Japan Exchange, outgoing, post # 4

Summer seasonal haiku 
by the greatest haikuist in history, 
(Matsuo) Basho

鴬の笠落したる椿かな　 
uguisu no 

kasa otoshitaru 

tsubaki kana

Uguisu in Japan are famous for their beautiful singing.  Nightingales, whose glorious night singing inspired Keats and others, are famous in the same way in England.  But Japanese uguisu sing during the day.

The uguisu 

have dropped their hats camellias 

all over the ground

Tr. Gabi Greve

            Daytime nightingales

                        Drop their colorful sunhats

                                    Camellia blossoms

            Tr. C.R. Kimmel

An old poetic convention has uguisu wearing little caps of plum blossoms.  Basho puts a twist on this folksy image by suggesting the birds have thrown off camellias like broad-brimmed farmer's hats. 
source : Liza Dalby

a bush warbler
drops its hat:
camellia blossom 
Tr. Barnhill

A bush warbler
Has dropped its hat from the tree:
A camellia blossom! 
Tr. Oseko

A warbler
Dropped its hat - 
A camellia. 
Tr. Saito / Nelson

Written in 1690, the Genroku Era, 元禄3年2月6日 in Iga Ueno.
Basho stayed at the estate of Hyakusai 百歳.
Nishijima Hyakusai 西島百歳 (?1668 - 1705, 4月26日) died at the age of 38.
Hakusai lived in Iga Ueno, he was the 5th son of Fujidoo Yoshishige 藤堂良重 and was adopted by the Nishijima family.
His name was Juuroozaemon 十郎右衛門.

This hokku [in other words, haiku] has the cut marker KANA at the end of line 3.