53 haiku out of 9486
year unknown
.楠に汝も仕へしかがし哉
kusunoki ni nare mo tsukaeshi kagashi kana
protecting the camphor tree
too...
scarecrow
This is an early haiku written in the 1790s. Shinji Ogawa points out that there was a military general of the fourteenth century named Kusunoki ("camphor tree"). Is Issa suggesting that the scarecrow is a loyal retainer who "serves" (tsukaeshi) the lordly tree?
year unknown
.人はいさ直な案山子もなかりけり
hito wa isa suguna kagashi mo nakari keri
like people
an upright scarecrow
can't be found
Shinji Ogawa explains that the third word in this haiku, isa, is traditionally followed by shirazu ("not knowing"). He adds that the most famous example of the usage of isa is the tanka (#42) in Kokinwakashu compiled in the early tenth century:
hito wa isa
kokoro mo shirazu
furusato wa
hana zo mukashi no
kani nioi keru
I don't know about people's minds, but the flowers in my home village smell as they used to.
Shinji continues: "In Issa's haiku shirazu ("not knowing") is curtailed, but a negative phrase nakari keri makes the haiku grammatically sound. The haiku says, 'I don't know about the people, but an upright scarecrow can't be found.' Of course, the expression 'I don't know about the people' or 'not mentioning the people' is a euphemistic way to say 'like people'."
year unknown
.老の身やかがしの前も恥しき
oi no mi ya kagashi no mae mo hazukashiki
my old age--
even facing a scarecrow
ashamed
1792
.鎌倉や今はかがしの屋敷守
kamakura ya ima wa kagashi no yashiki mori
Kamakura--
these days scarecrows
are the gatekeepers
This is Issa's earliest haiku that we have on the subject of scarecrows. The "gatekeepers" (yashiki mori) might also be translated, "keepers of the mansions." Kamakura is one of Japan's ancient capitals, on Sagami Bay southwest of Tokyo.
Sakuo Nakamura notes that Issa left for his journey to Shikoku Island on the 25th day of Third Month, 1792. In a few days, he had reached Kamakura, where he saw the old mansion of Minamoto no Yotitomo, the first shogun. His haiku about scarcrow gatekeepers reflects on the long-past glory of the place.
1794
.すくも火やかがしの果も夕煙り
sukumo-bi ya kagashi no hate mo yû keburi
bonfire--
a scarecrow also ends up
in evening's smoke
I orginally translated sukumo-bi as "peat fire," but Shinji Ogawa thinks "bonfire" is better. Sukumo-bi, he writes, is a bonfire of withered weeds.
1803
.案山子にもうしろ向かれし栖哉
kagashi ni mo ushiro mukareshi sumika kana
even the scarecrow
turns his back to it...
my home
A bit of self-deprecating humor: Issa alludes, once more, to his trashy house.
1804
.淋さを鶴に及ぼすかがし哉
sabishisa wo tsuru ni oyo[bo]su kagashi kana
making the crane
feel lonely...
the scarecrow
Colleen Rain Austin notes: "As cranes are a significant symbol of joy and marital bliss in Japan, the scene is even more desolate; the crane and the scarecrow are a mismatched pair."
1804
.最う古いかがしはないか角田川
mô furui kagashi wa nai ka sumida-gawa
was there ever
an older looking scarecrow?
Sumida River
1805
.とうとうと紅葉吹つけるかがし哉
tôtô to momiji fuki-tsukeru kagashi kana
a rush of red leaves
blown against him...
scarecrow
1806
.かがし立て餅なき家はなかりけり
kagashi tatte mochi naki ie wa nakari keri
scarecrows standing--
a house without rice cakes
can't be found
1806
.松苗のうつくしくなるかがし哉
matsu nae no utsukushiku naru kagashi kana
the pine saplings
looking pretty...
a scarecrow
1806
.我方へ向てしぐるるかがし哉
waga hô e mukete shigururu kagashi kana
facing my way
in the cold rain...
a scarecrow
1808
.かがし暮かがし暮けり人の顔
kagashi kure kagashi kure keri hito no kao
scarecrows at dusk
darkening...
human faces
Shinji Ogawa offers this "wild guess" as to Issa's meaning: "While the evening dusk deepens, many things fade away and the faces of people who may be able to feel the same loneliness as Issa feels are barely seen."
