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American readers have been fascinated, since their exposure to Japanese culture late in the nineteenth century, with the brief Japanese poem called the hokku or haiku . The seventeen-syllable form is rooted in a Japanese tradition of close observation of nature, of making poetry... Read Full Overview

An anthology of haikus--brief poems--by three Japanese masters. They are Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827), Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) and Yosa Buson (1716-1783). A sample from the latter: "You go / I stay / two autumns."

The Essential Haiku brings together Robert Hass's beautifully fresh translations of the three great masters of the Japanese haiku tradition: Matsuo Basho (1644-94), the ascetic and seeker, and the haiku poet most familiar to English readers; Yosa Buson (1716-83), the artist,... Read Full Overview