Haiku 3: The frogs cry: this rain...

Here is today's haiku:

蛙なくやとりしまりなき草の雨

And in romaji:

kawazu naku ya torishimari-naki kusa no ame

And English: "The frogs cry: this rain on the grass is out of control!"

This is a poem by Issa, one of many haiku by this poet about animals — and on that topic, see the brilliant book by David Lanoue, Issa and the Meaning of Animals: A Buddhist Poet's Perspective. Here is his comment about とりしまりなき: "The phrase he uses to translate their croaks, torishimarinaki, is an old expression for being "negligent" or "lax," especially in the sense of lax government. Issa humorously portrays the frogs as citizens protesting a state of anarchy in the weather." Of course, the weather is always out of control; the weather is one of my favorite metaphors for letting go and not trying to control things... because you cannot control the weather.

My vocabulary for today:

雨
あめ
"rain"