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Poets/Matsuo Basho/A bee

A bee

A poem by Matsuo Basho

Translated by
Robert Hass
Collection
The Essential Haiku
Year
1994
Discussion
2 comments
Portrait of Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho 1644–1694

The poem

A bee staggers out of the peony.

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Reader discussion 2 comments

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Ray Rasmussen36 words
  1. annonymas United States

    WHERE THE #@!* IS THE FREAKING POEM??!!

  2. Ray Rasmussen Canada

    I like this translation better and it makes more sense as a poem to me. The Haas translation seems too cryptic for my ear.
    Ray

    How reluctantly
    the bee emerges from the deep
    within the peony

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