ON LOVE AND BARLEY: HAIKU OF BASHO

By combining the ideals of 'karumi' - lightness of touch - and oneness with nature, Basho rose above the artificiality of previous haiku poets to become the new master of the genre. A follower of the Zen sect of Buddhism, he spent much of his life traveling, and his exquisite compositions reveal an inspired and dedicated perfectionist who constantly seeks to express himself in the purest possible form. In these limpid translation Lucien Stryk captures the feeling of the original poems with an artistry that their creator could not have failed to admire.