[An ancient pond!]
translated from the Japanese by William George Aston
An ancient pond!
With a sound from the water
Of the frog as it plunges in.
From A History of Japanese Literature (William Heinemann, 1899). This poem is in the public domain.
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Three Haiku
translated from the Japanese by Kimiko Hahn
[In the next room an anchor reports on border crossings]
this and that - drifts to mind - must be the sakura
[In the next room an anchor reports on increased bombing]
along this road - on which no one sets out - autumn’s foot fall
2026
[The cry of the cicada]
translated from the Japanese by William George Aston
The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.
1899
[I come weary,]
translated from the Japanese by William George Aston
I come weary,
In search of an inn—
Ah! These wisteria flowers!
1899