Basho Haiku Poems

Basho Haiku Poems


     Baho Matsuo (1644-1694)  is one of the first and greatest poet in the history of Haiku. In 1860, he wrote poems about jokes when he was just starting. Eventually, he began to attach the viral role of thought in this field. The thoughts of Tchouang-tseu, philosopher in the 4th century B.C are one of his greatest influence. Experts noticed that he often quotes some of  Tchouang-tseu's works in his haiku. 


     Most of his haiku works are dramatic, intense humor, sadness and confusion. A paradoxical nature surrounds his dramatic words. This is also the same with his works under humor and despair. Here are some examples of Basho's works.

Basho Haiku Poems

Summer grasses 
All that remains
Of warriors dreams


How ethereal 
The sunlight
Through young leaves


Autumn chill
no other travelers
brave this road


Fallen sick on a journey,
In dreams I run wildly
Over a withered moor.
-Matsuo Basho


No blossoms and no moon,
and he is drinking sake
all alone!


Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!


In the cicada's cry
No sign can foretell
How soon it must die.
-Matsuo Basho


Won't you come and see
loneliness? Just one leaf
from the kiri tree.


No one travels
Along this way but I,
This autumn evening.


In all the rains of May
there is one thing not hidden -
the bridge at Seta Bay.


The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.
-Matsuo Basho


An old pond!
A frog jumps in-
The sound of water.


The years first day
thoughts and loneliness;
the autumn dusk is here.


Harvest moon:
around the pond I wander
and the night is gone.


Poverty's child -
he starts to grind the rice,
and gazes at the moon.
-Matsuo Basho


Clouds appear
and bring to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon.


butterflies flit
in a field of sunlight
that is all


June clouds,
At ease on
Arashiyama Peak.


Flower 
under harvest sun - stranger
To bird, butterfly.


Three months after we saw
Cherry blossoms together
I came to see the glorious
Twin trunks of the pine.


the moon still is
though it seems far from home
Suma in summer


Searching storehouse eaves,  
rapt in plum blossom smells,  
the mosquito hums


At the ancient pond  
a frog plunges into  
the sound of water 


Wet with morning dew  
and splotched with mud, the melon  
looks especially cool


in the blossoms’ shade
as in the noh drama
a traveller sleeps


Cedar umbrellas, off  
to Mount Yoshimo for  
the cherry blossoms.


From all these trees –  
in salads, soups, everywhere –  
cherry blossoms fall 

Basho Haiku Poems

The wind from Mt. Fuji
I put it on the fan.
Here, the souvenir from Edo


Sleep on horseback,
The far moon in a continuing dream,
Steam of roasting tea.


Spring departs.
Birds cry
Fishes' eyes are filled with tears


Summer zashiki
Make move and enter
The mountain and the garden.

What luck!
The southern valley
Make snow fragrant.

A autumn wind
More white
Than the rocks in the rocky mountain.

From all directions
Winds bring petals of cherry
Into the grebe lake.

Even a wild boar
With all other things
Blew in this storm.

The crescent lights
The misty ground.
Buckwheat flowers.

Bush clover in blossom waves
Without spilling
A drop of dew.

Basho Haiku Poems