Basho Revisited, young leaves

Also published and shared on: Carpe Diem

In the Spring of 1688, when he was 43, Basho was still interested in youngsters. He himself became older and felt that his youth was over. In his haiku we can read the strong longing for his youth, but no one can turn back to his or her youth. Of course when an elderly man or woman becomes demented they go back to their childhood. Everyone knows that.
Basho also knew that, but his longing to go back to his youth was still strong.
As an adult I to think back to my childhood. I have had a wonderful youth, but ... to go back ... I don't think so.
As a haiku poet one can go back to that feeling of youth. It's easy, because I write a haiku of Spring and I am back in my youth. Spring is, in my opinion, synonymous with youth. Nature comes alive, trees began flowering again and than ... all those wonderful blooming cherry trees and plum trees giving me a sense of youth. I enjoy Spring as the season where in I can go back, by feeling of course, to my youth.
Basho also did this. He has written a lot of Spring haiku, the next ... also is a Spring haiku.

wakaba shite    om me no shizuku    nuguwa baya

young leaves
I would like to wipe away
tears in your eyes

Credits: Young leaves with dew

In this one 'the longing for youth' is essential. In the first two sentences it's clearly that he was longing for his youth. He thinks of the good times of his youth and got tears in his eyes.
On the other hand ... this haiku implicates his love for youngsters, especially boys (as we already know, Basho was homosexual). He sees the young boys, who are sad and have tears in their eyes. He would like to comfort them and wipe their tears away with his love and make them laugh again.
It's so touchy to see this haiku and picture it in front of your eyes. I think this is an emotional scene which he composed in this haiku. It's a sin I think, to write another haiku by myself in the same sense as Basho's, but I will give it a try.

such sadness
to see tears on young leaves
the bright sunlight

Well ... I did it ...:)

In this particular haiku tears are synonym with dew drops as you can see on the picture above.

Sincerely,

Basho Revisited, tears of a cuckoo

Also shared and published for: Carpe Diem, seize the day a daily haiku meme

In this haiku of Basho which he wrote in the Summer of 1666, when he was 21 years of age, the 'hototogisu', a bird looking very similar with our cuckoo, is named for the first time in one of his haiku. At that time he wrote in a style that aimed at an elegant, humorous allusions to classical court literature, wordplay and wit, the style which belonged to the prestigious Teimon school of haiku. Writing haiku was just for entertainment for Basho at that time.

iwa tsutsuji   semuru namida ya    hototogishu

rock azaleas

have they been dyed by the red

tears of the cuckoo?

In the original Japanese haiku we see that in the third sentence Basho wrote 'hototogishu' in stead of 'hototogisu'. This technique was called 'kasuri' by changing 'hototogisu' into 'hototogishu' he refers to the cliche idea that when one cried for a long time the tears became blood. Source: Jane Reichhold

I love this haiku very much. In this I can see the young haiku master blooming. Can I write a haiku in the same Spirit?

I started writing haiku around the same age as Basho is in the above haiku. I am now 48, so I write haiku for, let's say, 25 years and I do love writing haiku as much as Basho did. Haiku is not only a poem, but (in my opinion) also a life style. So writing haiku is part of my life. Just like it was for Basho. I am breathing haiku.

Let me give it a try to write a new haiku in the same sense and tone as that of Basho.

such sadness
crying for a long time -
red roses blooming

Is this in the Spirit of Basho? I don't think so. It's more like ... Chevrefeuille :) What do you think? Let me know.

Until next time, than another haiku by Basho and one in his Spirit written by myself.

Sincerely,