06/06/2012

Seta at Lake Biwako

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- Seta 瀬田 -




Seta no Oohashi 瀬田の大橋 The Big Bridge of Seta at the Lake Biwa 琵琶湖.
One of the eight sights of Omi. Seta is the only river that flows out of the lake Biwa.


. WKD : Seta shijimi 瀬田蜆 corbicula from Seta .



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五月雨に隠れぬものや瀬田の橋
samidare ni kakurenu mono ya Seta no hashi

in the summer rains
one thing unhidden —
the bridge of Seta

Tr. Barnhill


in the endless rain of June
this one is not hidden -
the great bridge of Seta

Tr. Gabi Greve

samidare ... rain during the rainy season, now in June.





There is a stone with this haiku in Otsu. 大津市瀬田唐橋公園


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Hiroshige - Evening Glow In Seta


橋桁の忍は月の名残り哉 
hashigeta no shinobu wa tsuki no nagori kana

along the bridge beam
endures the fern of recollection:
farewell moon

Tr. Barnhill


along the bridge beam
the fern of longing survives
as the moon departs

Tr. Chilcott


Written on the 13th day of the 9th lunar month 1691. 元禄4年9月13日
Basho was at temple Ishiyamadera 石山寺 with 車要 Shayo and Shido 之道 and left for Edo about 10 days later. So this was a good-bye party of sorts for them.
Maybe he was thinking about the Seta no Karahashi 瀬田の唐橋 Great Bridge of Seta.

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.


tsuki no nagori - the moon's farewell
. WKD : nagorizuki 名残月 .
kigo for autumn


. WKD : shinobugusa 忍草 weeping fern, hare's foot fern .
Lepisorus thunbergianus. - kigo for all autumn


. Basho visiting temple Ishiyamadera 石山寺 .

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- - - - -  Fireflies from Seta


目に残る吉野を瀬田の蛍哉
me ni nokoru yoshino o seta no hotaru kana

held in my eye:
with Yoshino's blooms
Seta's fireflies


Basho recalls spring blossoms at Yoshino as he sees summer's fireflies at Seta.
Tr. and comment : Barnhill


"my eyes recall Yoshino's sakura in Seta's fireflies"

held in my eye:
with Yoshino's blooms
Seta's fireflies

Tr. Dennis Kawaharada



still before my eyes
cherry blossoms of Yoshino
fireflies of Seta

Tr. Reichhold

It seems that Basho must have seen a LOT of fireflies at Seta to make such a comparison: a 'cloud' of fireflies as it were, to match the 'clouds' of cherry blossoms.

- - - - - Further discussion of this poem and

蛍見や船頭酔うておぼつかな
hotarumi ya sendoo yoote obotsukana

. WKD : Fireflies from Seta .



この螢田毎の月にくらべみん
kono hotaru tagoto no tsuki ni kurabemin

these fireflies,
like the moon
in all the rice paddies

Tr. Barnhill

Written in 1688 at temple Ishiyamadera 元禄元年大津石山寺, looking at the fireflies of Seta.
They are a large variety of the Genjibotaru 源氏蛍.


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source : blog.goo.ne.jp/uo4/e

- With a man heading to Zeze - 膳所へ行く人

獺の祭見て来よ瀬田の奥
kawauso no matsuri mite koyo Seta no oku

let's go see
the Festival of the Otter:
deep in the hills of Seta

Tr.Barnhill

Written in the first lunar month of 1690 元禄3年1月.

dassai だっさい / 獺祭 "otter festival" - osomatsuri 獺祭り

The otter has the habit of catching fish and lining it up on the riverbank or his nest for a while to look at it. This is called "Dassai". It also means a person who likes to get a lot of books in front of him/her and enjoys the sight before beginning to study in depth.
Masaoka Shiki used to call himself "Dassai".

Here Basho reminds his companion that on his way to Zeze he might as well enjoy a trip along the upper region (oku) of the river Setagawa 瀬田川 and see some of the many otters living there.

. WKD : kawauso uo o matsuru 獺魚を祭る otter festival .
kigo for early spring - kawa-uso
One of the 72 seasonal points of the lunar calendar.


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名月はふたつ過ぎても瀬田の月
meigetsu wa futatsu sugite mo Seta no tsuki

this harvest moon
now even for the second time -
the moon of Seta

Tr. Gabi Greve

Written on the 18th day of the 8th lunar month, 1691 元禄4年閏8月18日.
In this year the full moon was seen twice because of an intercalary month. So Basho could enjoy the full moon of autumn twice.

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. WKD : Seta shijimi 瀬田蜆 corbicula and more about Seta .


. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .

. - KIGO used by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - .


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