14 haiku out of 9486
year unknown
.ΠΖθgβΌΦoΔςς
hitori mi ya ryôgoku e dete kusuri kuu
my life alone--
all the way to Ryogoku Bridge
for medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word.
Ryôgoku Bridge is the oldest of the major bridges crossing the Sumida River in Edo (today's Tokyo). It links the provinces of Shimosa and Musashi, hence its name, which means, "Both Provinces." Evidently, one could purchase winter medicine there.
This undated haiku resembles one that Issa wrote in 1822:
hitori mi ya kusuri kuu ni mo miyako made
my life alone--
just to take medicine
a trip to Kyoto
1809
.ςΫήnΰ θ―θHΜJ
kusuri nomu uma mo ari keri aki no ame
the horse drinks
medicine too...
autumn rain
1816
.ε]ΛβόlάΆΰςς
ôedo ya tada shi go mon mo kusuri-gui
great Edo--
four or five pennies
for medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. Is its cost too high or two low? Is Issa praising Edo (today's Tokyo) for having cheap medicine, or is he complaining that the medicine costs too much? In other words, is his tone praiseful or ironic?
1816
.ςς©ηnιβ Ξκς
kusuri kuu kara hajimaru ya abare kuu
after taking medicine
it begins...
the eating binge
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. In Issa's Japanese the verb "eat" (kuu) appears twice in the haiku: "eating medicine" followed by "eating binge." This play on words is lost in the English translation.
1816
.ΌΜtπYΔκ΅ςς
matsu no ha wo soete okurareshi kusuri kuu
after eating pine needles
a chaser
of medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. Some pine needles indeed have nutritional benefits. Chinese Taoists ate them in an attempt to derive a bit of the pine tree's supposed immortality, a practice that carried over into Japan.
1817
.Ξ³ηζΜVΰΞΦςς
basara-e no yûjo mo warae kusuri kuu
painted fan's prostitute
laugh at me too!
taking medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. Issa doesn't include the phrase, "at me," but he implies it. Why else does he tell the prostitute to laugh? I think he's making fun of himself, and inviting the woman painted on the fan to join in.
1817
.~αΝΊΜς©¬ιηΉ
furu yuki wa koe no kusuri ka sayo chidori
is the falling snow
medicine for your voices
plovers?
Perhaps Issa notices the plovers singing more, now that the snow is falling, leading him to ask this silly question.
1821
. ΒΰΜπΰΜΖΰΉΚζςς
atsumono wo monotomosenu yo kusuri kuu
having no faith
in broth...
taking medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. Issa takes medicine "in spite of" or "making no account of (monotomosenu) the broth.
1822
.―Σ©ηΝςΧ΅神}
kyô kara wa kusuri kikubeshi kami mukae
from today on
may my medicine work!
welcoming the gods
This is Issa's first haiku of Tenth Month, 1822. According to Shinto belief, in Tenth Month all of Japan's gods vacate their shrines to congregate at the Izumo-Taisha Shrine. The phrase, kami mukae, Shinji Ogawa explains, means "welcoming the gods who are returning home." Now that the local gods are returning, Issa feels confident that his medicine will cure him.
1822
.ΦΜι½ΰς©ΛΚηςΘη
ja no sushi mo kuwa-kanenu nari kusuri nara
even snake sushi
is given a try...
winter medicine
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word. As this haiku indicates, some unusual things were tried.
1822
.ΞρΙLΰΐΤβςς
shôban ni neko mo narabu ya kusuri kuu
even the cat
lines up for his share...
taking medicine
Or: "her share." "Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word.
1822
.ΠΖθgβςςΙΰs
hitori mi ya kusuri kuu ni mo miyako made
my life alone--
just to take medicine
a trip to Kyoto
"Medicine" (kusuri) is a winter season word.
The "capital" (miyako) was Kyoto in Issa's day. This is where the emperor and his court lived. Political and military power was centered in the Shogun's city of Edo, today's Tokyo.
In a similar, undated haiku, Issa writes:
hitori mi ya ryôgoku e dete kusuri kuu
my life alone--
all the way to Ryogoku Bridge
for medicine
1824
.RlΝςΖ’ΣβΓ²ζέ
yamaudo wa kusuri to iu ya furu-goyomi
the mountain hermit
calls it medicine...
last year's calendar
Or: "last year's almanac. It seems that the hermit intends to eat the paper for medicinal purposes. Roughage?
1824
.ͺXβ°θςΜιΦ`
yoi-yoi ya nemuri-gusuri no fukuto-jiru
every evening
my sleep medicine...
pufferfish soup
Pufferfish soup (fukuto-jiru) is a winter season word. Evidently, it is a soporific.