だいみょうを Daimyoo o The daimyo
馬から おろす Uma kara orosu dismounts from his horse
さくら かな！ Sakura kana! It’s Cherry blossoms!
Another haiku, but it reminds me so much of the silly folktale (mukashibanashi) called Hanasakajiji, the old man who made the flowers bloom. Who stops to admire the sakura and gets ash all over himself? There were some sad, sad elements to this story and my students thought it was ridiculous and unfair. It wasn’t what they were expecting. Not all stories have romantic happy endings. And I think their reactions are funny.
