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- Surprise
- The farmer who led the horse asks for a poem card, a rectangular card on
which one writes a poem and presents to a person. Basho characterizes
this request as yasashiki koto an expression of gentle sensibility.
This establishes a contrast with the sinister Murder Stone.
- Poisonous gas
- What actually vents from the ground around this stone is a combination of
sulphur and arsenic gas.
- Stream
- In contrast to the poisonous miasma of the murder stone is the kiyomizu of
the crystal stream. Here is where Saigyo is said to have stopped and
composed his poem, Shinkokinshu #262:
“¹‚ׂ̂É�´�…—¬‚é‚é–ö‰A‚µ‚΂µ‚Æ‚Ä‚±‚»—§‚¿‚Ç‚Ü‚è‚‚ê�B
(On the shore of this limpid rill/ beneath a weeping willow tree/
For a while I will lie still/ From the heat of summer free. H.H. Honda).
The contrast between Saigyo's and Basho's poems is that Saigyo comes
to this spot and pauses; Basho pauses and continues on his way.
- Province
- The ruler referred to here is Ashino Yasuyoshi who died in Genroku 5 (1692)
at the age of 56. For further reference see:
�‘Œê‚Æ�‘•¶Šw: , vol. 24, no. 7.
- Planted
- There is no specific mention of girls planting the field in Basho's text,
but the universal custom was for the fertile young women of the villages to
do the planting in the hope that they would convey some of their fertility
to the rice and insure a rich harvest.
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