Mountain's red leaves
the setting sun returns
to the sky
Among the four great masters of Japanese haiku, Kobayashi Issa was the most prolific: during his lifetime he wrote over 20,000 haiku, hundreds of tanka, and several haibun. If you want to find out more about this prolific author I suggest you check out this database of his haiku.
From the Haiku Guy website:
"Literally, Issa says that the autumn foliage "returns the setting sun to the sky" (irihi wo sora e kaesu). Is he saying that the leaves on the mountain are so bright and red, the setting sun has returned to the sky?
Shinji Ogawa has also mulled over this haiku. He suggests that perhaps "the red leaves reflect the rays of the evening sun to the sky; that is why the sky glows so red."
Haiku by Kobayashi Issa
Picture by Laura Vinck
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: 12th July 2023
i rather like the original word order, suggesting that the colours of the autumn leaves return the sun to the sky. i find it more poetic and more inviting of reflection.