かぎり有命のひまや秋のくれ
kagiri aru inochi no himaya aki no kure
Life is short, a fact that the autumn reminds us of as nature fades away for the year. But even in the face of a limited life, some quiet free time can feel like forever.
I'm sure we've all been here. The kids go out for the day, there is no work to do, we have an hour or more of free time stretch out out before us. We know it isn't all that long and will end soon, but for that one moment (as we sip the hot tea or coffee we just made and relax in our chair), it seems like it could last forever. Buson captures that feeling wonderfully here. Life is short, but this moment: forever.
The kigo here is aki no kure, autumn evening. It is a kigo for all of autumn. It might refer to an autumn evening or it sometimes refers to the end of the autumn season, the evening of autumn so to speak (i.e., late autumn).
In ancient times this kigo was used fairly directly, to refer to the season itself and our ability to enjoy it, as it is usually still warm enough to be outside. By Bashō’s time the meaning shifted slightly and was used to express the sadness at or awareness of the impermanence of life (物の哀れ, mono no aware) and melancholy or the feeling of aloneness (寂しさ, sabishisa).
| David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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