A huge frog and I,
staring at each other,
neither of us moves.
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Wonderful haiku with an Aha moment. After reading the earlier comments here, this 'ku has become all the more interesting to me. Well enjoyed!
-Charishma -
one of my favorites
I don't know why the translator made it a "huge" frog. Issa just calls it, "kawazu," a frog. Also, Issa ends the poem with the surprise word, "frog." In Japanese the images occur in this order: "having a staring contest, me...and a frog!" This translation spoils the joke, the revelation at the end.
I like Bopa Nelly's translation (comment above) but it should end with the frog:
eyeball to eyeball
I
and a frog -
these are the best translations I've read. I don't know Japanese but they do what these guys wanted to do - philosophising and being humble. They seem to me to lack a punch with most translations. here's another translation i found which illustrates this-
Frog and I,
eyeball
to eyeball.
Edited on Apr 09, 6:40 because ''. -
Hey...this is nifty. I am liking Kobayashi Issa's writing for the simple fact that it is interesting, direct and unqiue.
Perhaps this frog here symbolizes the rebirth, and his immobility reflects on fear of stepping into that spiritual realm ?
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In Egyptian mythology, Frog gods and goddesses were associated with the beginning or formation of the world, the symbol of the frog itself being that of resurrection and hence of renewed birth.
What does this frog stand for?
krishna -
Was he drunk? My mind is too tired to unravel hidden meanings!
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