Ham nare ya!
Namo naki yama no
Usu-gasumi.
—Basho
Has spring come indeed ?
On that nameless mountain lie
Thin layers of mist.
“Nameless,” not because the mountain had no name, but because
the poet did not wish to single out one from the many beautiful
peaks in the Nara region. Note how Basho contrasts the beginning
of the season with the beginning of the day. Mist-layered moun
tains are commonly seen in Japan and would not be considered
remarkable by the ordinary person, but the poet sees and hails
them for their intrinsic beauty and as harbingers of the vernal
season.