Post your favorite Haiku

[Brasil]

Haiku is a traditional form of japanese poem.

Brazilian Haiku:

Original version:
esta vida é uma viagem
pena eu estar
só de passagem

English translation:
this life is a traveling
what a pity I am
just passing

French translation:
cette vie est un voyage
quelle dommage je suis
seulement en passage

Italian translation:
questa vita è un viaggio
che peccato io sono
solo in passaggio

Haiku by Paulo Leminski

[alakungfu]

First autumn morning:
the mirror I stare into
shows my father's face.

haiku by Kijo Murakami

[JBI]

The Brazilian one by traditional Japanese definition is not a Haiku, because it fails to mention any reference to the seasons, but that is too nit-picky. Generally, the greatest traditional Haiku artists by the Japanese are thought to be Bushon, Basho, and Issa, The most famous Haiku is this;

old pond
a frog jumps
the sound of water

From Basho.

[alakungfu]

Poverty's child -
he starts to grind the rice,
and gazes at the moon.

-------------------------

The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.

both poems from Basho

[Brasil]

Japanese traditional haiku -

Kimonos drying
at the sun. And the small mango
of the dead child

Matsuo Basho

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brazilian haiku -

Original version:
outro outono
no chão entre as folhas
sonhos do verão

English translation:
another autumn
on the ground between the leaves
dreams of summer

Ricardo Silvestrin

[Isagel]

I really liked the one alakungfu qouted by Kijo Murakami! I must find more!

I have a a weakness for Chiyo-ni (1703-1775), and this haiku that displays such a tenderness towards beauty:

A morning glory.
Twined round the bucket:
I will ask my neighbor for water

My favorite one I have not been able to find translated to English, so this is my translation from the Swedish translation, with apologies to Chiyo-ni.

The mosquito net
A flap has fallen down.
The full moon.

I have read somewhere that in order to make a perfect haiku, as JBI pointed out, it should hint at the seasons, and also in some way display the shapes of a square, a triangle and a circle. I guess there have to be some kind of symbolic meaning to that, but I do not know what. If someone knows, please enlighten me.