Old Pond by Matsuo Bashō
"Old Pond" is a renowned haiku by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, composed during his peak between 1686 and 1691. This brief poem encapsulates the essence of the haiku form, following the traditional 5-7-5 syllable structure. The poem vividly presents an image of an ancient pond, described as timeless and tranquil, which is abruptly disturbed by a frog jumping into the water, creating a moment of sound. The juxtaposition of these two elements—the stillness of the pond and the sudden motion of the frog—invites contemplation of the concept of "sabi," representing a profound, objective loneliness. This stark contrast raises questions about existence and the fleeting nature of life. Various translations exist, with W. G. Aston's version often noted for its fidelity to the original Japanese text. Additionally, interpretations, such as that by Harold G. Henderson, suggest deeper meanings, including the frog's leap symbolizing a moment of spiritual enlightenment or awareness. "Old Pond" continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, serving as a gateway to understanding Japanese aesthetics and the haiku tradition.
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Old Pond by Matsuo Bashō
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: “Furuike ya,” c. 1686-1691 (collected in A Zen Wave: Bashō’s Haiku and Zen, 1979)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“Old Pond” is possibly the best-known haiku in English translation. Written sometime between 1686 and 1691, it is a product of the poet’s peak period. During this time, a number of the poems focused on the manifestation of sabi, that objective, nonemotional loneliness so difficult to define clearly in English, or in Japanese, for that matter.
This haiku follows the classical pattern of a 5-7-5 arrangement of the seventeen syllables in three lines:
5
A number of translations have been made of this famous haiku. W. G. Aston’s rendition is perhaps among those closest to the actual Japanese wording, and it exemplifies the notion of juxtaposing images without using connecting words.
The colon at the end of the first line denotes the ya, or the “cutting word” that separates the subject from the rest of the poem, leaving the reader to make an appropriate association between the elements. The first image here is an ancient, ageless, primeval natural phenomenon, the pond. Possibly for centuries it has existed in stillness—infinite, timeless. In an instant, that quiet is broken by the intrusion of the splash of a small, living (and hence recent, immediate) object. This contrast elicits the accepting, perhaps welcomed, feeling of loneliness as the two elements make contact. Harold G. Henderson provides a Zen interpretation by attributing symbolism to the frog’s leap: The jump into the pond symbolizes a sudden leap to satori, or spiritual enlightenment.
Bibliography
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Campbell, Liberty. To a Far Province with Bashō. Pittsburgh, Pa.: J. Pohl Associates, 1983.
Crowley, Cheryl A. Hakai Poet Yosa Buson and the Bashō Revival. Boston: Brill, 2007.
Henderson, Harold G. An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Bashō to Shiki. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1958.
Kerkham, Eleanor, ed. Matsuo Bashō’s Poetic Spaces: Exploring Haikai Intersections. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Miner, Earl. Japanese Linked Poetry: An Account with Translations of Renga and Haikai Sequences. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1979.
Qiu, Peipei. Bashō and the Dao: The Zhuangzi and the Transformation of Haikai. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005.
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Ueda, Makoto. Matsuo Bashō. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1983.
Ueda, Makoto. Zeami, Bashō, Yeats, Pound: A Study in Japanese and English Poetics. The Hague, the Netherlands: Mouton, 1965.