Basho's "The weeping willow's hair"

Year

Sat, 2011-12-03 12:00

My Translation

Spring wind combs

Here and there—

The weeping willow’s hair

Original Japanese

あち東風や面々さばき柳髪

Pronunciation

Achi-kochi ya

Men men sabaki

Yanagi-gami

Literal

1. over there [east wind/spring wind] / [homonym = here and there]

2. [each one / all / every direction] [judge/handle/arrange/comb (hair)]

3. Weeping willow hair

Without the kanji, “achi-kochi” means “here and there.” With the kanji using a homonym for “kochi” it becomes “over there, the spring wind.” “Men men sabaki” can mean “each one doing on its own” or “do it yourself” when as a command. It can also be “in all directions combing its hair.”

Rating