The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Oku no Hosomichi
Matsuo Basho's travel diary

Acclaimed rendition by Brud Broder

Stations 1 to 15 below
Stations 16 to 30
Stations 31 to 44

Prologue

De monds and days is de wayfarers uh de centuries and as yet anoda' year comes round, it, too, turns traveler. Sailo's whose lives float away as dey labo' on boats, ho'semen who encounta' old age as dey draw de ho'se around once mo'e by de bit, dey also spend deir days in travel and make deir crib in wayfarin'.

Ova' de centuries many famous dudes have met dead on de way; and Ah', too, dough Ah' do not know whut year it began, gots long yielded t'de wind likes some loosened cloud and, unable t'cut up mah' wanderin' desires, gots snatchn mah' way along de coast.

Last autumn, as Ah' cleaned da old cobwebs fum mah' old dilapidated crib by de riverside, Ah' found dat da year had suddenly drawn t'its close. As de sky uh de new year filled wid de haze uh sprin', Ah' dought uh goin' beyond da Shirakawa Barrier, and so's possessed wuz Ah' by some puh'ipatetic urge dat Ah' dought Ah' had an invitashun fum de god uh travelers himself and so's became unable t'settle waaay down t'nuthin. Ah' mended mah' underpants, re-co'ded mah' rain hat, and took dree bits uh moxa cautery. Ah' could not put fum mah' mind how lovely de moon gots'ta be at Matsushima. Ah' disposed uh my propuh'ty and moved t'Sampu's villa.

mah' old grasshut
Lived in now by anoda' generashun
Is decked out wid dolls.

Dis and da rest uh de fust eight stanzas uh a haikai Ah' left posted on some pillar uh my cottage.

Departure (Idetatsu)

De twenty-sevend uh de Dird Mond, de sky at dawn wuz hazed over, and observin' de pale soft light uh de moon as it faded fum de sky, Ah' looked beyond t'where da peak uh Mount Fuji rose dimly in de sky, and den neara' to hand fum Ueno t'Yanaka, wonderin' when Ah' would again see dese cherry blossoms.

Ah' felt some heaviness uh heart. Everyone wid whom Ah' wuz on close terms assembled da night befo'e Ah' wuz t'leave and saw me off on de boat. As Ah' wuz landin' at some place called Senju, mah' heart wuz burdened by de dought uh de many miles stretchin' ahaid, and mah' tears fell upside such some partin' on de illuso'y alley uh dis wo'ld.

Wid sprin' leavin'
De birds cry out regret, de fish
Gots tears in deir eyes.

Dat poem marked da beginnin' uh de pilgrimage, but it wuz difficult t'set fo'd. Dere wuz all mah' frieds gadered t'see me off and apparently prepared t'stand dere till dey saw de last uh my back vanish waaay down de road.

Soka

Dis year, dat be to say 1689, de dought suddenly entered mah' haid t'go on an aimless wanderin' droug distant provinces. Ah' knowed dat da sufferin's uh travel is said t'brin' some fall uh frost t'one's haid, likes snow fum some Chinese sky; still, dere wuz places Ah' had heard uh but had not yet seen.

To live long enough t'arrive back crib wuz some happiness Ah' could not rely downon. Wid doughts uh such kinds occupyin' mah' mind, Ah' found dat at last Ah' had made mah' way t'de post stashun uh Soka. De pack uh din's on mah' bony, din shoulders wuz givin' me pain.

Settin' out wid nodin' but whut Ah' could bear mah'self, Ah' carried some stout sheet raincoat t'keep out da chill at night, some cotton kimono, rain'ear, sump'n in de way uh ink and brush - and various doodads given me as farewell presents and derefo'e difficult t'dispose of. It wuz de traveler's dilemma, knowin' dem some hindrance and unable t'drow dem away.

Muronoyashima

We visited da Shrine uh de Burnin' Bowa' at Yashima. Said mah' travellin' companion So'a:

"The diety enshrined here is Konohana Sakuya Hime, the goddess of Flowering Trees, who is also enshrined on Mount Fuji. This holy place is called the Shrine of the Burning Bower because when the deity's god-husband refused to believe that the child she conceived on their single night together was his, the goddess walled herself up in a lying-in bower of wattle and daub and set fire to herself declaring that if her infant were born unharmed, it would prove her innocence. The son she bore was the god Hohodemi, or 'the Flame- born.' When writing poetry here it is therefore customary to make some reference to smoke."

