Who said "Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water."?

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Source: Haiku (1686).

What is the original Japanese?

古池や蛙とびこむ水の音. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

古池や蛙とびこむ水の音

Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water.

Matsuo Basho, Haiku (1686)

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What it means

Silence, a sudden splash, then silence again. Basho's most famous poem catches one ordinary moment so completely that it opens onto everything. Notice the small sounds; they are where the present happens.

The source

"Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water." Matsuo Basho said it in Haiku (1686). Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

"古池や蛙とびこむ水の音"

Original Japanese, Haiku (1686). Text read at ja.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). The master of Japanese haiku, who spent his last years walking the roads of Japan. His travel diary Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) is a classic of the form.

Questions

What does "Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water." mean?: Silence, a sudden splash, then silence again. Basho's most famous poem catches one ordinary moment so completely that it opens onto everything. Notice the small sounds; they are where the present happens.
Who said "Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water."?: Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Source: Haiku (1686).
What is the original Japanese?: 古池や蛙とびこむ水の音. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.
Is "Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Old pond. A frog jumps in. The sound of water." (Matsuo Basho, Haiku (1686), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/old-pond-a-frog-jumps-in-the-sound