【Update 2024-11-04: This is an outdated version of this article. For a more up to date version, please see: https://laspina.org/horse-poop 】
夕暮や馬糞の手をも菊でふく
yūgure ya ma-guso no te wo mo kiku de fuku
this evening
wiping horse poop from my hand
using a chrysanthemum
—Issa
(trans. David LaSpina)
(Print by Yoshijiro Urushibara)
Leave it to Issa to give us an image like this. It's more of a slice of life haiku, with none of the allusion most of the haiku I post have. So what you see is what you get.
Having said that, if you want to really try to read something into it, he could be making some comment on the imperial house (whose crest is a chrysanthemum). I don't think that's the case here. It wouldn't fit his MO. But I could be wrong. What do you think?
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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon. |