suzushisa ya / hono mikazuki no / Haguro-yama
What cooling freshness
A sliver of moon over
holy Haguro
Matsuo Bashō, Summer, 1689 Matsushima (translated by Andrew Fitzsimons in Bashō - The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Bashō).
Mt. Haguro is one of the Dewa-sanzan - or Three Mountains of Dewa. We stayed in a pilgrims lodge on Mt. Haguro and in the morning witnessed a rare treat (for Japanese and tourists alike), prayers at the adjoining temple.
Along with Mt. Gassan-san and Mt. Yudono-san, Mt. Haguro-san is a special, spiritual place for many. Bashō visited all three holy mountains and, of course, wrote poems about all three in the Summer of 1689.
kumo no mine / ikutsu kuzurete / Tsuki no Yama
The summit-like clouds
how many have crumbled now?
The Mount of the Moon
(Tsuki no Yama is Mount Gassan, which literally means 'mount of the moon' according to Fitzsimons).
katararenu / Yudono ni nurasu / tamoto kana
Forbidden to tell
of Yudono and my sleeves
wringing wet with tears
Bashō was frequently moved to tears.
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