Kusamakura

form of Danna-san or simply Danna. ↩

A small yellowish-green warbler, that sings with a peculiarly sweet note, generally but wrongly identified with the English nightingale. The uguisu never sings at night, as does the English bird, except as a caged captive under a paper cover, with a light burning near. ↩

Means an old woman or a grandmother with an honorific O; Bah-san is less formal. ↩

Inen was a disciple of Basho and a passionate lover of nature in her quietude. ↩

“Hark, the packhorse bells in the Spring breeze,
Even as they jingled in Inen’s ear.”

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A rustic air sung by a mago or packhorse driver and the like, always arousing pastoral associations of peace and care-freeness. ↩

“List, mago-uta, grey hair undyed
Spring is going again.”

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Oba means aunt and san a honorific affix less formal than sama. Oba-san is used in its broadest sense as is aunt. ↩

Aki is the name of a woman; in this case that of the old woman’s married daughter. O and san are respectively an honorific prefix and affix. ↩

Jo is daughter with the honorific sama, which becomes san less formally. ↩

“Wise that the bride went
After the flower season on horse back.”

This haiku was probably suggested by an old ditty: “Why tie a horse to a blossoming cherry tree? The flowers will scatter if spirited the horse becomes.”

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Same as O-Bah-san, only less polite. See 6. ↩

“Even like the dew drop
That when autumn comes,
Lodges trembling on grass
So must I roll off to die.”

↩

Obi is a lined belt, made of fabric of various texture used over the kimono, going two or three times round the waist. The Japanese woman’s obi is often made of very beautiful material, and is about eight-tenths of a foot in width and thirteen feet or so in length, so that it is a ponderous affair to wear round the waist. ↩

The semitransparent paper screen, sliding in grooves and serving the purposes of light-admitting doors in Japanese houses. ↩

“The crazy thing, it shakes dew drops off the aronia?” A blossoming aronia wet in rain is often sung as a beauty in ablution. Crazy must therefore be anyone who shakes dew drop off an aronia in bloom. ↩

“Shadow of a flower; shadow of a woman; both so misty!” An instantaneous picture of woman standing by a blossoming tree in the dim moonlight. ↩

“The Reynard in woman’s guise, the moon so misty.” The fox is often spoken of as “Shoichi-i,” which is the title of the Inari god, who is always associated with the animal. The fancy here is that the moon being so soft and dim that it will give the cunning animal an opportunity to assume a human figure, and the woman may be a fox in disguise. ↩

“A garland she makes of the midnight stars of Spring.” ↩

“It is Beauty loosening and bathing her hair in the clouds of a Spring night.” ↩

“Spring’s night this, how fair the singing one.” ↩

“Spirit of aronia lured out even the moonlit night.” ↩

“Song rises and falls, with Spring sauntering under the moon.” ↩

“How so alone, when fullest Spring is ripening!” ↩

Same as shoji, only mounted with wallpaper like stuff and therefore heavier. It also moves in grooves and takes the place of a door in Japanese houses. ↩

A shoji is often put in windows in Japanese houses. ↩

In Japan it is considered nothing extraordinary or improper for hotel maids or others of the sex, waiting on a guest, to help him to put on a kimono. ↩

Zen is the name of a Buddhist sect, credited with rising above worldly trammels. ↩

“Dews on aronia fly; ’tis morning raven.” ↩

“Shadowy the shadow of flower and the shadow of woman.” ↩

“Shadow of flower doubled the shadow of woman.” ↩

“It is lordling in woman’s guise in misty moonlight.” ↩

The three stringed Japanese guitar, often called Sangen nowadays. ↩

Generally means a Buddhist priest, implying respect. Osho-san is a less formal form. ↩

Same as karakami. ↩

A term of widest application. Scholars, teachers, savants men of profession or of speciality are all Sensei. ↩

Same as Danna-sama, only less polite. See 4. ↩

A round-head Buddhist priest, often pronounced “bonze” by Westerners. ↩

Buddhist priests from the youngest to the oldest keep their head clean shaved all over. ↩

Same as karakami. See 28. ↩

“Even as the gate of heaven opens
In the Spring breeze, fair one!
Show what is in your heart.”

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Colophon

Kusamakura
was published in 1906 by
Natsume Sōseki.
It was translated from Japanese in 1927 by
Takahashi Kazutomo.

This ebook was produced for
Standard Ebooks
by
Robin Whittleton,
and is based on a transcription produced in 2024 by
An Anonymous Volunteer and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team
for
Project Gutenberg
and on digital scans from