164Haiku 俳句
雀の子そこのけそこのけお馬が通る
すずめのこそこのけそこのけおうまがとおるSuzume no ko sokonoke sokonoke o-uma ga tōru
“Little sparrows, make way, make way! The horse is passing.”
The meaning
The poet worries for chicks in a horse's path. Such tenderness for so little: a lesson in care for the fragile, said with a smile.
At the origin
A haiku by Kobayashi Issa, famous for his compassion toward small creatures.
The characters
- 雀 suzumesparrow
- の noof (link)
- 子 koyoung, chick
- そこのけ
- そこのけ
- お馬
- が
- 通る
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
Make way today for something smaller than you.