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In 1694, at the age of forty-nine, a remarkable

Japanese poet died. Before his death, Matsuo

Kinsaku , better known as “Basho,” wrote this final

poem:

Fallen sick on a journey

my dream goes wandering

over a field of dried grass

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Basho’s last poem, like much of his work, was a

haiku—a traditional Japanese poetic form. Most

haiku share certain characteristics. First, they are

short: only three lines long. Second, they describe a

profound moment in a few simple, yet vivid words.

Third, they mention nature in some way. Haiku are

often associated with the changing of the seasons.

Basho was one of the greatest masters of

haiku.

He wrote over 1,000 of these small, surprising

poems. His haiku reflect his life experiences. 167

Basho’s life began in 1644 in Ueno, a small town in

Iga Province. After the death of his father in 1656,

Basho left home and became a servant. His master

was Todo Yoshitada, a wealthy young man. Todo

and Basho quickly discovered that they both loved

writing poetry. They became close companions. One

of their favorite poetic subjects was an old cherry

blossom tree in Todo’s garden. Basho wrote many

haiku about it, such as this one, from 1664:

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The old-lady cherry

is blossoming—in her old age

an event to remember

Until 1666, Basho enjoyed a simple life devoted to

work and poetry. Then Todo suddenly died. Basho

lost his job and his best friend. Filled with sadness,

he traveled to the capital of Edo (modern-day Tokyo)

to start a new life.

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There, he studied and wrote poetry. His poetry began

to attract attention. Soon, Basho had his own school

and many students. His life was comfortable again.

Inside, however, Basho felt empty. Although his

friends liked the many shops and crowded streets of

Edo, Basho could not get used to city life. He wanted

a change. Looking for inspiration, he moved to a

small, simple house outside of Edo in the winter of

1680.

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168

In front of this simple house, he planted a banana

tree, called a basho in Japanese. It became the

subject of many haiku.

Because the poet loved his banana tree so much,

his friends began calling him Basho. Then one cold

winter day, a fire burned down his little house. For the

third time in his life, Basho was without a home.

Feeling lost and without purpose, Basho set out to

travel through the countryside of Japan.

He planned to visit the twelve provinces between Edo

and Kyoto, Japan’s second largest city. Now forty

years old, Basho knew the trip would be difficult and

dangerous. He expected to die from illness or to be

killed by violent criminals. But he traveled safely.

Basho began to enjoy his long journey. He met many

people and made new friends. As he traveled, the

topics of his haiku began to shift. He focused less on

his feelings and more on nature.

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While on the road, Basho wrote some of his best

haiku.

For the rest of his life, Basho traveled the Japanese

countryside. He never stayed put for long. His travels

took him east to the Pacific coast. He climbed the

mountains of Honshu in the north. He traveled west

to the inland sea. His last journey was south to the

city of Osaka, where he wrote his final poem. During

his travels, he wrote many great books of poetry.

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Today, Basho’s haiku inspire writers and readers

from countries all over the world and enhance their

appreciation for the natural world. His simple yet

captivating poems help people see their lives and the

things around them in a new way.

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168

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1. How many haiku did Basho write?

2. Where was Basho born?

3. When did Basho start working?

4. Why did he leave his job?

5. What was the city of Tokyo called during Basho’s

lifetime?

over 1,000

in Ueno

in 1656

His master died.

Edo

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6. What does basho mean in Japanese?

7. How did Basho get his name?

8. How many times did Basho find himself without a home?

9. How many provinces are there between Edo and Kyoto?

10. In which city did Basho write his final poem?

banana tree

He loved bananas so much that his friendsstarted calling him “Basho “.

times

12

Osaka

169

The great Japanese poet, Matsuo Kinsaku, better

known as “Basho,” was born in 1644 in the large city

of Ueno, Japan. When Basho was 12 years old, his

father died, so he left home to study. He worked for a

poor young man named Todo for ten years. Basho

and Todo both loved to write poetry,

small

wealthy

work

but they were not close friends. When Todo died after

a long illness, Basho lost his job and his home. Basho then went to the capital city of Edo to work.

His poems attracted attention, and he started to

attend school. Basho was happy in Edo, but his

friends were not, so he moved to the countryside.

short

and

start a new life

teach not

^

169

169

There he lived in a large house and planted a banana

tree. He wrote many haiku about the tree, so his

friends started to call him Basho, which means

blossom.

