This cute little haiku from Basho tells the story of a well-meaning dog that made the mistake of disturbing a cat in heat, and paid the price for it J. It also has the connotation that a cat in love no longer fears the dog and cannot see anything beyond love.
My translation
Honest and sincere
Was he, the dog trampled upon—
By a cat in heat.
Original Japanese
全人な犬ふみつけて猫の恋
Pronunciation
Matoudo-na
Inu fumi-tsukete
Neko no koi
Literal translation
Innocent
Dog was trampled on
Cat’s passion
Notes:
1. Matoudo-na (全人な) can mean saintly, morally well-balanced, sincere, honest, serious. It is not a commonly used word. The characters can also be read as “all people.”
2. Fumi-tsukete (ふみつけて) can mean trampled down on, ignored, or spurned.
3. Koi (恋) means love, in the sense of passionate love.
Year:
2011
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