black
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Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.

Matsuo Basho

The oak tree: not interested in cherry blossoms.
MATSUO BASHO

Flower Interest Tree
I felt quite at home, / As if it were mine sleeping lazily / In this house of fresh air.
MATSUO BASHO

Air Home Quite Sleep
Traveler’s heart. Never settled long in one place. Like a portable fire.
MATSUO BASHO

Fire Heart Place Travel
Year’s end, all corners of this floating world, swept.
MATSUO BASHO

Age Float Time World
Between our two lives there is also the life of the cherry blossom.
MATSUO BASHO

Live Nature Ourselves Tree
The desire to break the silence with constant human noise is, I believe, precisely an avoidance of the sacred terror of that divine encounter.
MATSUO BASHO

Avoid Believe Break Desire Divine Human Myself Noise Silence Sound
On a bare branch a crow is perched – autumn evening.
MATSUO BASHO

Autumn Evening
The haiku that reveals seventy to eighty percent of its subject is good. Those that reveal fifty to sixty percent, we never tire of.
MATSUO BASHO

Goodness Hide Mystery Poem Reveal
Come out to view / the truth of flowers blooming / in poverty.
MATSUO BASHO

Bloom Flower Poverty Truth
At the ancient pond the frog plunges into the sound of water.
MATSUO BASHO

Pond Sound Water
Harvest moon: around the pond I wander and the night is gone.
MATSUO BASHO

Moon Myself Night Water
I hope to have gathered To repay your kindness The willow leaves Scattered in the garden.
MATSUO BASHO

Garden Hope Kindness Pay
Winter solitude- in a world of one colour the sound of the wind.
MATSUO BASHO

Oneself Solitude Sound Wind Winter
Seek not the paths of the ancients; Seek that which the ancients sought.
MATSUO BASHO

Journey Path Seek Wisdom
The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.
MATSUO BASHO

Flower Myself Sound Stop Temple
The journey itself is my home.
MATSUO BASHO

Home Journey Myself

Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.

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Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.

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