1 haiku (#7950) out of 13210
1818
.水桶の尻干す日也羽蟻とぶ
mizu oke no shiri hosu hi ari ha-ari tobu
upside-down
the bucket's drying day...
winged ants flying
Literally, the bucket is a "water bucket" (mizu oke). Because in other haiku he mentions how winged ants (ha ari) are bad luck to his hut and its pillar, Issa is referring to a wood-chewing carpenter ant that swarms when it breeds in the summer.
All translations © 1991-2024 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.
