Master Basho’s Spirit

TEACHERS (Primary) - Page 3

READ

THINK

Read the following selection of haiku and choose two or three that particularly appeal to you. Note down what the qualities are that you like about them.

The first section poems are by Basho. Note that each has a word letting you know which time of year it is (sun-scorched grass, petals, chestnuts, crickets, the harvest moon etc. – each is associated with a particular season).

These are followed by a section of haiku by Issa, a gentle, soft-hearted haiku master who lived a hundred years after Basho, from 1763 to 1827. He also expressed great sympathy with all aspects of nature and showed in abundance the Spirit of Master Basho.

Then there is a mixed section of Japanese haiku, English haiku and haiku by children. Choose your favourites from any section.

Note for teachers:

The task for the students, when you have covered the introduction above, is to read all the poems, to select one or two favourites each (one if you have a large number of students in the class, two if you have fewer) and be prepared to say what appeals about them. Download the formatted photocopiable Source Pages for distributing the poems to the class.

After allowing a reasonable time for the reading and selection (10-15 minutes), go round the class taking each student’s choice in turn and discussing briefly the qualities of each chosen poem. This might take 30-40 minutes with a large class of thirty students choosing one poem each. It could take longer, of course, if you decide to dwell on this critical aspect of the lesson and draw upon the critical information in the Reference Section articles. See the Critical Reflection section after the selection of poems for information about some of the issues which will arise in discussing the poems.

An inch or two
above dead grasses
heat waves
(Basho)
The petals tremble
on the yellow mountain rose –
roar of the rapids
(Basho)
I’ll take these back
for the city slickers –
sour chestnuts
(Basho)
My way –
no-one on the road
and it’s autumn, getting dark
(Basho)
A terrible sound –
the gilded helmet’s
trapped cricket
(Basho)

In the moonlight a worm
silently
drills through a chestnut
(Basho)
With what kind of voice
would the spider cry
in the autumn wind?
(Basho)
The shallows –
a crane’s thighs splashed
in cool waves
(Basho)
A dragonfly, trying to –
oops, hang on to the upside
of a blade of grass
(Basho)
Ice in the night –
the water jar cracks,
waking me
(Basho)

Issa
Waning Moon Press is grateful to Lucien Stryk for permission to republish his copyright translations of Issa which originally appeared in Of Pen and Ink and Paper Scraps, Swallow Press, 1989.

One bath
after another –
how stupid!
(Issa)
Thirty p each:
a cup of tea,
and a singing bird
(Issa)
From the bough
floating downriver,
insect song.
(Issa)
The puppy too
they pelt with snowballs
till he scampers off!
(Issa)
Once in the box
every one of them is equal –
the chess pieces
(Issa)

Silverfish escaping –
mothers,
fathers, children
(Issa)
Sprawled like an X –
how carefree,
how lonely
(Issa)
My old home –
wherever I touch,
thorns
(Issa)
Snail – baring
shoulders
to the moon
(Issa)
Bright moon,
welcome to my hut –
such as it is
(Issa)

