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context: poetry > haiku
|
an Issa self-portrait |
Kobayashi Issa 1763-1828
Issa had a more common touch than even Basho. He is loved partly because of his miserable life, but especially for a straightforwardness and his open heart. He provides the suggestion that you don't need zen wisdom (as with Basho) or brilliance (as with Buson) to grasp life. He was particularly fond of writing about insects, as in my favourite: "o-hotaru / Yurari-yurari to / Tori keri", or "A huge firefly / Waveringly / Passes by": the second line is said to be untranslatably rich in overtones, but I love it for the sound more than anything.