{"id":28,"date":"2015-11-01T22:06:25","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T22:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2015-11-05T02:26:26","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T02:26:26","slug":"translation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/translation\/","title":{"rendered":"Volume 1: Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent the new year season in the capital, and at the end of the first month, when I calculated the many years since I began my journeys as an itinerant nun, I realized truly thirty-three years have passed from the time I became entranced with the way of poetic elegance. I first traversed the provinces of Sanetsu and \u00d4u,[1]<\/a> then I crossed over the barrier to the East[2]<\/a> “of the chattering birds,” and the \u00d4saka barrier, “undeceived by the false rooster’s crow.” In Edo I put aside my travel staff for three years, and there I learned all that I could of the Way of comic haikai. Afterwards, longing to collaborate with more partners on the haikai Way, many times I even crossed the Moji barrier, and traveled toward the distant lands of the Western Seas to Tsukushi of the “unknowable fires.” There I made friends of course with haikai poets, but also met priests who wrote verse in Chinese, and at the place I stayed in Tama-no-ura I obtained even texts by Chinese writers. I had so many in my rucksack and my satchel that I sent them for safekeeping in my hometown Ch\u00f4fu, and now the number of them has so quickly multiplied that I cannot guess how many I have.<\/p>\n

Having journeyed in this way to many famous places, historical spots, ruins, and mountain passes spoken of by persons of high reputation, I now trust to my travel-case’s ink-stained brush. With some hesitation, I think I might as well get these jottings inscribed on worthless blocks of wood and published, and I mutter to myself with a smile. The year is Bunka 9 (1812), in the season of late spring, when young plants are just starting to grow lush.<\/p>\n

–Ichiji-an Kikusha-ni of Nagato<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hand-picked Chrysanthemums 1<\/p>\n

I lost my husband when I was still young, and because we had no child to inherit the household I adopted a relative’s son and left to him the duties of maintaining the estate. Now that I had nothing to occupy me in this uncertain world, I ended up undertaking a solo journey just as I had imagined on the day it occurred to me that I wanted to make a pilgrimage to temples and shrines at famous places all over the realm.<\/p>\n

I wish I could journey
\nwith the moon as my travel hat —
\na wanderer’s sky<\/p>\n

tsuki o kasa ni kite asobabaya tabi no sora<\/em><\/p>\n

\u6708\u3092\u7b20\u306b\u7740\u3066\u904a\u3070\u3070\u3084\u65c5\u306e\u305d\u3089<\/p>\n

Written at Hitomaru Shrine in Nagato-shi, Otsu.<\/p>\n

make my travel hat
\neven more melancholy —
\nrain in cicada season<\/p>\n

waga kasa ni sabishisame ya semishigure<\/em>
\n\u543e\u7b20\u306b\u6dcb\u3057\u3055\u3057\u3081\u3084\u8749\u3057\u3050\u308c<\/p>\n

my writing brush
\nwill become stained even more deeply —
\nwhen the persimmon leaves are lush<\/p>\n

somete ikan fudegaki no ha mo shigeritoki<\/em>
\n\u67d3\u3081\u3066\u3086\u304b\u3080\u7b46\u67ff\u306e\u8449\u3082\u8302\u308a\u6642<\/p>\n

I passed through Shizu-ga-ura[3]<\/a> and took a boat from a place called Kayoi, and without incident arrived at Hagi Castle. Here I benefited from the kindness of a monk from Seik\u00f4ji temple; I became his disciple, and received his courteous teachings on the world to come. Afterwards I took the tonsure, and wrote:<\/p>\n

the dust of the unreliable world
\nblown away
\nin the autumn wind<\/p>\n

akikaze ni ukiyo no chiri o haraikeri<\/em>
\n\u79cb\u98a8\u306b\u6d6e\u4e16\u306e\u5875\u3092\u6255\u3051\u308a<\/p>\n

An old acquaintance by the name of Chiku\u00f4-sha Kion lives here. He has always enjoyed haikai. He was moved when he realized I wished to learn his style, and he kindly appended a word of introduction on my behalf in a letter to the Mino haikai master called Sanky\u00f4. At Su\u00f4 Tenmang\u00fb Shrine I wrote:<\/p>\n

colorful in autumn also,
\nare the branch’s two leaves a sign of promise?
\nthe plum tree’s crimson foliage<\/p>\n

somaru aki mo futaba no sue ka ume momiji<\/em>
\n\u67d3\u308b\u79cb\u3082\u4e8c\u8449\u306e\u672b\u304b\u6885\u7d05\u8449<\/p>\n

I will learn from it —
\nthe pure heart
\nof a pond’s water<\/p>\n

narai ikan sumeru kokoro ike no mizu<\/em>
\n\u306a\u3089\u3072\u884c\u3093\u6f84\u3081\u308b\u3053\u3053\u308d\u6c60\u306e\u6c34<\/p>\n

In the middle of the Tenth Month I took a boat from Mitajiri and we rowed toward Osaka.<\/p>\n

