Carpe Diem #718, Misty showers

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Well ... we are on our way "on the trail with Basho". This month we will follow a few of Basho's journeys and the haibun and haiku he wrote during those journeys we will read. As you maybe recall this month all the haiku by Basho are translated by Jane Reichhold.
This month I will also try to explain a few of the Writing Techniques of Basho, but not today. Today I have a wonderful haiku for you all in which Basho describes Mount Fuji, the holy mountain of Japan.

Mount Fuji

The haiku for today comes also from "The Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton" (Nozarashi Kiko). I think this haiku is a nice one and it shows us that Basho his writing skills were growing. In this haiku I sense a kind of emotion which I would say is somewhat melancholically. It gives me a feeling of sadness ... and I even sense tears ....

Here is the haiku Misty showers (with preface):

It rained the day I passed through the barrier, and all the mountains were hidden in the clouds.

misty showers
the day one cannot see Mount Fuji
it is more attractive

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

Basho wrote several haiku about Mount Fuji I have found another nice one:

The wind from Mt. Fuji
I put it on the fan.
Here, a souvenir from Edo

© Basho (Tr. Ryu Yotsuya)

A beauty too, but back to our prompt for today "misty showers" ... write an all new haiku, tanka or haibun inspired on the haiku for today.

faint painting on the wall
images of times long gone
grandma's mansion

© Chèvrefeuille

I was inspired through the emotions and feelings I felt in the haiku by Basho ... and it brought nice memories back about my grandma's mansion .... as children we could go adventure in her home and through her garden .... yeah .... only nice memories ... so I choose for the emotions, in this haiku more melancholy.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until May 4th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, End of the month, later on.