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1 8 P o e m s / F i t z s i m o n s from Bashō in Lockdown andrew fitzsimons A morning glory closing up in the daytime the lock on my gate asagao ya / hiru wa jō orosu / mon no kaki * To my brushwood door fallen tea leaves for my tea swept here by the storm shiba no to ni / cha o konoha kaku / arashi kana * In my hermitage a square of light on the floor the window-shaped moon waga yado wa / shikkakuna kage o / mado no tsuki * The east and the west the melancholy all one the autumnal wind higashi nishi / awaresa hitotsu / aki no kaze * For today at least let us all be the aged The first winter rains kyō bakari / hito mo toshi yore / hatsu shigure * The winter melons Each and every one with change written on the face tōgan ya / tagai ni kawaru / kao no nari * The year-end bazaar Couldn’t I get up and go and buy some incense? toshi no ichi / senkō kai ni / idebaya na * I’m drinking sake incapable now of sleep at night-time the snow sake nomeba / itodo nerarene / yoru no yuki * Rise and shine rise and shine I want to make you my friend sleeping butterfly okiyo okiyo / waga tomo ni sen / nuru kochō * My father mother so very much I miss them A kiji calling chichi haha no / shikirini koishi / kiji no koe * My hair growing out a blue pallor to my face the long summer rains kami haete / yōgan aoshi / satsuki ame * In my tiny hut the mosquitos so tiny a tiny mercy waga yado wa / ka no chiisaki o / chisō kana * Day by livelong day barley in the field reddens and the skylark sings hito hi hito hi / mugi akaramite / naku hibari * A morning glory even one painted poorly blossoms with feeling asagao wa / heta no kaku sae / aware nari *
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Thin at the same time somehow the chrysanthemum in bud yet again yase nagara / wari naki kiku no / tsubomi kana * Out there in the world it’s time to harvest the rice I’m in my thatched hut yo no naka wa / ine karu koro ka / kusa no io * A banked charcoal fire On the wall the silhouette of my companion uzumibi ya / kabe ni wa kyaku no / kagebōshi * Here on a roadway where nobody else travels The autumn evening kono michi ya / yuku hito nashi ni / aki no kure * They give off the look of a hundred years the leaves strewn about the lawn momotose no / keshiki o niwa no / ochiba kana 1 9 P o e m s / F i t z s i m o n s

1 8

P o e m s /

F i t z s i m o n s from Bashō in Lockdown andrew fitzsimons

A morning glory closing up in the daytime the lock on my gate asagao ya / hiru wa jō orosu / mon no kaki

*

To my brushwood door fallen tea leaves for my tea swept here by the storm shiba no to ni / cha o konoha kaku / arashi kana

*

In my hermitage a square of light on the floor the window-shaped moon waga yado wa / shikkakuna kage o / mado no tsuki

*

The east and the west the melancholy all one the autumnal wind higashi nishi / awaresa hitotsu / aki no kaze

*

For today at least let us all be the aged The first winter rains kyō bakari / hito mo toshi yore / hatsu shigure

*

The winter melons Each and every one with change written on the face tōgan ya / tagai ni kawaru / kao no nari

*

The year-end bazaar Couldn’t I get up and go and buy some incense?

toshi no ichi / senkō kai ni / idebaya na

*

I’m drinking sake incapable now of sleep at night-time the snow sake nomeba / itodo nerarene / yoru no yuki

*

Rise and shine rise and shine I want to make you my friend sleeping butterfly okiyo okiyo / waga tomo ni sen / nuru kochō

*

My father mother so very much I miss them A kiji calling chichi haha no / shikirini koishi / kiji no koe

*

My hair growing out a blue pallor to my face the long summer rains kami haete / yōgan aoshi / satsuki ame

*

In my tiny hut the mosquitos so tiny a tiny mercy waga yado wa / ka no chiisaki o / chisō kana

*

Day by livelong day barley in the field reddens and the skylark sings hito hi hito hi / mugi akaramite / naku hibari

*

A morning glory even one painted poorly blossoms with feeling asagao wa / heta no kaku sae / aware nari

*

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