Saké Waves 【Haiku of Japan #23】

in #haiku • 7 years ago (edited)

蒼海の 浪酒臭し 今日の月

blue sea
waves smell of saké
tonight's moon
—Basho
(Tr. David LaSpina)

(sōkai no / nami sake kusashi / kyō no tsuki)

"Shichiri Beach in Soshu" by Kawase Hasui.jpg

(print by Kawase Hasui)

In addition to the moon being a common topic for autumn, so is saké, which is traditionally enjoyed while watching the moon. Although Basho wrote many haiku on the topic of drinking saké (and getting drunk), he is not doing so now; rather, he is making a pun on the word tsuki, the word for moon which also sounds like the word for saké cup. The image is that the moon looks like a saké cup rising out of the ocean.

Having said that, perhaps he was enjoying some saké while composing this haiku.

Footnotes

†: Translation by David LaSpina

Don't miss the other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!

  1. Traveling to the inn
  2. Childless Woman
  3. Old Dancing Butterfly
  4. Seeing the Moon
  5. Checking the Scarecrow
  6. Skill of Insects
  7. The Spider Lilies
  8. A Thousand Green Mountains
  9. Falling Lead Enlightenment
  10. Lonely Night
  11. Her Day Off
  12. Autumn Crow
  13. Faint Footprints
  14. Alone on the Road
  15. Autumn Begins
  16. Early Morning Moon Viewing
  17. Mistaken for a Scarecrow
  18. The Galactic River
  19. The Love of Cats
  20. Autumn Waterfall
  21. The Thief and the Moon
  22. My Frozen Balls

❦

Hi there! David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org.
#japanese #poetry #japan #writing
7 years ago in #haiku by
$3.65
  • Past Payouts $3.65, 0.00 TRX
  • - Author $2.77, 0.00 TRX
  • - Curators $0.89, 0.00 TRX
4 votes
Reply 7
Sort:  
  • Trending
    • [-]
     6 years ago 

    I really love the image a lot. It says me a lot.

    $1.79
    • Past Payouts $1.79, 0.00 TRX
    • - Author $1.75, 0.00 TRX
    • - Curators $0.04, 0.00 TRX
    2 votes
    Reply
    [-]
     7 years ago 

    @mrainp420 has voted on behalf of @minnowpond.
    If you would like to recieve upvotes from minnowponds team on all your posts, simply FOLLOW @minnowpond.

                To receive an upvote send 0.25 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo
            To receive an reSteem send 0.75 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo
            To receive an upvote and a reSteem send 1.00SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo
    $0.00
      Reply
      [-]
       7 years ago 

      Are you familiar with the anthology called "Japanese Death Poems?"

      $0.00
        Reply
        [-]
         7 years ago 

        Yep, I have it on my bookshelf. Good book!

        $0.00
          Reply
          [-]
           7 years ago 

          Resteemed your article. This article was resteemed because you are part of the New Steemians project. You can learn more about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@gaman/new-steemians-project-launch

          $0.00
            Reply
            [-]
             7 years ago 

            Having said that, perhaps he was enjoying some saké while composing this haiku.
            I love your commentary - get a laugh and some interesting background!

            $0.00
              Reply
              [-]
               7 years ago 

              Thank you, Jon :) Glad you enjoy reading it.

              $0.00
                Reply

                Coin Marketplace

                STEEM 0.19
                TRX 0.14
                JST 0.030
                BTC 60787.79
                ETH 3242.30
                USDT 1.00
                SBD 2.46