The fact that Saigyo composed a poem that begins, “I shall be unhappy without loneliness,” shows that he made loneliness his master.
MATSUO BASHOThis autumn- why am I growing old? bird disappearing among clouds.
More Matsuo Basho Quotes
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When I speak My lips feel cold – The autumn wind.
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Seek not the paths of the ancients; Seek that which the ancients sought.
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Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself.
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Learn the rules, and then forget them.
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A thicket of summer grass / Is all that remains / Of the dreams of ancient warriors.
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Make the universe your companion, always bearing in mind the true nature of things-mountains and rivers, trees and grasses, and humanity-and enjoy the falling blossoms and the scattering leaves.
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Come, butterfly It’s late- We’ve miles to go together.
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Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.
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Old pond, leap-splash – a frog.
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Awakened at midnight by the sound of the water jar cracking from the ice.
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No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your deepest devotion to it.
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Every moment of life is the last, every poem is a death poem.
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From all these trees, in the salads, the soup, everywhere, cherry blossoms fall.
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April’s air stirs in Willow-leaves, a butterfly Floats and balances.
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A flute with no holes is not a flute.
MATSUO BASHO