Haiku of Kobayashi Issa

1 haiku (#8724) out of 12480

1813

.長の日やびんづるどのと合歓の花
naga no hi ya binzuru dono to nemu no hana

a long day--
Holy Binzuru and blossoms
of Sleeping Tree

According to Kazuhiko Maruyama, Binzuru is a Buddhist saint, one of the 16 Enlightened Ones. Folk custom dictates that if one prayerfully rubs his image, he or she will recover from illness; Issa haiku shû (1990; rpt. 1993) 223, note 1169.

The nemunoki ("Sleeping Tree") derives its name from the fact that its small leaves close at night, as if sleeping; Kogo dai jiten (1983) 1284.

All translations © 1991-2023 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.

Issa

一茶