Have somehow been remiss in posting any haiku recently. Not in reading and enjoying them on a near daily basis, but just haven't taken the time to type out the characters, look for an adequate picture and then format the results. The hototogisu - 時鳥 [Cuculus sp.] is a bird in Japan that somewhat resembles the British cuckoo, but is grey to blackish with white blotches. In the Japanese countryside it sings, day and night, from early summer until late autumn.
This haiku was written by Masaoka Shiki [1876-1902], who was from Matsuyama in Shikoku.
In this exquisite poem the moon rises and is seen behind some branches, a gust of wind moves the dry summer grasses below and they begin to rustle lightly, and at that moment the hototogisu begins his melancholy night song. It is the near perfect combination of sight, movement and sound. It is complete and nothing more is required, as the moon continues to climb higher and higher into the summer sky.
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