212Haiku 俳句
山路来て何やらゆかしすみれ草
やまじきてなにやらゆかしすみれぐさYamaji kite naniyara yukashi sumiregusa
“Mountain path — something quietly moving: a wild violet.”
The meaning
By a rough trail, a tiny flower stops the traveler. The humblest things carry a grace that fatigue suddenly makes visible.
At the origin
A haiku by Bashō composed on the road to Kyoto (1685).
The characters
In practice
On your most ordinary route, look for today's violet.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 214 梅が香にのつと日の出る山路かな Plum blossom scent — and suddenly the sun appears on the mountain path.
- 104 山高きが故に貴からず A mountain is not noble because it is tall.
- 181 秋深き隣は何をする人ぞ Deep autumn — my neighbor, how does he live?
- 209 夏草や兵どもが夢の跡 Summer grasses — all that remains of warriors' dreams.
- 218 雲の峰幾つ崩れて月の山 How many cloud peaks have crumbled away — and here, the mountain under the moon.