Basho, Robert Aitken and Haiku 1

Today I am beginning a short series of posts featuring my reading of Aitken’s book on Basho* which I love – yes, all three of them. That means quotes from Robert Aitken and from Basho maybe interspersed with thoughts of my own as they pop up upon reading and re-reading.

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At the beginning of chapter 13, Aitken presents and reflects on Basho’s haiku, as he translates from the Japanese:

At the same inn

play women too were sleeping

bush clover and the moon

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don’t judge: that puts you in prison

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Q: what is the significance of play women and Basho?

A: bush cover and the moon

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The moon shines fully

only once a month:

don’t miss that chance!

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*Robert Aitken, A Zen Wave, Washington DC, 1978

~ by Barbara S on April 23, 2022.