A Bee Poem by Matsuo Basho

A Bee

Rating: 3.4


A bee
staggers out
of the peony.


Translated by Robert Hass

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Fabrizio Frosini 09 June 2016

another translation: '' how reluctantly / the bee emerges from deep / within the peony ''

159 3 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 09 June 2016

it has been proposed by some critics that, by saying '' a bee staggers out the peony '', Basho is maybe '' attributing [sort of] human emotion to the bee ''.. Or maybe '' he is entering into the authentic experience of 'beeness' '' :) I'm not in Basho's mind, but -as others have pointed out- a more proper question would be: '' Is the bee inside his mind or outside ''? :)

157 2 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 10 October 2016

'' From the bottom of the pistil / the peony, the bee moves away / grudgingly '' [Bashō] In this hokku on parting (separation) , the bee represents Basho and the peony the host (Master Toyo) . The bee leaves the flower with great reluctance, thus expressing the deep gratitude of the visitor. This form of symbolism or simple allegory was a standard for the poets of that time, as it was for the entire poetic tradition.

92 1 Reply
Stanton Hager 15 September 2006

I usually STAGGER out of a Basho poem

15 20 Reply
Mr.Math 27 January 2020

Puns. Ah yes the puns.

0 0
Cristobal Benjumea 26 July 2022

Sinthesises, joy simply

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 30 October 2021

Excellentn brevity by the Classic Great Poet Matsuo Basho.5 Stars fullest

0 0 Reply
Mountain Man 19 March 2020

A bee stings a bee u, a bee brought me to realize they are important.

1 1 Reply
Hello 11 April 2019

Hi dhdbdhhdjdhdhhdhd

3 6 Reply
Samin Bakshi 30 June 2018

Drunken, by it's creation. Awakened, to it's demise. One see's, blind!

5 3 Reply
Matsuo Basho

Matsuo Basho

Iga Province / Japan
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