Kino ini,
Kyo ini, kari no
Naki yo kana.
—Buson
Going yesterday,
To-day, to-night. . . the wild
geese
Have all gone, honking.
All lovers of wild life can share the grief of the poet as he laments
the departure of the wild geese for their nesting grounds. One
might ask where is the seasonal reference in this haiku. To the
Japanese mind, the flight of the wild geese from their winter home
is a clear reference to spring.