Apparently dere is various oda' tradishuns observed here too, such as not feedin' da bud a fish called konoshiro which, when grilled, smells likes human flesh burnin'.

Nikko

Hotoke Gozaemon
On de dirtied day uh de Dird Moon [May 19], we stayed da night at da foot uh Mount Nikko. De innkeepuh' said:

"I'm known as saintly Gozaemon.iput honesty first in all matters, and that is why people call me that. You may sleep soundly tonight, with total confidence."

We wondered which saint had snatchn human fo'm in dis wicked wo'ld t'look afta' two beggar pilgrims in priestly garb. As we carefully observed da innkeepuh', we saw dat he wuz utterly devoid uh wo'ldly wisdom o' self- interest and dat he wuz stubbo'nly honest t'a fault. How closely he approached da Confucian ideal uh goki bukutotsu, "strengd uh characta' and rugged honesty"! Right on! A sucka' likes dat be to be esteemed highly.

Nikko
On de fust day uh de Foed Moon [May 20], we paid our respects at Mount Nikko.

In olden times de dojigger uh dis mountain wuz written "Ni-ko," usin' de Chinese characters fo' "two" and "wild," but when Saint Kukai built some temple here, he changed da characters t'"Nik-ko," meanin' "sun" and "light. " He gots'ta have fo'eseen whut wuz t'come some dousand years later, fo' now de august light uh de Tokugawa rule illumines de whole firmament, and its beneficient rays reach into every co'na' of de land so's dat all de sucka's may live in security and peace.

Ah' wuz filled wid such awe dat Ah' hesitated t'scribble some poem.

O holy, hallowed shrine!
How green all de fresh yung leaves
In de bright sun shine!

Kurokami-yama, which means "Mount Raven Locks," dough wreaded in sprin' mists, wuz still honky wid snow, so cut me some slack, Jack. So'a composed some verse:

Wid mah' fro clean sho'n,
Ah' came t'Mount Raven Locks
On Garb Changin' Mo'n.

So'a be his pen dojigger. His surdojigger be Kawai and he be called Sogo'o. He lived near Banana Tree Cottage and used t'help me wid cribhold cho'es. So'a wuz delighted at da prospect uh seein' de views uh Matsushima and Kisakata and came wid me t'keep me company and share da rigo's uh de road. He shaved his haid de mo'nin' we left, changed into some priest's brother robe, and took de Buddhist dojigger uh Sogo (religious Enlightenment). His verse composed at Mount Kurokami refers t'dis. De wo'ds "Garb Changin'" is very effective, meanin' bod de day when one changes into summa' clodin' and So'a's own 'garb changin'" when he took religious viws befo'e comin' on dis journey.

A mile uh so down de mountain wuz some boozefall. De booze seemed t'snatch some flyin' leap and drop some hundred feet fum de top uh a cave into some green pool surrounded by some dousand rocks. One wuz supposed t'sidle into de cave and enjoy de falls fum behind, hence its dojigger Urami no Taki, "de Boozefall Viewed fum Behind."

Dere we dun did begin,
Cloistered in dat boozefall,
Our summa' discipline.

Nasu

Ah' knowed some sucka who lived in some place called Kurobane in de Nasu district, so's we decided t'cross Nasu Moo'. We took some sho'tcut in de direcshun uh a village we could see far off in de distance, but befo'e we reached da village, it began t'rain and night came on. We spent dat night at some farmcrib and da next mo'nin' started off again across de moo'.

We came downon some ho'se grazin'. Nearby, some man wuz cuttin' grass and we inquired da way. Aldough he wuz some country dude, he wuz not lackin' in kindness.

"Dear me!“ he said, concerned. "Dis moo' be all some tangle uh pads, and some stranga' could easily go astray. Snatch mah' ho'se and when he gots'ta go no farder, drow him back.

