translated from the Japanese by William George Aston
The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.
From A History of Japanese Literature (William Heinemann, 1899) by W. G. Aston. This poem is in the public domain.
translated from the Japanese by William George Aston
An ancient pond!
With a sound from the water
Of the frog as it plunges in.
From A History of Japanese Literature (William Heinemann, 1899). This poem is in the public domain.
The light of a candle
is transferred to another candle—
spring twilight.
From Haiku Master Buson by Yosa Buson. Copyright © 2007 by Yosa Buson, translated by Edith Shiffert. Reprinted by permission of White Pine Press.
love between us is
speech and breath. loving you is
a long river running.
From Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums. Copyright © 1998 by Sonia Sanchez. Used with the permission of Beacon Press.