Basho - Haiku Poet

Natsu-gusa ya
Tsuwamono domo ga
Yume no ato

Summer grasses
remains of stalwart warriors
imperial dreams afterwards

Matsuo Munefusa (his real name) lived between 1644-1694. Rejecting his noble samurai background, he spent part of his life wandering and studying Zen. During his latter years, he settled in Edo (present day Tokyo) where he composed his major body of work. He took on students after developing a reputation as an excellent poet, thus he was able to make enough money to support himself.

Munefusa would often retire to a simple hut woven out of banana leaves to work on his poetry. In Japanese, this style of hut was called a basho which was how he chose his pen name. Due to his many years of living in poverty and being alone for very long periods of time, his style of haiku is considered to be the most elegant in their simplicity and deep contemplation. He had the uncanny ability to capture poignant moments in nature and humble life in words.

Kono aki wa
Nan de toshiyoru
Kumo ni tori

This autumn
Why am I aging so
A bird flies towards the clouds

The basic formula for a haiku poem is: Three lines. Line #1 = 5 syllables. Line #2 = 7 syllables. Line #3 = 5 syllables. Usually, the first line mentions the season of the year, but can be at the end too. Obviously, the English translation/interpretations offered here don't follow this rule since the English equivalent to many Japanese words will differ in syllabic inventory.