Poetic Musings: "Six Realms" Haiku by Kobayashi Issa

roku doo no tsuji ni tachi keri kare obana

standing at the crossroad

to the Six Realms ...

withered susuki grass

translated by Gabi Greve

(note: The following allusive haiku was written by Yasunobu Nakamura

rokudoo no tsuji de yozakura to me ni au

at the crossroad to the six realms
my eyes meet
cherry blossoms at night

translated by Gabi Greve)

Written in 1819, Issa's haiku alludes to the Buddhist conception of "Six Realms," one that represents all possible states of existence (or, some scholars claim, of mind). These realms were traditionally conceived as real places, but now are interpreted mainly as an "allegorical description of conditioned existence,  or samsara, into which beings are reborn. The nature of one's existence is determined by karma" (Barbara O'Brien, "Six Realms of Existence: The Wheel of Samsara" ).

In Issa's haiku, the shift from the implied speaker's mental image infused with religio-existential concerns to a realistic portrait of withered susuki grass is thematically poignant. And the closing image enhances the tone and mood of the poem.

Below are Issa's haiku about the Six Realms, and these poems are translated by Robert Hass (The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa ,New York: Ecco, 1994)

Hell:

Bright autumn moon --

pond snails crying

in the saucepan

(Another version of Hell:

yo [no] naka wa jigoku no ue no hanami kana

in this world
over hell...
viewing spring blossoms

In it, Issa offers a striking juxtaposition: above, people enjoy a pleasant  day of viewing spring blossoms--drinking sake, eating, joking, laughing;  while deep below, poor souls suffer the torments of hell. The contrast  suggests that, for Issa, the opposite of hell isn't heaven; it's being in  this world on a day when the blossoms bloom. The poem is Issa's one-breath  Divine Comedy

-- excerpted from 1812, Haiku of Kobayashi Issa by David G. Lanoue

This haiku became Czeslaw Milosz's motto:

My motto could be that haiku of Issa -- “We walk on the roof of Hell / gazing at flowers.” For more information, see Dark Wings of Night: Czeslaw Milosz's Haiku Path and His Haiku-Like Poem )

The Hungry Ghosts:

Flowers scattering --

the water we thirst for

far off, in the mist

Animals:

In the falling of petals --

they see no Buddha

no Law

Malignant Spirits:

In the shadow of blossoms,

voice against voice,

the gamblers

Men:

We humans --

squirming around

among the blossoming flowers

The Heaven Dwellers:

A hazy day --

even the gods

must feel listless

Note: The Six Realms often are illustrated by the Bhavachakra, or Wheel of Life (a Tibetan Buddhist illustration of the cycle of death and rebirth in samsara).