Whenever gazing
blossoms a pain
in the neck too
This particular translation was done by Dick Whyte.
Nishiyama Soin was a haikai poet who founded the Danrin school of poetry in mid-1600: a school that aimed to make Japanese poetry more colloquial, in contrast with formalism which was more popular at the time. Initially, even Matsuo Basho was a member of the Danrin school, though he later broke away from it.
Haiku by Nishiyama Soin
Picture by Clint McKoy
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: 9th September 2020