Cold night: the wild duck
Cold night: the wild duck,
sick, falls from the sky
and sleeps awhile.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
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Awake at night
Awake at night--
the sound of the water jar
cracking in the cold.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
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Washing the hoe
Washing the hoe--
ripples on the water;
far off, wild ducks.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Yosa Buson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Summer night
Summer night--
even the stars
are whispering to each other.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Blossoms at night
Blossoms at night,
and the faces of people
moved by music.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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A cool fall night
At a hermitage:
A cool fall night--
getting dinner, we peeled
eggplants, cucumbers.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
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My Baby Sleeps
The wind is loud in the west to-night,
But Baby sleeps;
The wild wind blows with all its might,
But Baby sleeps;
My Baby sleeps, and he does not hear
The noise of the storm in the pine trees near.
The snow is drifting high to-night,
But Baby sleeps;
The bitter world is cold and white,
But Baby sleeps;
My Baby sleeps, so fast, so fast,
That he does not heed the wintry blast.
The cold snows drift, and the wild winds rave,
But Baby sleeps;
And a white cross stands by his little grave,
While Baby sleeps;
And the storm is loud in the rocking pine,
But its moan is not so deep as mine.
poem by George A. Mackenzie
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That wren
That wren--
looking here, looking there.
You lose something?
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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A bee
A bee
staggers out
of the peony.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
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These sea slugs
These sea slugs,
they just don't seem
Japanese.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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Even with insects
Even with insects--
some can sing,
some can't.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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First day of spring
First day of spring--
I keep thinking about
the end of autumn.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
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Hey, sparrow!
Hey, sparrow!
out of the way,
Horse is coming.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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Napped half the day
Napped half the day;
no one
punished me!
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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My arm for a pillow
My arm for a pillow,
I really like myself
under the hazy moon.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Yosa Buson
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How much
How much
are you enjying yourself,
tiger moth?
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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They end their flight
They end their flight
one by one---
crows at dusk.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Yosa Buson
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Seen
Seen
through a telescope:
ten cents worth of fog.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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Visiting the graves
Visiting the graves,
the old dog
leads the way.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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The toad! It looks like
The toad! It looks like
it could belch
a cloud.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Kobayashi Issa
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How admirable
How admirable!
to see lightning and not think
life is fleeting.
Translated by Robert Hass
poem by Matsuo Basho
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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