1807
.島々も仏法ありて燕哉
shima-jima mo buppô arite tsubame kana
even on the little islands
Buddha's law...
swallows
The image in this haiku is simple: green, piney islands jut up from the blue sea; swallows fly overhead. But what makes the verse especially interesting, and mysterious, is Issa's comment that "Buddha's law" (buppô) is in effect here, too. Buddha's law encompasses many things; in fact, it encompasses all things, for it is the law of the universe. Buddha's law might also be construed to mean, in this context, Buddhism. Is Issa suggesting that he sees a temple or image of the Buddha on one of the islands? Does he hear someone on one of the islands chanting the nembutsu prayer? Or does he see in the quick flight of the swallows an emblem of Buddha's law of transience: that nothing lasts, that everything fades to nothing? Johnette Downing writes, "I interpret it to mean that according to Buddha, no matter how big or small, all things are equal."
All translations © 1991-2010 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.