Zen Death Haiku Vii

ZEN DEATH HAIKU VII These are my modern English translations of Japanese Zen Death Haiku. Stricken ill on a journey, in dreams I go wandering withered moors. —Matsuo Basho, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Today, catching sight of the mallards crying over Lake Iware: Must I too vanish into the clouds? —Prince Otsu, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch This world—to what may we compare it? To autumn fields darkening at dusk, dimly lit by lightning flashes. —Minamoto no ago, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch This world— to what may we compare it? To autumn fields darkening at dusk illuminated by lightning flashes. —Minamoto no ago, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch This world—to what may we liken it? To autumn fields lit dimly at dusk, illuminated by lightning flashes. —Minamoto no ago, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Like a half-exposed rotten log my life, which never flowered, ends barren. —Minamoto Yorimasa, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Overtaken by darkness, I will lodge under a tree's branches; cherry blossoms will cushion me tonight. —Taira no Tadanori, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Overtaken by darkness, I will lodge under a cherry tree's branches; flowers alone will bower me tonight. —Taira no Tadanori, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Let me die in spring beneath the cherry blossoms while the moon is full. —Saigyo, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch There is no death, as there is no life. Are not the skies cloudless And the rivers clear? —Taiheiki Toshimoto, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch All five aspects of my fleeting human form And the four elements of existence add up to nothing: I bare my neck to the unsheathed sword And its blow is but a breath of wind... —Suketomo, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael R. Burch Keywords/Tags: Haiku, Zen, Japan, Japanese, translation, life, death, aging, time, pain, sorrow, lament, age, analogy, angst, animal, anxiety, autumn