世の中や 鳴虫にさへ 上づ下手
yo no naka ya naku mushi ni sa e jouzu heta
in this world
even among the insects...
some sing well, some don't
—Issa
(trans. David LaSpina[1])
As summer shifts into gear and nature is once again full of the songs of insects, I thought this was a fitting one to look at today.
Issa is considered one of the four greatest haiku masters of Japan (along with Bashō, Buson, and Shiki). He was by far the most prolific of all of them, writing over 20,000 haiku in his lifetime. That's several per day. His work contains a sense of humor and an innocence that has won him readers up to the present day and make him even more popular than the great Bashō among many people.
That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can. ↩