One day, the house burned down, and for the

second time in his life, Basho had nowhere to live.

small

anana tree

third

He then decided to travel to all twelve of the

Japanese cities between Edo and Kyoto. He then

decided to travel to all twelve of the Japanese cities

between Edo and Kyoto. For years, he traveled

around Japan and wrote novels. He died when he

was 40 years old in the city of Osaka.

169

provinces

haiku

49

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170

Back to page 246

If you are interested in writing haiku, take a look at

this famous example by Basho:

The old pond

a frog jumps in

sound of water

—Basho (translated by Robert Hass)

Notice how simple and direct the poem is. Other

poets might go on and on about frogs singing,

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but Basho just describes the splash of a frog hitting

the water. The poem clearly mentions nature. It also

contrasts something—the quiet of the pond with the

noise of the frog. Finally, it has a feeling of sabi, a

Japanese word meaning something like “peaceful

sadness.” Basho’s haiku creates a picture in your

mind. You can easily imagine sitting alone by the

pond, engulfed in the sounds of nature.

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Haiku can be a lot of fun to write. In this simple,

short poetic form, you can describe your

environment, explain how you feel about something,

or present a funny situation. To write your own haiku,

just follow these steps.

STEP 1: First, decide what you want to write about.

Traditional haiku focus on nature, but they can be

about anything. It is best if you have first hand

experience with the subject of your haiku. 170

A lot of modern haiku discuss city life, work, or school. Take a look at these examples: Still in a meeting

boss talks, nightfall approaches—dreams of the weekend

—Sandra Duque

English class is heremy favorite time of day;chance for a nice nap

—David Clayton

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You might want to write about something you love,

something you hate, the things that thrill you or make

you anxious, or anything else that you are thinking

about.

STEP 2: Decide on the form of your haiku. In

Japanese, a haiku must have exactly seventeen on,

or segments, of sound. To write haiku in English,

many writers count each syllable as one segment of

sound. The first line has five syllables. 171

The second line has seven syllables, and the third

line has five. Count the syllables in the next example.

Summer has arrived

see children running outside—

fresh smell of cut grass

—Jessica Andrea

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STEP 3: The next step is the most challenging for

many writers. You must include some kind of shift or

contrast in your haiku. Look at the example haiku

above. The haiku that begins Still in a meeting

contrasts work with dreams of the weekend. English

class contrasts something serious, a class, with a

funny idea—taking a nap in school.

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Summer has arrived contrasts something that you

see (children running) with something that you smell

(fresh cut grass). The contrast doesn’t have to be big,

but it needs to be there. Some writers use special

punctuation, such as a dash (—) or semicolon (;) to

show the contrast in their poem.

STEP 4: Include a season word, if possible. This

word tells the reader what time of year it is in your

poem171

For example, if the haiku mentions “cherry

blossoms,” the reader knows it’s spring. If the haiku

mentions snow, the reader pictures winter.

Depending on the topic you choose, you may want to

eliminate this step.

STEP 5: Practice, practice, practice! The more haiku

you write, the better you will get at it. It also helps to

read a lot of haiku.

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Submerge yourself in haiku. Be sure to read a variety

of types—traditional, contemporary, serious, sad,

funny, and so on.

STEP 6: Have fun with it! Don’t worry if it is difficult at

first. Just keep at it. With enough time and practice,

you’ll soon be able to write your own great haiku.

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Go to Page 246

_____ 1. They are usually about nature.

_____ 2. They are about everyday life.

_____ 3. There is some reference to the time of year.

_____ 4. They can be long or short.

_____ 5. They have three lines and 17 sound

segments.

_____ 6. They include a shift or contrast of some

kind.

_____ 7. They have a feeling of peaceful sadness. 172

T

T

T

T

T

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Back to Exercise A

_____ 1. They are usually about nature.

_____ 2. They are about everyday life.

_____ 3. There is some reference to the time of year.

_____ 4. They can be long or short.

_____ 5. They have three lines and 17 sound

segments.

_____ 6. They include a shift or contrast of some

kind.

_____ 7. They have a feeling of peaceful sadness.

C

C

C

C

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First, decide what you want to write about.

decide on the form of your haiku.Second,

include some sort of shift or contrast.Third,

include a season word if you want to.Fourth,

practice.Fifth,

Finally, have fun.

Answer may very slightly.

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Go to page 246

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Back to Practice D