I wonder if, in the failing light, Issa might be discerning human faces on the scarecrows?
1808
.大切に仕廻って置しかがし哉
taisetsu ni shimatte okishi kagashi kana
stored away
with reverence...
the scarecrow
1808
.人に人かがしにかがし日の暮るる
hito ni hito kagashi ni kagashi hi no kuru[ru]
for people
and for scarecrows
the day ends
1810
.立かがしそもそも御代の月夜也
tatsu kagashi somo-somo miyo no tsuki yo nari
a scarecrow stands--
now the age
of moonlit nights!
Issa hyperbolically calls the autumn season of moonlit nights an "age" (miyo).
1810
.笛吹て山のかがしの御礼哉
fue fuite yama [no] kagashi no orei kana
flute melody--
thanking the mountain
scarecrows
Shinji Ogawa comments, "The Japanese particle no functions in so many various ways that it makes in some cases the meaning of the sentence ambiguous. I prefer to read the haiku as: 'By playing the flute, we thank the mountain scarecrows'."
1811
.夕暮をそら合点のかがし哉
yûgure wo sora gatten no kagashi kana
not grasping
the autumn evening...
the scarecrow
The scarecrow is not "taking in," "understanding" or "grasping" (gatten) the autumn evening. Shinji Ogawa defines sora gaten as "empty understanding" or "not understanding." He comments, "An autumn evening fills us with deep emotion. Issa's concern is that the scarecrow may not fully understand the profundity of an autumn evening."
1813
.朝顔のちょいの咲たるかがし哉
asagao no choi no sakitaru kagashi kana
the morning-glories
bloom so briefly...
scarecrow
The editors of Issa zenshû believe that the phrase choi no could be read choi to (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79, 1. 510). Choi to can mean "quickly," "suddenly," "momentarily." Therefore, I would paraphrase this haiku: "The morning-glories bloom [just] for the moment...scarecrow." Issa's implication is that the scarecrow should enjoy the flowers (that are perhaps twined about and engulfing him) while he can.
Shinji Ogawa translates choi to here as "casually": "morning-glory/ has casually bloomed/ scarecrow."
1813
.庵の畠かがし納もなかりけり
io no hata kagashi osame mo nakari keri
field by my hut--
no thank-you offering
for the scarecrow
Literally, Issa doesn't identify the hut or scarecrow as his, but this seems to be the implication.
Shinji Ogawa explains that kagashi osame "is a ceremony to show appreciation for the scarecrow's efforts by offering some food and sake on the Tenth Day of Tenth Month of the lunar calendar." This ceremony, he adds, was "observed especially in Issa's province of Shinano, present-day Nagano Prefecture."
1813
.むら雨に水洟たるるかがし哉
murasame ni mizubana taruru kagashi kana
in the rain shower
with a runny nose...
scarecrow
1813
.秋のてふかがしの袖にすがりけり
aki no chô kagashi no sode ni sugari keri
autumn butterfly
on the scarecrow's sleeve
clinging
Issa is not merely a "child's poet." Many of his haiku are not suitable for children, and many parents might include this one in that group. An autumn butterfly is a soon-to-be dead butterfly. Yet this one clings to life, as it physically clings to the sleeve of a scarecrow. But is there hope in the scene? The scarecrow, an image of a man, is actually nothing but lifeless clothes, sticks and straw. It offers no hope or real consolation to the butterfly that clings to it. This is one of Issa's darkest portraits of life's autumn.
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
1813
.水仙や隙とも見へぬ古かがし
suisen ya hima tomo mienu furu kagashi
daffodils--
the old scarecrow
seems busy
More literally, the old scarecrow doesn't seem to have any spare time. Is he, in Issa's imagination, busy guarding or just watching the blooming daffodils?
