Hyohakusha

Why so scrawny, cat?
starving for fat fish
or mice . . .
Or backyard love?

Basho wrote that, or at least he wrote the original Japanese from which this translation came.

I read it just this morning in the recently-released “Basho: The Complete Haiku” -- been enjoying a leisurely stroll through its pages these last couple of weeks. I’m also waiting the arrival of Basho’s “The Narrow Road to Oku,” his travelogue, which from what I've read of it before sounds intriguingly blog-like. Always seeking perfection, he constantly revised his words there, as do I the words on this blog -- though I realize perfection remains walled-away from my own efforts, protected from completion in the mythically-remote realm of possibility.

Thinking about these short sparks of multiple meanings -- wondering if it is better to have only one precise thought behind the words, or if the world is a much wilder exciting place if the words and their order can bring us constant new possibilities with every re-thinking -- can cause too many sleepless nights.

Thoughts of Basho also brought memories of over ten years back: sitting alone quietly in the midst of the Portland Japanese Garden, wondering about picking up and moving there from the Midwest. Fortunately, at that moment came the cry of a baby from somewhere around one of the heavily greened walls, and I knew I had to go back to find out how my then very-young godson would turn out. I made the right choice…This weekend offers the possibility of a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens with my godson for the annual Japanese festival. Look for pictures of that trip posted here soon.

In the meantime, to get yourself in a haiku state of mind, check out either this archived posting at the National Geographic site about the travels of Basho (from which the picture at the top of this post is borrowed) or the YouTube video below found today at boingboing.net, featuring a Japanese techno group Omodaka's rendition of “the world’s oldest Japanese song” Kokoriko Bushi (tune for stringed instrument). A boingboing reader also provided a link to a traditional version of the original tune here.

Have no idea of the words here, but in the techno version I keep hearing what seems to be chorus based on Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing.”


And in conclusion, more from Basho...

Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!

For those who made it all the way to the bottom, here's what the title of this post means:

"one who moves without direction"

Take from that what you will... but take care.