reaching for a stone
down by the old pond — a splash!
is that you, Bashō?
NOTES
I was throwing discs (frisbees for disc golf) today, and one disc landed close to the pond on the property where Fálki and I are camping.
As I reached for it, I heard a splash that made me jump!
I figure it was one of the frogs I hear from our trailer in the evenings. I suppose it could have been a fish of some kind, but it was too loud a splash for that, I think.
That incident made me think of what is considered the most famous haiku. It’s by the haiku master Bashō, and the translation I like best is this one:
The old pond —
translated by Robert Hass
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.
So this haiku is a tribute to Bashō. (Btw, if you are curious, you can read other translations of Bashō’s frog haiku.)
You may note that I changed the disc to a stone in the haiku. I did that because I liked the sound of reaching for a natural thing, rather than for a piece of plastic.