The Narrow Road to the Deep North

I'm finding once again links that I have long loved and somehow lost in all the migrations of blogs.  This is a top favorite; it includes 5 translations of the entire Basho masterwork Narrow Road to the Deep North.  If you want to start reading Asian poetry, there are few places better.

Just one Haiku in the various forms:

from Narrow Road to the Deep North
Basho Matsuo

(uncredited)
The passing spring
Birds mourn,
Fishes weep
With tearful eyes.
(Britton)
Loath to let spring go,
Birds cry, and even fishes'
Eyes are wet with tears.
(Corman)
departing spring (ya)
birds cry fishes'
eyes tears

(McCullough)


Departing springtime
birds lament and fishes too
have tears in their eyes.


(Miner)
With spring leaving
The birds cry out regret, the fish
Have tears in their eyes 

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