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A banana plant in the autumn gale by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694) Timeline Original Language Japanese Buddhist : Zen / Chan 17th Century A banana plant in the autumn gale -- I listen to the dripping of rain Into a basin at night.	Themes   Night   Sound   Water     Recommended Books A Box of Zen: Haiku the Poetry of Zen, Koans the Lessons of Zen, Sayings the Wisdom of Zen, Edited by Manuela Dunn Mascetti / Edited by Timothy Hugh Barrett Classic Haiku: An Anthology of Poems by Basho and His Followers, Translated by Asataro Miyamori The Complete Basho Poems, Translated by Keith Harrison The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson & Issa, Translated by Robert Hass More >>
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

Basho took his name from the Japanese word for "banana tree." He was given a gift of a banana tree by a student and the poet immediately identified with it: the way the small tree stood there with its large, soft, fragile leaves.

So, in this haiku, when Basho writes of "A banana plant in the autumn gale" he is writing about himself, so open to everything amidst the harsh, swirling activity of the world around him.

Then the next two lines switch to an internal awareness, the quiet "dripping of rain." Despite the torrent outside, Basho is in meditation, patiently observing the gathering of the raindrops "into a basin."

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
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