芭蕉以降みのむしの声は誰も聞かず 島谷征良
bashô ikô minomushi no koe wa dare mo kikazu
after Basho
no one has heard
a bagworm’s voice
Seiroh Shimatani
from “Gendai Haiku Hyakunin Nijukku” (“Modern Haiku: 20 Haiku per100 Poets”), edited by Kazuo Ibaraki, Kiyoko Uda, Nenten Tsubouchi, Kazuko Nishimura, You-shorin, Nagano, 2004
Fay’s note: “minomushi” (bagworm) is an autumn kigo (when I picked up this haiku , I thought ‘minomushi’ is a winter kigo). Ancient Japanese believed that a bagworm was abandoned by ‘oni’ (‘demon’ or ‘ogre’) and cried ‘father, father…’ Onomatopoeia of the sound ‘chi-chi’ is the same pronunciation of the word ‘father’ in Japanese. In waka and haiku, ‘oni no ko’ (demon’s child) is another way to say ‘minomushi’.
Blue Willow Haiku World (by Fay Aoyagi) 
Dear Fay, So often, when I submit a haiku that I feel has the essence of haiku in it, although it forms a sentence, as the above haiku you present, I’m admonished that there has got to be a cut – a juxtaposition – and no one feels comfortable publishing them. While I could change them – at this point I’m just collecting them as it. Like this one, there is a shift and a resolution. Perhaps you could shed a bit of light on this subject for me?
Many thanks for expanding my world a haiku.
Merrill-Ann: Basho (or whoever) said all 48 letters in Japanese alphabet can be ‘kire-ji’ (cut word). In this haik, (my personal opinion) the poet juxtapose ‘Basho’ and ‘bagworm.’ He might want to indicate we are bagworms abandoned by a powerful father.
In English, you have to have a strongER juxtaposition; otherwise, haiku sounds like a sentence (unfortunately?). I do not believe every haiku should be ‘strongly’ juxtaposed, and as you can see, some haiku I introduced in this blog do not have ‘clear’ juxtaposition. Sometimes I translate in a way English reader can see two images easily.
Does this help?????? Or we can continue ‘conversation’ privately.
P.S. Please forgive my typo: It should read, “I’m just collecting them as is.”
Here is the haiku by Basho
minomushi no ne o kiki ni koyo kusa no io
Come listen
to the sound of the bagworm! –
a grass hut
Matsuo Basho
tr. Shirane
Thank you, Gabi!!!
Dear Fay, You are a jewel! I’m so glad you have this blog since I learn so much from it… Just studying the haiku you present enlarge my understanding and your clear answers to my questions speaks volumes… I’m also glad for Gabi too. While I am working on my own direction, I have much to learn from both of you and I count myself most fortunate. Happy thanksgiving! Merrill