Norman Darlo
There are generally acknowledged to be four great masters of haiku poetry: Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki, spanning the 17th century to the 20th. Each has his own style. Can you identify the author in each case? Even if you’re not familiar with haiku, take a read through these 10 tiny poems and enjoy! Share your results in the comments below 🙂
All translations by Robin D. Gill from The Fifth Season.
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Question of
even our cat / polishes her face: this gem / of a spring day!
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
year after year / a monkey wearing / a monkey’s mask
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
the first sky / fashioned right now / by my smoke
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
it’s new year’s / now where is a house / that will feed me?
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
on this morning / the sun first shines / from a fish-head
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
a mountain village / the first-sun is welcomed / about ten oclock
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
feeling spring / enter from somewhere / as i awaken
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
the expectation / of children betrayed / a cloudy first-day
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
at my house / new year’s day starts / after noon
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
new year’s day / i think of a lonely / autumn dusk
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Question of
it’s a warbler / pooping on the rice cake / drying outside
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Basho
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Buson
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Issa
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Shiki
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Shared on Facebook 10/7/17
Interesting pieces… needless to say I did badly at guessing the authors… lol; don’t know any of them!
Thanks for having a go anyway, AC 🙂
Lovely Norman … kala Ramesh here!
I got 5 right :))
Much enjoyed
Hi Kala – good to see you here! Some of these ran counter to expectations, I found 🙂
I got 3 right
That seems to be about average, Edith 🙂 More important to enjoy these micropoems than to guess the right author, I reckon. Thanks for playing!
only 3 correct.
Never mind that! I hope you enjoyed the poetry 🙂
I was reluctant to play the quiz initially but then I thought why not. I am glad I tried though I got an abysmal score. 3/11
Well I’m glad you changed your mind – actually who cares about the score? 🙂 And I’m often in just that position when I see a quiz I feel sure (usually correctly) that’ll do dismally in. I’m glad you played 🙂
5/11 not really familiar but this is a fun quiz!
You did rather well for someone unfamiliar with haiku, Gina! Glad you enjoyed 🙂