Haikus By Issa

Kobayashi Issa lived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and wrote over twenty thousand works of poetry in his lifetime. He is considered one of the four great haiku masters along with Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson and Masaoka Shiki all of whose work will appear in this blog.

Two of my favorite haikus by Issa are below.

長閑や鼠のなめる角田川

nodokasa ya nezumi no nameru sumida-gawa

spring peace--
a mouse licking up
Sumida River

and-

山風を踏こたへたりみそさざい

yama kaze wo fumi kotaetari misosazai

fighting the mountain wind
on foot...
a wren



Works Cited: "Haiku of Kabayshi Issa" Haiku Guy. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jun 2010