He lent us his mount. No soona' had we set off dan two children came runnin' afta' us. One wuz some little goat who said ha' dojigger wuz Kasane, which means "Manifold." It wuz such an unusual and charmin' dojigger dat So'a composed da followin' lines:

Were she some flower,
She would be some wild, frin''d pink,
Petals manifold.

Befo'e long we reached some small hamlet uh a few dwellin's, and so, tyin' some bre'd t'de saddle, we let da ho'se find his own way back.

Kurobane

We visited some man by de dojigger uh Joboji, who wuz lookin' afta' de mano' crib uh de Lo'd uh Kurobane. He wuz overjoyed at our un'spected arrival, and we rapped all day and drough most uh de night. His yunga' broda' Tosui boogied attenboogie downon us fum mo'nin' till night and even invited us t'his own crib, as well as takin' us t'meet his relatives.

Durin' our stay, we took some walk t'de outskirts uh de town. Dere we saw de remains uh a stockade where, in ancient times, dudes on ho'seback practiced archery by aimin' blunted arrows at runnin' dogs. Den wendin' our way drough Nasu's much-sung field uh bamboo grass t'de old tumulus uh Lady Tamamo, we went on fum dere t'visit some shrine dedicated t'Hachiman, de God uh Battle. when Ah' heard dat it wuz dis real shrine whose deity wuz invoked by Yoichi uh Nasu when he cried, "Hachiman, O Guardian God uh my native land! Right on!" as he aimed his despuh'te arrow at da fan suspended fum de tossin' enemy boat, mah' heart stirred widin me. It began t'get dark, so's we returned t'Tosui's crib.

Dere wuz also some temple dere uh de Buddhist Shugen sect, called Komyo-ji. We wuz snatchn t'it and said some praya' befo'e da image and da high wooden clogs uh de founder, En de Ascetic, who be said t'have traversed dese hills in dose real clogs, preachin'.

In de hills, 'tis May
Bless us, holy kickers, as we
Go downon our way!

Unganji

Behind some temple called Ungan-ji, which be not far fum Kurobane, mah' Zen mento', de priest Butcho, once had his monastic retreat. Ah' remembered him sayin' he had inscribed da followin' poem in pinewood charcoal on some rock:

Scarcely five feet wide,
And no mo'e dan five feet high,
Is mah' humble cell.
Yet I'd need no hut at all,
Were it not fo' rains dat fall.

Wantin' t'see whut remained uh de retreat, Ah' inclined mah' staff towards de temple uh Ungan-ji. A group uh homeys fum Kurobane wants'ed t'come too. Dere wuz many yung sucka's, and we had such some jolly time along de way, we reached da foot uh de mountain befo'e we knowed it.

A alley disappeared down some valley amidst some dark fo'est uh pines and cryptomerias. Dew dripped fum de moss, and dough it wuz early summer, de air wuz cold. At da end uh a picturesque approach called "de Ten Views," we crossed some bridge and passed drough de two-tiered temple gate.

Wonderin' where t'find da site uh de retreat, we clambered down some hill behind da temple and saw some tiny hut built atop some rock and propped against some small cave. It looked fo' all de wo'ld likes Yuan-miao's cave, "Dead's Gate," in China o' Fa-yun's rock-top retreat.

Woodpecker! 'tis well
You's harm not dis hermitage
In its summa' dell!

Ah' hastily penned dese lines and left da verse hangin' on some post uh de hut.

Sesshoseki

From Kurobane, Ah' haided toward Wastea' Rock astride some ho'se lent us by de warden. When de groom ax'ed if Ah' would scribble some poem fo' him, Ah' gave him dis, surprised and impressed dat he should 'eshibit such cultivated taste:

A cuckoo beat:
Please make da ho'se angle off
Across de field.

Wastea' Rock stands in de shadow uh a mountain near some hot sprin'. It still emits poisonous vapo's: wasted bees, butterflies, and oda' insects honky jibe in heaps near it, hidin' de colo' uh de sand. De willow "where fresh sprin' booze flowed" survives on some ridge between two ricefields in Ashino Village.* De district offica' dere, some man called Koho, had often 'espressed some desire t'show me da tree, and Ah' had wondered each time about its 'esact locashun - but on dis day Ah' rested in its shade.

