Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/387

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[Bashō’s technique in linked-verse demonstrated: by evoking the excitement caused by the blossoming of the cherry tree he gives a most dramatic picture of the arrival of spring in a dark wood.]

Kuromite takaki Kashi no ki no mori	Somber and tall The forest of oaks
Saku hana ni Chiisaki mon wo Detsu iritsu	In and out Through the little gate To the cherry blossoms.

Bashō

When the former verse was given, I thought how difficult it would be to add a verse about cherry blossoms without destroying the image of the forest of oaks. When I asked the Master to add such a verse, this was how he did it.

Translated by Donald Keene