Basho, M. (2004) "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" Translated by Dr Tim Chilcott. UK: @http://www.tclt.org.uk

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Photo by Daniel Hehn on Unsplash

Dear friends,

＜日光＞

卵月期日、御山に拝す。往昔、此御山を「二荒山」と書しを空

海大師開基の時「日光」と改給ふ。千歳未来をさとり給ふにや。

今此御光一天にかやきて恩沢八荒にあふれ、四民安堵の栖穏な

り。猶憚多くて筆をさし置ぬ。

あらたうと青葉若葉の日の光

黒髪山は霞かよりて、雪いまだ白し。

剃捨て黒髪山に衣更曾良

曾良は河合氏にして、惣五郎と元へり芭蕉の下葉に軒をならべて

予が薪水の労をたすく。このたび松しま象潟の眺共にせん事を悦

び、旦は羈旅の難をいたはらんと旅立暁髪を剃て墨染にさまをか

え惣五を改て宗悟とす。仍て黒髪山の句有。「衣更」のニ字力あ

りてきこゆ。

廿餘丁山を登って瀧有。岩洞の頂より飛流して百尺千岩の習に

落たり。岩屋に身をひそめて入て滝の裏よりみれば、うらみの瀧

亡申傅元侍石也。

暫時は瀧に篭るや夏の初

On the first day of the fourth month [20 May], we went to worship at the mountain shrine. In ancient times, the name of the mountain was written Ni-ko [the Mountain of Two Storms]; but when the great teacher Kükai built a temple here, he changed the name to Nik-ko [Sunlight]. He must have had the power to see a thousand years beyond, for the radiance of the shrine now shines throughout the heavens. Its blessings flow over the land to the farthest corners, and all the people live in security and peace. I was awestruck, barely able to tell it in words:

how holy a place ...

green leaves, young leaves, and through them

the sunlight now bursts

Mount Kurokami [Mount Raven Hair], though veiled in mist, was still white with snow. Sora composed a poem:

I shaved off mv hair

and now at Kurokami

I change to new clothes

Sora is his pen name. His real name is Kawai Sogord. He built a house beside the lower leaves of my basho tree, and used to help me with the chores of chopping firewood and drawing water. He was delighted at the thought of seeing Matsushima and Kisagata, and came to keep me company and share the hardships of the road. The morning we left, he shaved his head, changed into a priest's black robes, and took the name of Sogo the Enlightened One]. That is why he wrote the Mount Kurokami poem. The words 'I change to new clothes' I find particularly effective.

A mile or so up the mountain was a waterfall. The water leaps forth from a hollow in the ridge and tumbles down a hundred feet into a dark green pool strewn with a thousand stones. You can squeeze between the rocks and the cascade, and see the waterfall from behind. Hence its name

Urami-no-taki [Rear View Falls].

alone behind the

waterfall a little while -

now summer retreat

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