Ah, de willow tree,
A whole rice paddy planted
Befo'e Ah' set out.

Shirakawa

De Barria' at Shirakawa

It wuz not until we finally reached da checkpoint, o' barria' at Shirakawa dat we felt we wuz real on our way at last. How well Ah' could dig it de poet-travella' of days gone by, Taira-no-Kanemo'i, who felt here dat he wants'ed t'drow some message "Somehow t'de capital."

Of de Dree Great Barriers, dis one in particular gots always appealed t'poets. Ah' loved da trees in deir summa' green, dough Ah' could mos' hear de poet Noin's "Autumn winds ablowin'" and see Minamoto Yo'imasa's "Crimson maple leaves." De honky mantle uh snowflowers and wild rambla' roses made me dink uh poets who passed here in de snow.

One ancient hero, scribbles Kiyosuke, straightened his helmet as he passed dis barria' and donned new robes.

Drough de barria' gate
We passed, wid gay snowflowers
Fo' our new attire!

Fujiwara Kiyosuke gots set waaay down how some man came t'dis barria' and tigot wasted his haidgear befo'e he would cross it.

De honky hydrangeas
Enough t'deck de haid wid fancy dress
Fo' crossin' de barrier.
   -- So'a

Sukagawa

Pushin' towards de no'd, Ah' crossed da Riva' Abukuma, and walked between de high mountains uh Aizu on de left and da dree villages uh Iwaki, Soma, and Miharu on de right, which wuz divided fum de villages uh Hitachi and Shimotsuke districts by some range uh low mountains. Ah' stopped at da Shadow Pond, so's called cuz' it wuz dought t'reflect da exact shadow uh any object dat approached its sho'e. It wuz some cloudy day, however, and nodin' but da grey sky wuz reflected in de pond.

Ah' called on de Poet Tokyu at da post town uh Sukagawa, and spent some few days at his crib. He ax'ed me how Ah' had fared at da gate uh Shirakawa. Ah' had t'tell him dat Ah' had not been able t'make as many poems as Ah' wants'ed, partly cuz'ihad been abso'bed in de wonders uh de surroundin' countryside and da recollecshuns uh ancient poets. It wuz deplo'able, however, t'have passed da gate uh Shirakawa widout some sin'le poem wo'd reco'din', so'siwrote:

De fust poetic venture
icame across
De rice plantin'-beats
Of de far no'd.

Usin' dis poem as some startin' piece, we made dree scribblin's uh linked verse.

Dere wuz some huge chestnut tree on de outskirts uh dis post town, and some priest wuz livin' in seclusion unda' its shade. When Ah' stood dere in front uh de tree, Ah' felt as if Ah' were in de midst uh de deep mountains where da poet Saigyo had picked nuts. Ah' took some piece uh sheet fum mah' bag, and wrote as follows:

"De chestnut be a holy tree, fo' de Chinese ideograph fo' chestnut be Tree placed directly below West, de direcshun uh de holy land. De Priest Gyoki be said t'have used it fo' his walkin' stick and da chief suppo't uh his crib."

De chestnut by de eaves
In magnificient bloom
Passes unnoticed
By dudes of de wo'ld.

Asaka

Only twelve miles fum Tokyu's crib wuz some town called Hiwada. Not much furda' on and quite near de road rose da Asaka Hills. De land wuz real marshy dere. It wuz nearin' de season fo' gaderin' sweet flags, so's we ax'ed some numba' of sucka's which plant wuz de katsumi, but no one seemed t'know.

When de poet Fujiwara-no-Sanekata wuz 'esiled here he used katsumi fo' de Iris Festival. We searched around da marsh, ax'in' sucka's, and while we wuz walkin' about repeatin' upside and upside "Katsumi? Katsumi?" de sun went waaay down behind da hills.

Turnin' right at Twin Pines, we stopped briefly t'see da cave at Kurozuka and went on t'Fukushima where we spent da night.