1814
.ぬっぽりと月見顔なるかがし哉
nuppori to tsukimi kao naru kagashi kana
that gentle
moon-gazing face...
a scarecrow
Nuppori describes a facial expression that is otonashi, "gentle"; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1273.
1814
.うかと来て我をかがしの替哉
uka to kite ore wo kagashi no kawari kana
absent-minded
I'm the scarecrow's
replacement
Shinji Ogawa paraphrases, "absent-minded.../ mistook me for/ a scarecrow."
1814
.立かがし三つ四つ五つ六つかしや
tatsu kagashi mi[tsu] yo[tsu] itsu[tsu] mu[tsu] kashiya
scarecrows standing--
three, four, five, six
houses for rent
Shinji Ogawa notes that Issa is punning in the third phrase, mutsu kashiya, which has three meanings: (1) six as they are, (2) six houses for rent, and (3) difficult indeed.
1814
.立田山紅葉御覧のかがし哉
tachida yama momiji goran no kagashi kana
inspecting the red leaves
of Mount Tachida...
a scarecrow
1814
.どこもどこも若いかがしはなかりけり
doko mo doko mo wakai kagashi wa nakari keri
nowhere, nowhere
can a young scarecrow
be found
1814
.とぶ蝶を憐み給へ立かがし
tobu chô wo awaremi tamae tatsu kagashi
taking pity
on the flitting butterfly...
a scarecrow
The scarecrow lends its arm or head for the weary butterfly to rest on. Because of the verb form of tamau ("deign to") this haiku can be read as a command: "Oh take pity on the flitting butterfly, scarecrow!"
1814
.夕鐘に野べ賑しくかがし哉
yû-gane ni nobe nigiwashiku kagashi kana
at evening's bell
the fields are crowded...
with scarecrows!
1816
.名月にけろりと立しかがし哉
meigetsu ni kerori to tatashi kagashi kana
in harvest moonlight
keeping his cool...
scarecrow
Kerori to means "appearing to show no concern or interest"; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 574. Georgia Kornbluth suggested the phrase, "keeping his cool."
1816
.名月や山のかがしの袂から
meigetsu ya yama no kagashi no tamoto kara
harvest moon
on the mountain scarecrow's
sleeve
1816
.天下泰平と立たるかがし哉
tenka taihei to tachitaru kagashi kana
standing in a world
of tranquility...
the scarecrow
Note the wonderful alliteration of tenka taihei to tachitaru. The word tenka literally means "[world] below heaven." In written form it is an ancient construction that goes back to Chinese classical poetry; for example, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. This haiku has an unusual enjambment of the first and middle phrases.
1816
.蜻蛉の寝所したるかがし哉
tombô no ne-dokoro shitaru kagashi kana
the dragonfly
settles to sleep...
on the scarecrow
1816
.昼飯をぶらさげて居るかがし哉
hiru meshi wo burasagete iru kagashi kana
the farmer's lunch
dangles...
on the scarecrow
The owner of the lunch is not identified in the original. Perhaps it is a farmer working in the field. Or, perhaps, it is Issa, in which case the first line could read: "my lunch."
1817
.出来立や山のかがしもめづらしき
dekitate ya yama no kagashi mo mezurashiki
newly made
the mountain scarecrow
is a wonder
1818
.ふいと立おれをかがしの替哉
fui to tatsu ore wo kagashi no kawari kana
staggering
I'm the scarecrow's
replacement
Shinji Ogawa paraphrases, "Standing aimlessly, I was regarded as a replacement for a scarecrow." Fui-fui is an old expression that denotes (1) a movement like shaking in a light wind, and (2) staggering or wavering without settling down; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1425. I picture Issa drunk, standing totteringly--no good for anything other than filling in for a scarecrow.
This haiku is a rewrite of the following, written in 1814:
uka to kite ore wo kagashi no kawari kana
absent-minded
I'm the scarecrow's
replacement
1818
.蜻蛉の休み所のかがし哉
tombô no yasumi-dokoro no kagashi kana
the dragonflies'
resort spot...
the scarecrow
Or: "the dragonfly's..."
