Carpe Diem Special #146, Etsujin's "covered with cherry blossoms"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you maybe can remember this month, as we are on the trail with Basho, all our CD-Specials are by one of Basho’s disciples. Today I have chosen for one of his greatest ten disciples Ochi Etsujin.

Ochi Etsujin  was born in Northern Echigo, but later lived in Nagoya. He is supposed to have been very handsome. He was the center of the Basho disciples in Owari.

"Etsujin" lit. means "man from Etsu" (provinces of Echigo and Echizen in Northern Japan). He wrote haiku under the pseudonym  Kinkaoo, which means “old man rose of sharon”

Etsujin was Basho’s companion when he traveled to Sarashina .

hana ni uzumorete yume yori sugu ni shinan kana

covered with cherry blossoms

if I could die right now
in this dream of mine

© Ochi Etsujin (Tr. Gabi Greve)

And here to conclude this short CD-Special I have another wonderful haiku written by Etsujin, it’s his Jisei (or deathpoem):

aki no kure hi ya tomosan to toi ni kuru

autumn evening -
"shall we make light?"
she comes to ask

© Etsujin (Tr. Gabi Greve)

This Carpe Diem Special episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 11th at noon (CET). Have fun!