Matsuo Basho

Basho was born about 1644 in Japan, of course, and gained a reputation as the greatest master of the Japanese classical poem, the haiku.  He wrote many poems while walking the Nakasendo, the traditional route for travellers between Tokyo and Kyoto.  Marilyn and I have walked part of this trail and it is certainly inspiring.

snowy morning--
by myself,
chewing on dried salmon

The haiku is supposed to capture an instant in time, describe something in nature and is based on a set number of syllables in each of three lines, the most common pattern being 5 - 5 - 7.  Translating from Japanese often disturbs this pattern.

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