Haiku by other writers

Are there
short-cuts in the sky,
summer moon?
(Lady Sute Jo, trans. Stryk)
How long the day:
the boat is talking
with the shore
(Shiki)
The thief left it behind –
the moon
at the window
(Ryokan, translated Stevens)
Spring rain –
everything becomes
more lovely
(Lady Chiyo-ni)
Shelling peas –
hard rain falling
on the chimney cowling
(Maggie West)
Do this! Do that!
Spring cleaning
Mom’s in a bad mood
(Matt Hunt, age 11)
Scooping up water –
the moon in my hands, I pick up
nothing at all
(Sirintip Pumson, age 11)
By the flare
of each rocket
I see my friend
(Misato Hirashita, age 12)
Snowflakes falling
watching from my window
sipping hot chocolate
(Emily Wiseman, age 9)
Drawing a house
with a fenced-in yard
the deaf boy
(Porad)
Five mince pies
in tissue paper –
no message, no name
(Ransetsu)
In a passing car
just time to see
the batsman, out
(Jackie Hardy)
It’s no use mouthing
O after O at me –
I don’t speak goldfish!
(David Cobb)
Birthday dinner –
lid of the ricepot
bubbling over
(David Cobb)
Children panicking
out of the tiger cage
a wasp
(David Cobb)
Coming down
through lark-song, my daughter
on a parachute
(David Cobb)
Early morning
Anglers’ heads
Floating on mist
(Ken Etchells)
The wind on my forehead –
With a flash of lightning
The cold cold rain
(Amanda Harrison, age 10)
The hard stone is in
The shape of an egg – it’s nice and smooth
And feels like gold
(Anon, age 6)
Walking in the wind
My ears so cold
My eyes are watering
(Kieran Keenan, age 11)
The football pitch
Is waiting for me –
Who’s got the ball?
(Daniel West, age 10)
Shell –
I can hear the sea brushing
Up and down on the shore
(Adam Henderson age 10)
Little pads on her feet
As she climbs up the tube –
Running in the wheel
(Louise Lyne, age 9)
In a purple mood
Hiding out on the wild moors
Happily climbing
(Anon, age 10)
The roar of the sea
A great crashing of thunder –
Wood floating on water
(Anon, age 11)
A big pair of socks
Somebody’s touching me
I’m full up now
(Anon, age 7)
Daddy longlegs
You look so awesome – dancing
On the ceiling
(Bill Wyatt)
A child blows
Into a balloon…
The balloon blows back
(David Cobb)
Summer returning
The sound of a tractor
Drives through the open door
(Caroline Gourlay)
Close circuit TV:
watching myself going
the other way
(David Cobb)

The spiritualist
his dog snapping
at unseen flies
(Brian Tasker)
Embers die
the chair where the friend sat
fills with moonlight
(Cicely Hill)
Down the chimney
First a pigeon’s cooing
then a crust of bread
(Cicely Hill)
Under forest trees
gold globes of horse dung steaming
in the frosty air
(Cicely Hill)
The scarecrow in the distance;
it walked with me
as I walked
(San-in)
The blade of grass
sits waving in the wind
with millions surrounding it
(Tony, age 12)
Wayne runs down the wing
with deep thoughts of Wembley
crash – he’s tackled again
(David, age 11)
Trees waving in the wind
rain thunders down
trees loosen their roots
(Emma, age 7)
The big willow waved
washing away the breeze
leaving fresh branches
(Jason, age 11)
Waves crash
against fortifications
dead of night
(Michael Gunton)
Just echoing boards
this empty house
where we laughed and cried
(Jim Norton)
Each morning in spring
the birds and the toaster
doing their stuff
(Koji)
Winter starlings –
a hundred-bird silence
over my head
(Koji)
The yellowed leaves
are the feelings of the tree
falling away
(Koji)
In the park
a man and his boomerang
all over the place
(Brian Tasker)
My empty tummy's rumbling,
Time for tea, time for tea,
Hear the oven beeping
(Fiona - Age 8)
The honey bee,
Buzz, buzz, buzz,
Travelling from flower to flower
(Fiona - Age 8)
I can hear the skylark
But I cannot see it
That is strange
(Raphaella - Age 8)
Hear the snow bouncing on the roof
Hear it sliding off
What a little noise it makes
(Raphaella - Age 8)
Seeing horses
Cantering in the wind
Mane flying in the ear
(Anon - Age 8)
At school I hurt my friend
I said
Sorry I hurt you
(Rachel - Age 8)
Dogs in the garden
Rolling in the mud
Making dirt everywhere
(Rachel - Age 8)
Mother pony cantering round
In front
Of her little baby
(Naomi - Age 8)
I am in the bath
Can I have five minutes peace please.
Thank you
(Joanna - Age 8)
Mum was doing the washing
I crawled in
And never came back again
(Emily - Age 8)
In the morning sunlight
A daddy long legs climbed
Up my door
(Olivia - Age 8)
Shutup!
Go to sleep!
We will get told off
(Harriet - Age 7)
Going on holiday
Hear the zip of the suitcase
And off we go!
(Emily - Age 7)
A nice smell
A just baked cake
Just for me
(Grace - Age 7)
Oh dear
Daddy's singing in the bath
He sounds terrible!
(Anna - Age 7)

REFLECT
There are a thousand things to say about these poems, but let me just highlight some themes and point you in the direction of further reading. (Teachers: familiarise yourselves with these points before leading the discussion of poems with your class.)
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