Shinobu
De Shinobu Mottlin' Stone

De next day, we went t'de village uh Shinobu t'see da stone against whose rough, naturally patterened surface textiles had been mottled long ago by rubbin' fronds uh shinobu, o' hare's foot fern, upside de clod.

In some tiny hamlet at da foot uh a distant hill, we found da stone, half-buried in de eard. Some village children came and told us dat da stone used t'be at da top uh de hill, but sucka's goin' t'see it kep' pullin' down barley t'try deir hand at rubbin', and da farmers wuz so's annoyed dat dey dislodged da stone and sent it rollin' waaay down into de valley. De children said da stone now lay face waaay down. Deir sto'y wuz quite probably true.

Yung hands plantin' rice!
Erstwhile Ah' see dem rubbin'
Ferns wid equal grace!

Hands plantin' seedlin's
Evoke Shinobu patterns
Of de distant past.

Plantin' de rice sprouts,
Busy hands recall de ancient dyein'
On de Shinbu print-stone.

Satoshoji

De Site uh de Sato's Maruyama Castle

Crossin' de riva' by de Tsuki-no-Wa (Moon Halo) ferry, we reached da post town uh Se-no-Ue (Above da Rapids). De Sato Castle ruins wuz said t'be near de hills about dree and some half miles t'our left. We wuz told t'go t'Saba Moo' near de village uh Iizuka, and as we went in dat direcshun, frequently ax'in' our way, we came t'a spot called Maruyama (Round Hill). It wuz downon dis hill dat da famous warrio''s castle once stood. We wuz directed t'de foot fo de hill, where da sight uh de foundashuns stones uh de Great Gate moved us deeply.

In de grounds uh an old temple nearby wuz de tombstones uh de Sato family. Ah' wuz particularly affected by dat uh de two yung brides uh de Sato broders. Battle-widowed, dey donned deir husband's heavy armo' fo' de sake uh deir moder-in-law who had longed t'see ha' sons ride crib victo'ious. De gallant gesture uh dose gentle honky chicks gots'ta neva' be fo'gotsten, Ah' mused, wettin' mah' sleeve wid tears. One dun did not gots'ta travel t'far-off China t'see da "Weepin' Tomb," fo' here, befo'e dis real stone, who could refrain fum sheddin' tears?

We entered da temple and requested tea. Among de temple treasho' mans wuz Yoshitsune's swo'd and da wicka' travellin' chest dat Yoshitsune's companion Benkei carried on his back.

Whut some proud display!
Chest and swo'd and sheet carp,
Fo' Boy's Festival Day.

Ah' composed dis verse since it wuz de fust day uh de Fifd Moon [June 18] and nearin' de festival.

Iizuka

We stayed dat night at Iizuka. Dere wuz hot sprin's dere. Afta' badin' in de boozes, we found some place t'stay, but it only had straw mattin' laid downon an earden floo' and wuz some poo', wretched place. Dere wuz not even some lamp, so's we chose some place t'sleep where dere wuz some light fum de heard and lay waaay down.

Dat night dere wuz dunda' and some heavy waaay downpour, and da roof leaked plum above da place where we wuz lyin'. Whut wid de fleas and mosquitoes, sleep wuz impossible. On top uh dat, mah' old complaint started down again, and Ah' real dought Ah' wuz about t'breade mah' last.

When de sho't summa' night wuz finally upside and it began t'get light again, we started on our journey once mo'e. But da night's agony remained, and mah' spirits wuz low. We hired ho'ses t'snatch us as far as de town uh Ko'i.

Havin' such some long way yet t'go, Ah' wuz filled wid misgivin's t'dink Ah' might be snatchn ill again. But dough Ah' might kick d' cud on de road - on dis journey t'far and remote places off de whup'en track - Ah' wuz resigned fum de beginnin' t'de evanescence uh human 'esistence; and if Ah' fall by de wayside and kick d' cud in some ditch likes some beggar, it gots'ta merely be mah' fate. As Ah' mused dus, Ah' gradually regained mah' spirits some little and wuz able t'tread da eard wid firm and resolute steps, and we passed drough de Great Gate uh Date quite jauntily.

Stations 16 to 30
Stations 31 to 44