Haiku

One Hundred Famous

HAIKU

Translated by

Daniel C. Buchanan

Asagao ni

Tsurube toratete

Morai mizu.

-Chiyojo

The morning-glory

Has captured my well-bucket.

I will beg water.

This is a poem written by the first woman to be recognized by the Japanese as a legitimate Haiku poet. I don’t know the qualifications for this distinguished acknowledgement but I do get a glimpse of reality in her lines as I read the translation and Buchanan’s commentary. He writes: It (the Haiku) illustrates the Japanese love for blossoms and nature in general. Rather than break the flower entwining the well-sweep bucket, the peasant girl goes to a neighbor for the needed water.

A Haiku leaves explanations to the reader just as appreciation of a painting or sculpture evokes a contemplative experience in us. It almost seems profane to ascribe any meaning to it because to do so is akin to explaining a dream. However, something Buchanan wrote illuminated a vivid picture of this poem for me.

The appreciation for beauty becomes more profound as I progress spiritually. Seeing a flower or a pebble on the beach the way it is with patterns in the sand washed into ripples and forms around, it can’t be plucked or disturbed to be taken home. Just the same; friends, family, spouses and lovers are not mine to horde but are to be appreciated for the beauty of the relationship we have with each other. These relationships always change and that is the quality that lasts. I twist, contort and warp them when I try to keep them for myself.

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