The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets

I keep ordering this small book again and again to give as a gift. Both the poetry and the presentation are exquisite. I love the book's compact size, which seems suggestive of the condensed beauty of the haiku it holds inside. I also love the artwork on the cover. Someone with a lot of sensitivity designed this book. The selection of poetry is equally compelling.

I purchased this to carry with me on a trip to Japan. Read it from the porch of a hut on a temple grounds where Basho had stayed. Buson restored the hut and choose the temple grounds as his final resting place. The poems are nicely translated in this small, portable book.

I brought this small book of haiku along with me on a nature walk last autumn to read for the first time. Being rather small, it easily fit inside my jacket pocket. It was a little after the beginning of the hike that I pulled it out and began to read the haiku starting in the section of Basho's poems. I would read a haiku and then think about it as I walked along the path. I can only describe it as being a wonderfully therapeutic process for the mind and spirit, and for the body too (from the walking itself). I thoroughly enjoyed Hamill's renderings of the haiku from the three recognized Japanese haiku masters and I also liked the poems from other somewhat lesser known Japanese poets. I recommend this for reading anywhere if you enjoy the haiku poetic artform -- but I especially recommend it to read on a walk in the woods.

Oh, such a delightful book! The title is taken from oneof my favourites by Basho beautifully and interestinglytranslated as:At the ancient ponda frog plunges intothe sound of waterThe book has over two hundred treasures. Buy copiesfor your friends and don't forget one for yourself!

I've been a fan of Basho and the others since I was in college. They have such a wonderful way of capturing the subtlties of nature in their poems and the haikus in this little book are no exception. It amazes me how with so few words so much activitiy and imagery can be conveyed. The Great Mystery is captured through these haiku. The book is small, about 4"x4" which is a nice size to take on a walk.Here are a couple to sample:At a roadside shrine,before the stony buddhaa firefly burnsThe clouds come and go,providing a rest for allthe moon viewersAnyway, I'm really happy with this set of Haiku. Highly recommended!!