In a similar haiku written in 1816, the scarecrow is the dragonfly's "sleeping place" (ne-dokoro):
tombô no ne-dokoro shitaru kagashi kana
the dragonfly
settles to sleep...
on the scarecrow
1818
.夕ぐれやかがしと我と只二人
yûgure ya kagashi to ware to tada futari
evening falls--
me and a scarecrow
just us two
1819
.乳呑子の風よけに立かがし哉
chinomi-go no kazeyoke ni ni tatsu kagashi kana
a wind-break
for the nursing child...
scarecrow
1819
.きりぎりすかがしの腹で鳴にけり
kirigirisu kagashi no hara de naki ni keri
a katydid
in the scarecrow's gut
singing
A katydid (kirigirisu) is a green or light brown insect, a cousin of crickets and grasshoppers. The males possess special organs on the wings with which they produce shrill calls. Although katydid is the closest English equivalent, many translators (such as R. H. Blyth) use the more familiar "grasshopper" and "cricket." See Haiku (Tokyo: Hokuseido, 1949-1952; rpt. 1981-1982/reset paperback edition) 4.1068-69.
1821
.芥火にかがしもつひのけぶり哉
akutabi ni kagashi mo tsui no keburi kana
burning rubbish--
a scarecrow too
goes up in smoke
1821
.風形に杖を月夜のかがし哉
kazanari ni tsue wo tsuki yo no kagashi kana
wind-bent in moonlight
the scarecrow leans
on a cane
1821
.去年から立道しなるかがし哉
kyonen kara tachidôshi naru kagashi kana
since last year
still standing...
scarecrow
I first translated this:
since last year
the last one standing...
scarecrow
However, Issa doesn't overfly specify that the scarecrow is the only one left standing. Shinji Ogawa notes that Issa states that a particular scarecrow, simply, "keeps standing." I have revised accordingly.
I wonder if Issa sees himself in this scarecrow: battered but, after another year, still standing?
1821
.国土安穏とのん気にかがし哉
kokudo annon to nonki ni kagashi kana
across the land
calm and happy-go-lucky...
scarecrows
This haiku has an unusual 8-4-5 pattern of on (sound units): kokudo annon to/ nonki ni/ kagashi kana.
1821
.子供らに開眼されしかがし哉
kodomora ni kaigen sareshi kagashi kana
children perform
the "opening of eyes"...
for the scarecrow
This haiku alludes to a religious ceremony involving a sacred image. The children, when they give the scarecrow its eyes, humorously parody this ritual.
1821
.里犬のさっととがめるかがし哉
sato inu no satto togameru kagashi kana
the village dog
suddenly disapproves...
the scarecrow
1821
.爺おやや仕舞かがしに礼を云
jiji oya ya shimau kagashi ni rei wo iu
packing away the scarecrow
grandpa says
his respects
1821
.名所の月見てくらすかがし哉
nadokoro no tsuki mite kurasu kagashi kana
in a fine spot
for moon gazing...
scarecrow
1821
.我よりは若しかがしの影法師
ware yori wa wakashi kagashi no kagebôshi
looking younger than me
the scarecrow casts
his shadow
A musical haiku, with the shi sound repeated three times.
1822
.小衾やつづらの中に寝る僧都
o-fusama ya tsuzura no naka ni neru sôzu
tucked in a little quilt
in vines, asleep...
scarecrow
1825
.寺山やかがし立ても犬ほゆる
tera yama ya kagashi tatte mo inu hoyuru
temple mountain--
the dog also barks
at a scarecrow
1827
.降る雪を払ふ気もなきかがし哉
furu yuki wo harau ki mo naki kagashi kana
he's also in no mood
to sweep the snow...
scarecrow
Written in his last year, this comic poem reveals a lifelong theme found throughout Issa's writings: portraying himself as a lazy idler. The "too" (mo) suggests that he, Issa, is the unmentioned person who's also not in the mood to sweep the snow. He's no more likely than the scarecrow to do it.
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next