SUMMER HAIKU MEDITATION

短夜や

夢も現も

同じこと

Transliteration:

Mizika-yo ya / Yume mo utsutsu mo / Onazi koto

English:

The short summer night / The dream and [the] real / Are [the] same things.

‘Olelo Hawai’i:

ʻO ka pōʻeleʻele pōkole o nā ahiahi kauwela / No kou mau moeʻuhane a me kou ola / ʻO kēia mau mea ʻelua i kūpono i hoʻokahi.

About the Author: Kyoshi Takahama (高浜 虚子, 22 February 1874 – 8 April 1959) was a Japanese poet active during Japan’s Shōwa period.

His real name was Takahama Kiyoshi (高浜清); Kyoshi was a pen name given to him by his mentor, Masaoka Shiki.

In 1908, Kyoshi began a full-length novel, Haikaishi ("The Haiku Master"), which appeared in newspapers in serialized form. This was followed by Bonjin ("An Ordinary Person", 1909), and Chōsen ("Korea", 1912).

After 1912, he renewed his interest in haiku, and published a commentary on haiku composition, Susumubeki haiku no michi ("The Path Haiku Ought to Take", 1915–1917). However, he continued to write short stories, edit Hototogisu, and wrote another novel, Futatsu Kaki ("Two Persimmons", 1915). In addition, he began to show an interest in traditional Noh theatre, writing some new plays himself.

Kyoshi wrote 40,000 to 50,000 haiku in his lifetime, which appeared in anthologies such as Kyoshi-kushū and Gohyaku-ku. His major postwar novel was Niji ("Rainbow", 1947).