The Results of the World Haiku Series 2020

The Results of the World Haiku Series 2020

Bashō’s Farewell Haiku

On November 28, 1694, Matsuo Bashō became critically sick with a stomach illness and died peacefully, surrounded by his disciples.

He did not compose any formal death poem on his deathbed, but the following haiku he wrote four days before his death was recorded as the last poem during his final illness, which is generally accepted as his poem of farewell:

旅に病んで夢は枯野をかけ廻る

Stricken on a journey,
My dreams go wandering round
Withered fields.

Translated by Donald Keene

Bashō fell sick in the summer of 1693, but he tried to go on attending haiku gatherings even while he was sick and poor in health. He wrote the last haiku above on November 25, 1694, when he was dying of a stomach illness.

Bashō’s Dreams

Whenever I read Bashō’s last haiku, I always wonder what Bashō’s dreams are.

In his dreams Bashō might have been traveling here and there, and might have met his disciples or his old haiku friends, composing and sharing haiku with each other at the haiku gatherings. He must have enjoyed communicating with anybody on his journey through haiku.

And furthermore, Bashō must have dreamed of traveling more widely and farther throughout the country, sharing haiku with more and more people.

In fact, Bashō’s dreams came true in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Haiku became more and more popular among Akita people in the feudal times.

For example, in the Innai Silver Mine in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, haiku was so popular among mine workers that they often held haiku meetings, writing and sharing haiku with each other. The workers spent their free time on expressing themselves and communicating with one another at the haiku gatherings.

On March 13, 1842, Bashō’s haiku monuments were erected in the entrance of the Innai Silver Mine for the 149th anniversary of the death of Matsuo Bashō.

Here are the photos about Bashō’s monuments.

Dedication

Dedicating their haiku to Bashō’s spirits, 101 authors willingly participated in the World Haiku Series 2020, sending their fine works of haiku from 29 countries.  

As a result, we offer in respect each haiku to the 326th anniversary of the death of Matsuo Bashō. And furthermore, we offer in condolence each haiku to all the souls of those who died from COVID-19.    

4 Categories & 101 Authors

Haiku on COVID-19 (4)

Satoru Kanematsu, Pravat Kumar Padhy,R K Singh,Keith A. SIMMONDS

Haiku (45)

Adam Wahlfeldt, Arvinder Kaur , Adam Kajzer, Antonella Seidita, 

Bakhtiyar Amini, Barbara Olmtak, Damir Damir, Dan Iulian, 

Dmitry Shestakovsky, Dragan J. Ristić, Ed Bremson, Eufemia Griffo, 

Goutam Dutta, Helen Buckingham, Hemapriya Chellappan, Hifsa Ashraf,

Ivanka Kostantino, Jolanta Kajzer, Kaa.Na.Kalyanasundaram, Kimberly Olmtak ,

K.RAJAKUMARAN, Ljubinka Tošić, Lucia Cardillo, Mike Gallagher,

Milena Nedbayeva, Mirela Brăilean, Mu.Murugesh, MUTHUKARUPPASMY LN,

Nagai Asaithambi, Nastya Babkina, Nikolay Grankin, Réka NYITRAI,

R.RAVI CELL, R.Srinivas prabu, R. Suresh Babu, Samo Kreutz,

Serhiy Shpychenko, S.J.Roshan Rajkumar, Srinivasa Rao Sambangi,

Tom Bierovic, Teji Sethi, Vasanthadheepan, Vassilis Comporozos, 

Vetripperoli, Vishnu P Kapoor, Vijay Prasad

Haiku (with photos) (34)

Angiola Inglese, Arunachalashiva Ravi Sankar, Daniela Misso, Dinko Sule,

Dušan Mijajlović Adaski, Elena, Elena Asch, Erin Castaldi, G. ANBAZHAGAN,

Giuliana Ravaglia, Henryk Czempiel, Jevaa. B, Jill Stockinger, Jo Balistreri,

Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi, kanchan Chatterjee, Ljiljana Dobra, Madhuri Pillai,

Manoj Sharma,  Margherita Petriccione, Masako Betsuyaku, Milan Rajkumar,

Mizuki Ishiwatari, M. Julia Guzmán, Mohammad Azim Khan, Mohan Lal Jangid,

Monalisha Gogoi, Nadejda Kostadinova, Neena Singh, Puduvai Thamizhnnjan,

Rosa Maria Di Salvatore, Rose H. Penhale, Shalini Pattabiraman, Vandana Parashar

Modern Haiga & Photo Haiku (18)

 an’ya, Andrea Cecon, Carmela Marino, Christina Chin, Christiane Ranieri,

Debbie Strange, Franjo Ordanić, Geethanjali, Hidenori Hiruta, Isabella Kramer,

Ken Sawitri, Lan Diep, Li Xiao, Marta Chocilowska, Natalia Kuznetsova, Pat Geyer,

Subir Ningthouja, Xenia Tran 　

Updating

The series begins on December 14, ending in September, 2021, with two or three authors’ haiku updated per week. Haiku of 4 categories are updated by turns.

Each haiku poet appears in the order of the names of the categories above, with ten haiku, bio, photos, or photo haiku. Ten English haiku are posted with Japanese translations.                                                                                                                                                         

Hidenori Hiruta

Akita International Haiku Network