In the shallows at Suma:<\/p>\n

traveling along the sea routes —
\nat both Suma and Awaji,
\nplovers<\/p>\n

funaji yukeba Suma ni Awaji ni chidori kana<\/em>
\n\u8229\u8def\u884c\u3070\u9808\u78e8\u306b\u6de1\u8def\u306b\u5343\u9ce5\u54c9<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the Eleventh Month I arrived at Osaka. I intended to visit the famous places there, but so as not to be late to attend the Memorial Ceremonies for the Holy Founder I hurried on to Kyoto. At Hongan-ji Temple I spent seven nights and days attending the sutra readings, and wrote:<\/p>\n

feeling gratitude
\nlightens the load —
\nsnow on my travel hat<\/p>\n

h\u00f4on o omoeba karoshi yuki no kasa<\/em>
\n\u5831\u6069\u3092\u304a\u3082\u3078\u3070\u304b\u308d\u3057\u96ea\u306e\u7b20<\/p>\n

now, what more
\nthan being here?
\nMemorial Ceremony<\/p>\n

ima wa tada mairu bakari H\u00f4onk\u00f4<\/em>
\n\u4eca\u306f\u305f\u3060\u53c2\u308b\u3070\u304b\u308a\u304b\u5831\u6069\u8b1b<\/p>\n

Shortly after the sutra readings were over, I returned at once to Osaka, and on New Year’s Eve I went to K\u00f4zu Shrine and wrote:<\/p>\n

above all
\nI visited the shrine at the summit —
\nfirst light on New Year’s day<\/p>\n

takakiya o mazu ogamikeri hatsu hikage<\/em>
\n\u9ad8\u304d\u5c4b\u3092\u307e\u3065\u62dd\u307f\u3051\u308a\u521d\u65e5\u5f71[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

A man called Tani Kiyobei lives here. His manner is extremely gentle. He was moved by my status as pilgrim, and from the day that I first arrived in Naniwazu, he kindly looked after me and letting me stay with him for a long time. When I finally decided to get back on the road, I wrote:<\/p>\n

I begrudge departing too —
\nwearing traveling clothes
\nat Naniwa of the plum blossoms<\/p>\n

tatsu mo oshi ume no Naniwa no tabigoromo<\/em>
\n\u7acb\u3064\u3082\u60dc\u3057\u6885\u306e\u96e3\u6ce2\u306e\u65c5\u8863<\/p>\n

I returned to Kyoto and became friendly with the female haikai poet Wasen, and one day we went to a plum-blossom filled valley at Fushimi, and looking at the blossoms I wrote:<\/p>\n

too bad the scent
\nis blowing away —
\nwild plum blossoms<\/p>\n

fuku kata e kaori oshimanu yabai kana<\/em><\/p>\n

\u5439\u65b9\u3078\u85ab\u308a\u304a\u3057\u307e\u306c\u91ce\u6885\u304b\u306a<\/p>\n

to which of these thatched cottages
\nshall we ask it to go —
\nplum blossoms<\/p>\n

— Wasen<\/p>\n

warabuki no dochira e kowamu ume no hana<\/em>
\n\u85c1\u847a\u306e\u3069\u3061\u3089\u3078\u4e5e\u306f\u3080\u6885\u306e\u82b1\u00a0\u00a0 \u502d\u6cc9<\/p>\n

I left Kyoto, and on the road I took resuming my journey, I wrote of the capital’s opulent spring scenery; from the Shiga mountain crossing I followed the \u00d4mi road; I caught sight of the spring colors of the lake and it was full of charm.<\/p>\n

along the lake
\nwholly visible —
\na blizzard of blossoms<\/p>\n

mizuumi ni hate wa miekeri hana fubuki<\/em>
\n\u6e56\u306b\u679c\u306f\u898b\u3048\u3051\u308a\u82b1\u96ea\u5439<\/p>\n

Around the end of the Second Month, I arrived at Mino Province, and wrote this when I first went to visit haikai master Sanky\u00f4:<\/p>\n

blooming flowers
\nnow in reach —
\nI’m simply happy<\/p>\n

saku hana ni ima todoku te tada ureshi<\/em>
\n\u54b2\u82b1\u306b\u4eca\u5c4a\u304f\u624b\u305f\u3060\u5b09\u3057<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Echizen, Etch\u00fb, and Echigo provinces.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Shirakawa.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> \u7d2b\u6d25\u30f6\u6d66, \u00d4mi-shima, Nagato-shi, Yamaguchi-ken.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Nintoku’s waka: \u9ad8\u304d\u5c4b\u306b\u306e\u307c\u308a\u3066\u898b\u308c\u3070 \u7159 ( \u3051\u3076\u308a ) \u7acb\u3064\u6c11\u306e\u304b\u307e\u3069\u306f\u306b\u304e\u306f\u3072\u306b\u3051\u308a\uff08\u65b0\u53e4707)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent the new year season in the capital, and at the end of the first month, when I calculated the many years since I began my journeys as an itinerant nun, I realized truly thirty-three years have passed from the time I became entranced with the way of poetic elegance. I first traversed the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3358,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3358"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/kikushahaiku\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}