Yanaka, Tokyo
Here are some of my translations of Haikai-no-Renga (otherwise known as Renku), a majority of them being composed by Matsuo Bashō and his pupils.
* In time I will be updating the translations, footnotes, etc, as well as adding new translations… Enjoy! (2007-03-29)
* I had no real intention of updating the site so soon, but what the hey... I'm adding a short sequence by Bashō and some guys from Nagoya. You may notice the format is a little different from most translations of renga, but this is how I've been rendering things lately. I think it reads more fluidly. Let me know what you think... (2007-03-31)
* This next sequence, Downtown (Ichinaka wa), is perhaps the most famous of the Bashō school renku, or maybe even the most famous at all. Yes, I'm fully aware that it's been translated before-- four or five times I know of. But another can't hurt, and I'm not sure if I've ever seen a full translation of the poem online. So here it is. Enjoy. (2007-04-07)
*
Sorry, folks. Haven't added anything new in almost three
months.
I started a new job right after the last update, which put
everything else on hold. Ah, well...
I'm putting up a somewhat rough translation of a kasen written by Bashō and friends during his sojourn of the 'weather-beaten bones' (1684 - 85) when he was staying in and around Nagoya. To my knowledge, this kasen has never been translated into English. Anyone familiar with Bashō will recognize the hokku.
There are nevertheless some rough patches in the translation where the text was more opaque than a brick wall (if that's even possible). I'll just have to make a point of visiting a certain nearby university's East Asian library to consult some annotated editions of Old Man Bashō's works. (2007-07-01)* Revised Umi Kurete. Not completely satisfied with it, though. (2007-07-04)
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All translations й2007 Sean Price dr_phinaes@yahoo.com