Renga with Basho

In this special edition of Carpe Diem’s Renga with Basho series Chèvrefeuille asks us to commence with a greeting verse (‘hokku’) actually used by Basho to commence a Renga Party. The other verses by Basho were written as stand alone haiku. As usual I have bolded Basho’s haiku (translated by Jane Reichhold) and italicized my two-line responses.

:

autumn coolness

each peeling with our hands

melons and eggplant

:

last embers of summer

lodge under our fingernails

:

swinging bridge

lives are intertwined

in ivy vines

:

the trellis has been transformed

brimming with succulent fruits

:

with young leaves

I would like to wipe away

the tears in your eyes

:

a blur of joy and sadness

ushers in each season

:

blossoms at their peak

the mountain the same as always

at day break

:

a mist of whitening dew

blades of grass sparkle at sunrise

:

a clear night

cooling myself under cherry trees

waves of flowers

:

I peel my eyes to glimpse

a shooting star flash the night sea

:

©️2018 Ontheland (bolded haiku are authored by Basho as translated by Jane Reichhold).