a cricket sings
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Cold night: the wild duck,
and sleeps awhile.Translated by Robert Hass
On the white poppy,
is a keepsake
A weathered skeleton
piercing like a knife
All the day long
All the day long-yet not long enough for the skylark,singing, singing.
The squid seller’s call
of the cuckoo.Translated by Robert Hass
Following are several translations
the most famous of all haiku:Furuike yakawazu tobikomumizu no oto– BashoLiteral TranslationFu-ru (old) i-ke (pond) ya,ka-wa-zu (frog) to-bi-ko-mu (jumping into)mi-zu (water) no o-to (sound)Translated by Fumiko SaishoThe old pond-a frog jumps in,sound of water.Translated by Robert HassOld pond…a frog jumps inwater’s sound.Translated by William J. HigginsonAn old silent pond…A frog jumps into the pond,splash! Silence…