Senzai Hishõ

One of Portland's genuine treasures, and one of its secret gems that I most enjoy is its Japanese Garden. Saturday was cold and rainy, but the wonder of the Garden is that is is meant to be enjoyed in all seasons, and the rain lent the garden a rare beauty that is hidden from the viewer of only sunny days. So we set out up the rainy and winding path to seek what enjoyment we could find at the end.No one travels
Along this way but I,
This autumn evening.Won't you come and see
loneliness? Just one leaf
from the kiri tree.First winter rain--
even the monkey
seems to want a raincoat.Clouds appear
and bring to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon.Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps' nest.The years first day
thoughts and loneliness;
the autumn dusk is here.In all the rains of May
there is one thing not hidden -
the bridge at Seta Bay.Furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto

old pond;
a frog jumps into
the sound of waterWinter garden,
the moon thinned to a thread,
insects singing.The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms.My little daughter;
Is that burden not heavy
For your small fingers?(The Sakuteiki is a garden book with notes on garden making that dates back to the late seventeenth century. Its oldest title is Senzai Hishõ, "Secret Extracts on Gardens", and was written nearly 1000 years ago, making it the oldest work on Japanese gardening. It is assumed that this was written in the 11th century by a noble man named Tachibana no Tichitsuna.)

Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉; ?, 1644 – November 28, 1694) was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku.

(Thanks to the Portland Japanese Garden for the beauty of the outing, and Matsuo Basho for the beauty of the poetry...except for the last, which is my own and my daughter's.)