Haiku - Examples

Examples

The best-known Japanese haiku is Bashō's "old pond":

古池や蛙飛込む水の音

ふるいけやかわずとびこむみずのおと (transliterated into 17 hiragana)

furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto (transliterated into romaji)

This separates into on as:

fu-ru-i-ke ya (5)

ka-wa-zu to-bi-ko-mu (7)

mi-zu no o-to (5)

Translated:

old pond . . .

a frog leaps in

water’s sound

Another haiku by Bashō:

初しぐれ猿も小蓑をほしげ也

はつしぐれさるもこみのをほしげなり

hatsu shigure saru mo komino wo hoshige nari

This separates into on as:

ha-tsu shi-gu-re (5)

sa-ru mo ko-mi-no wo (7)

ho-shi-ge na-ri (5)

Translated:

the first cold shower

even the monkey seems to want

a little coat of straw

This haiku by Bashō illustrates that he was not always constrained to a 5-7-5 on pattern. It contains 18 on in the pattern 6-7-5 ("ō" or "おう" is treated as two on.)

富士の風や扇にのせて江戸土産

ふじのかぜやおうぎにのせてえどみやげ

fuji no kaze ya ōgi ni nosete Edo miyage

This separates into "on" as:

fu-ji no ka-ze ya (6)

o-o-gi ni no-se-te (7)

e-do mi-ya-ge (5)

Translated:

the wind of Mt. Fuji

I've brought on my fan!

a gift from Edo

This haiku by Issa illustrates that 17 Japanese on do not always equate to 17 English syllables ("nan" counts as two on and "nonda" as three.)

江戸の雨何石呑んだ時鳥

えどのあめなんごくのんだほとゝぎす

edo no ame nan goku nonda hototogisu

This separates into "on" as:

e-do no a-me (5)

na-n go-ku no-n-da (7)

ho-to-to-gi-su (5)

Translated:

how many gallons

of Edo's rain did you drink?

cuckoo