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Sacred Mt. Haguro-san

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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