Bashō Matsuo
6 quotes
Biography
Matsuo Bashō ; born Matsuo Kinsaku , later known as Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku.
"When composing a verse let there not be a hair's breath separating your mind from what you write; composition of a poem must be done in an instant, like a woodcutter felling a huge tree or a swordsman leaping at a dangerous enemy."
"Not knowing the name of the tree,I stood in the floodof its sweet scent."
"On this roadwhere nobody else travelsautumn nightfall."
"The journey itself is my home."
"At one time I was weary of verse writing, and wanted to give it up. At another time I was determined to be a poet until I could establish a proud name over others. The alternatives battled in my mind and made my life restless."
"Awakened at midnightby the sound of the water jarcracking from the ice"