Analysis of The old pond

Matsuo Basho 1644 (Near Ueno) – 1694 (Osaka)



Following are several translations
of the 'Old Pond' poem, which may be
the most famous of all haiku:

Furuike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto

Fu-ru (old) i-ke (pond) ya,
ka-wa-zu (frog) to-bi-ko-mu (jumping into)
mi-zu (water) no o-to (sound)

Translated by Fumiko Saisho

The old pond--
a frog jumps in,
    sound of water.

Translated by Robert Hass

Old pond...
a frog jumps in
water's sound.

Translated by William J. Higginson

An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

Translated by Harry Behn

There is the old pond!
Lo, into it jumps a frog:
hark, water's music!

Translated by John Bryan

The silent old pond
a mirror of ancient calm,
a frog-leaps-in splash.

Translated by Dion O'Donnol

old pond
frog leaping
splash

Translated by Cid Corman

Antic pond--
frantic frog jumps in--
gigantic sound.

Translated by Bernard Lionel Einbond

MAFIA HIT MAN POET: NOTE FOUND PINNED TO LAPEL
OF DROWNED VICTIM'S DOUBLE-BREASTED SUIT!!!

'Dere wasa dis frogg
Gone jumpa offa da logg
Now he inna bogg.'

Translated by George M. Young, Jr.

Old pond
leap -- splash
a frog.

Translated by Lucien Stryck

The old pond,
A frog jumps in:.
Plop!

Translated by Allan Watts

The old pond, yes, and
A frog is jumping into
The water, and splash.

Translated by G.S. Fraser


Scheme xxa bcd bad e DFg x DFd h ddi i djx h dce k Dxe h dfd d kd jaa g Dej a DFx x dae g
Poetic Form
Metre 100110010 101110111 01101110 11 11 111 1111111 111111111001 11101111 010111 011 0110 1110 0101101 11 0110 101 0101101100 11101 0110101 11001 0101101 11011 1011101 11010 0101110 01011 0101101 01101 0101101 11 110 1 0101110 101 10110 0101 0101011001 1001110111101 111010101 1111 11111 1111 01011111 11 11 01 01011001 011 0110 1 0101101 01110 0111001 01001 0101110
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,300
Words 228
Sentences 22
Stanzas 27
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1
Lines Amount 56
Letters per line (avg) 17
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 36
Words per stanza (avg) 8
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 04, 2023

1:09 min read
4,532

Matsuo Basho

Matsuo Bashō was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. more…

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