Haiku: Late Tokugawa Period

The rains have abated here in this island. I am currently writing this post with the night enveloping me, that being so I will start off with Haiku that captures the night.


 Night that ends so soon:                          Mijika yo ya
 in the shallows still remains                     asase ni nokoru
 one sliver of the moon.                            tsuki ippen.
 –Yosa Buson (1716-1784)

Traditional Edo Period scene. Woodcut. Source:
http://www.imagekind.com/Edo-Period-Japanese-Scene-art?IMID=69a960f6-10cd-46a6-9351-8d9f3e57382b

 The grove in spring:                                   Haru no mori
 the birds that catch the birds– they too        tori toru tori mo
 are slumbering.                                           neburi kana.
 –Takakuwa Ranko (1726-1798)



And now to end with a different theme.


Get out of my road                                  Soko noite
and allow me to plant these                     take uesase yo
bamboos, Mr. Toad.                                hikigaeru.
–Miura Chora (1729-1780)

Plum Blossoms in Midnight, Mishima Shoso.
Source:
http://mokuhankan.com/conversations/archives/prints/

*From the Anthology of Japanese Literature compiled and edited by Donald Keene.