Happy 2026, everybody! Last month I learned a lot about New Year haiku and Japanese New Year customs from this marvelous book by Robin Gill, The Fifth Season – Poems to Re-Create the World. Highly recommended! (New Year's is the fifth season of the title, in addition to Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.)
I've also carried on posting haiku in Japanese (plus romaji) and my tentative English translations at my Japanese-learning + Buddhism blog, so here's a list of the haiku I worked on in December. I'm hoping for even more haiku-learning in 2026!
- あなた任せ任せぞとしは犬もとり: Trust in Buddha
- あばら家も年徳神の御宿哉: New Year Goddess
- あら玉のとし立かへる虱哉: Uncut Gem
- あれ小雪さあ元日ぞ元日ぞ: New Year Snow
- とくかすめ とくとくかすめ放ち鳥: Quick, Into the Hazy Sky
- とし神やことしも御世話下さるる: Toshigami
- はつ雪やもの書けば消え書けば消え: First Snow
- 元日や思へば淋し秋の暮: Lonely Autumn Evenings
- 初夢や秘めて語らず一人笑む: First Dream
- 山鳩が泣事をいふしぐれ哉: Mountain Doves
- 朝顔に釣瓶とられてもらひ水: Morning Glories
- 猫の子にかして遊ばす手まり哉: Cat's Child
- 猫塚に正月させるごまめ哉: First Month
- 痩梅のなりどしもなき我身哉: Scraggly Plum Tree
- 落花枝にかへると見れば胡蝶哉: Fallen Petal