that he is considered one of the 4 greats of the haiku world. At any rate, knowing his background, we can see that this is actually a highly personal haiku.
Don't miss other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!
#1–10 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #1
#11–20 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #2
#21–30 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #3
#31 — Am I a Butterfly or a Man?
#32 — Hidden Grey Hair
#33 — Sleeping Butterfly
#34 — Never To Grow Old
#35 — From Dog to Cat
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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.
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |