spring rain-- a mouse licking up Sumida River 春雨や鼠のなめる角田川 harusame ya nezumi no nameru sumida-gawa One of Issa’s most famous haiku, admired for its  striking juxtaposition of great and small. Another version, written the same year, begins with "spring breeze."

after First Month I’m hooked on it... lucky tea 正月のくせに成つたる福茶哉 shôgatsu no kuse ni nattaru fukucha kana In an act of gentle transgression, Issa continues to enjoy fukucha: "lucky tea" of the new year season—even after that season has passed.

the little shrine is all azaleas... spring rain 神棚は皆つつじ也春の雨 kami-dana wa mina tsutsuji nari haru no ame Azaleas grace the Shinto shrine; their blossoms are prayers and the god's living embodiment to which Issa bows as he offers his poem. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

his first summer kimono-- hurry and grow into a menace! はつ袷にくまれ盛にはやくなれ hatsu awase nikumare-zakari ni hayaku nare Written about Sentarô”—Issa's son born in 4th Month, died in 5th Month, 1816. A Japanese adage claims, “A boy 6 or 7 years old is hated by all.”

not stepping on the shadow of the tomb's tree... sumo wrestler 墓の木の陰法師ふまぬ角力哉 haka no ki no kageboshi fumanu sumô kana Earlier that month Issa wrote a haiku about a sumo wrestler visiting the grave of his parent(s). Shadows can mark sacred places in Shinto.

harvest moon a mist-wrapped house... my life 十五夜の月霞む家も我世哉 jûgoya no tsuki kasumu ya mo waga yo kana Issa knows that the dazzling moon’s up there but can't see it—a fact that he sees as emblematic of his hard luck life. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

pinks-- one blooming thanks to the dew なでしこや一つ咲ては露のため nadeshiko ya hitotsu saite wa tsuyu no tame In Issa's faith of Jôdoshinshû (True Teaching Pure Land) Buddhism, the main prayer gives thanks to amazing grace beyond the control of ego. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

on New Year's Day, too standing "as is"... my trashy house 元日も立のままなる屑家哉  ganjitsu mo tatsu no mama naru kuzuya kana On a holiday for which neighbors have cleaned their homes, Issa’s “as-is-ness” reflects the non-striving doctrine of his Pure Land Buddhist faith.

plum trees blooming-- muddy straw sandals a little sake cup 梅さくや泥わらじにて小盃 ume saku ya doro waraji nite ko sakazuki A minimalistic but complete checklist. Issa has all he needs to enjoy the ethereal beauty of spring. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

sleeping alone so happy-go-lucky... paper mosquito net ひとり寝の太平楽の紙帳哉 hitori ne no taiheiraku no shichô kana The term taiheiraku once referred to a certain courtly dance plus music; in this context Issa uses it to say that he is indulging in happy daydreams.

tonight's moon-- each of these mountains like ones back home 月今よひ古郷に似ざる山もなし tsuki koyoi kokyô ni nizaru yama mo nashi Homesick? The mountains under the moon are comforting replicas of the ones surrounding Issa’s own native village. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

my hut's rice field alone... so green 柴の戸の田やひとりでに青くなる shiba no to no ta ya hitori de ni aoku naru Shiba no to ("brushwood door") is an idiom for a "hut" or "my humble home." haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

I wish I had a potted plant… flitting firefly 鉢植の一つほしさよとぶ蛍 hachiue no hitotsu hoshisa yo tobu hotaru Maybe Issa believes that a potted plant would be attractive and welcome to the firefly, pollen and nectar being food to some species. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

the year's not over but spring comes anyway... cats making love 年の内に春は来にけり猫の恋 toshi no uchi ni haru wa ki ni keri neko no koi An allusion to the 1st poem in the Kokinshû collection—a waka about spring arriving before New Year’s. The eager cats also jump the gun.

foolish bird-- after shedding your feathers now what? ばか鳥よ羽ぬけてから何しあん baka tori yo ha nukete kara nan shian Issa might be punning with two meanings of ha: "feather" and "tooth." The bird has shed its feathers; Issa has lost his teeth. What were they thinking?

one by one breaking in the cold… out-of-season blooms へしおりていよいよ寒し返り花 heshiorite iyo-iyo samushi kaeri-bana An allegory of human life? "Out-of-season blossom" (kaeri-bana) is a winter expression. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

lover cat-- cocks his ears to listen then back to sleep 恋猫やきき耳立て又眠る koi neko ya kikimimi tatete mata nemuru In a version two years before (1822), Issa begins with a "lazy cat" (bushô neko) lacking the energy to respond to another feline’s sexual yowl.

the patient child doesn't laugh... New Year's greeting しんぼしてわらは笑はぬ御慶哉 shinbo shite wara wa warawanu gyokei kana The child waits for his/her New Year's treat with a serious expression. Note the fun alliteration & assonance of wara wa warawanu. Very musical!

bamboo grove-- here, too, there's no perfection 竹林是も丸きはなかりけり takebayashi kore mo maruki wa nakari keri A comic allusion to the Pure Land Buddhist belief that the present world in the age of mappo is hopelessly corrupt. haikuguy.com/issa/new.html

thatched hut-- children suffer when parents feel cold 草の家や親の寒さが子にむくふ kusa no ya ya oya no samusa ga ko ni mukû A Japanese adage says, “Children pay for the sins of parents.” Issa has kids pay for the "coldness" of parents who keep the house too warm in winter.