year unknown
.ひよいひよいと藪にかけるや余り注連
hiyo[i] hiyo[i] to yabu ni kakeru ya amari shime
here and there
hanging in the thicket...
New Year's ropes
This haiku is similar to one written in 1819 that begins, "two or three/ hang in the thicket�" (futa[tsu] mi[tsu] yabu ni kakeru ya). Shime refers to ceremonial ropes with tufts of straw. Here, they are being used as New Year's decorations. The "excess" (amari) are hung in the thicket.
All translations © 1991-2010 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.