Buson: na no hana
http://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/2007/04/rape-blossoms-na-no-hana.html

Thanks so much, Larry san!
GABI

........................................................



Hi Gabi,

I'm re-reading Ueda's biography of Buson and his poetry, *The Path of the
Flowering Thorn*.

Here is what Ueda has to say about this haiku of Buson's:

" ' Mustard Flower' (Na no hana ya) is a kasen written in 1774, after the
haikai reform movement was well under way. Buson and his followers were
seeking closer ties with poets of other reform groups, such as Chora and
Kyootai... On May 5, Buson and Kitoo had a chance to spend a good part of
the day with Chora... The three poets joined forces to compose two kasen
that day, 'Mustard Flowers' in the daytime and 'As I Pause' (Tatazumeba) at
night. ..."

Here is Ueda's translation:

mustard flowers
with the moon in the east
the sun in the west


Ueda's commentary:

"Spring. Mustard seed was the main source of vegetable oil consumed in Japan
and many farms growing mustard used to be seen in the Japanese countryside.
In spring, city residents often organized picnics to enjoy the vista of
bright yellow mustard flowers covering a wide area of suburban land. The
scene described here was probably observed around the tenth of the lunar
second month, when the moon rises before sunset. Buson must have read one of
T'ao Ch'ien's 'Miscellaneous Poems':

*The bright sun sinking on the western bank*
*and the pale moon rising above the eastern ridge,*
*the earth looms in the rays of light that spread far out*
*and reach all the corners of the spacious sky.*

Another influence may be Kakinomoto Hitomaro's waka:

*himugashi no*
*no ni kagiroi no*
*tatsu miete*
*kaerimi sureba*
*tsuki katabukinu*
**
*on the eastern fields*
*the glow of the morning sun*
*rises higher--*
*as I turn and look back,*
*the moon is sinking in the west "*
**
**
Chora wrote the wakiku:

yamamoto tooku
sagi kasumi yuku

a heron disappears
beyond the hazy foothills

trans. Ueda

--Larry


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