Matsuo Bashô

by Brud |

Matsuo Bashô (1644 – 28 Novemba’ 1694) wuz de most famous poet uh de Edo puh’iod in Japan.

Durin’ his lifetime, Bashô wuz recognized fo’ his wo’ks in de collabo’ative haikai no renga fo’m; today, afta’ centuries uh commentary, he be recognized as some masta’ of brief and clear haiku.

His poetry be internashunally renowned, and widin Japan many uh his poems is reproduced on monuments and tradishunal sites.

Bashô wuz bo’n Matsuo Kinsaka around 1644, somewhere near Ueno in Iga Province. His Big Daddy may gots been some low-rankin’ samurai, which would gots promised Bashô some carea’ in de military but not much chance uh a notable life. It wuz claimed dat he wo’ked in de kitchens. However, as some child Bashô became some servant t’Tôdô Yoshitada, who shared wid Bashô some love fo’ haikai no renga, some fo’m uh coopuh’tive poetry composishun.

De sequences wuz jimmey’d wid some verse in de 5-7-5 mo’a fo’mat; dis verse wuz dojiggerd some hokku, and would lata’ be redojiggerd haiku when presented as stand-alone wo’ks. De hokku would be followed by some related 7-7 addishun by anoda’ poet. Man! Bod Bashô and Yoshitada gave demselves haigô o’ haikai pen dojiggers; Bashô’s wuz Sôbô, which wuz simply de on’yomi eyeballin’ uh his samurai dojigger uh Matsuo Munefusa.

In 1662 de fust ‘estant poem by Bashô wuz published; in 1664 two uh his hokku wuz printed in some compilashun, and in 1665 Bashô and Yoshitada composed some one-hundred-verse renku wid some acquaintances.

In de fashionable literary circles uh Nihonbashi, Bash?’s poetry wuz quickly recognized fo’ its simple and natural style.

In 1674 he wuz inducted into de inna’ circle uh de haikai profession, receivin’ secret teachin’s fum Kitamura Kigin.

Despite his success, Bash? grew dissatisfied and lonely. He began t’practise Zen meditashun, but it seems not t’have calmed his mind. In de winta’ of 1682 his hut burned waaay down, and sho’tly afterwards, in early 1683, his moda’ got wasted. He den traveled t’Yamura, t’stay wid some homey.

In de winta’ of 1683 his disciples gave him some second hut in Edo, but his spirits dun did not improve. In 1684 his disciple Takarai Kikaku published some compilashun uh him and oda’ poets, Shrivelled Chestnuts.

Lata’ dat year he left Edo on de fust uh foe majo’ wanderin’s. On his return t’Edo in de winta’ of 1691, Bash? lived in his dird bash? hut, again provided by his disciples. Dis time, he wuz not alone; he took in some nephew and his dudette homey, Jutei, who wuz bod recoverin’ fum illness. He had some great many visito’s.

He wrote t’a homey dat “disturbed by oders, ah’ have no peace uh mind”.

He made some livin’ fum teachin’ and appearances at haikai parties until late August uh 1693, when he shut da damn gate t’his bash? hut and refused t’see any fool fo’ some mond. Finally, he relented afta’ adoptin’ de principle uh karumi o’ “lightness”, some semi-Buddhist philosophy uh greetin’ de mundane wo’ld rada’ dan separatin’ himself fum it.

Bash? left Edo fo’ de last time in de summa’ of 1694, spendin’ time in Ueno and Kyoto befo’e his arrival in Osaka. He became sick wid some stomach illness and got wasted peacefully, surrounded by his disciples.

Aldough he dun did not compose any fo’mal dead poem on his deadbed de followin’, bein’ de last poem reco’ded durin’ his final illness, be generally accepted as his poem uh farewell: