Thought I the fallen flowers
are returning to their branch
but lo they were butterflies
落花枝にかへると見れば胡蝶哉 守武
落花枝にかへると見れば胡ちょかな 守武
rakka eda ni / kaeru to mireba / kochō kana (6-7-5)
(translated by William George Aston)
A prolific writer of haikai, renga, and Waka, Arakida Moritake was born in 1473 and studied renga under Iio Sōgi. Late in his life, Arakida became head priest of the Inner Ise Shrine. The haiku I selected this week is considered his most famous.
Haiku by Arakida Moritake
Picture by Wolfgang Hasselmann
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 17th June 2020