July 10, 2014
Autumn Frost from blogsite
.
Kristjaan writes:
Today I love to share a, not so well known, haiku by (my master) Matsuo Basho
in which we can read and see how ancient Japanese honored their parents.
As they did honor their parents we see nowadays
more dis-honor for parents or likewise parents for their kids.
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te ni tora ba kie n namida zo atsuki aki no shimo
.
if taken into my hand
melting in the heat of tears
autumn frost
melting in the heat of tears
autumn frost
.
© Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
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As was common in those times this haiku had a preface:‘
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‘At the beginning of September I came back home.
I was already long since my mother had died.
The grass in front of mother’s room had withered in the frost.
Everything had changed.
The hair of my brother and sisters
(Basho had a brother, an elder sister and three younger sisters)
was white and they had wrinkles between their eyebrows.
We could only say, ‘we are fortunate to be still alive’.
Nothing more.
My elder brother opened an amulet case and said reverently to me,
‘Look, at mother’s white hair.
You have came back after such a long time.
So this is like the Tamate Box of Urashima Taro.
Your eyebrows have become white’.
We wept for a while and then I composed this verse.
.
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yes I do sometimes write a preface to my haiku as was common in Basho’s time):
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Chèvrefeuille preface
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This verse of Basho touches me deep, because it brings painful memories. My Grandparents are all gone and also my elder brother died. As I look into the mirror my hair is starting to become grey. When my brother was still alive he surely would be grey, because he was several years older.
life passes –
in the early sunlight
the ripe melts
frost on the branches
melts in the early sunlight
life passes
© Chèvrefeuille (2012)
my hair turned grey
as if it was the frost
on bare branches
a pebble
thrown into the old pond
in an eye blink it’s gone
© Chèvrefeuille (2012)
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1 Comment
siggiofmaine 