What is the original Japanese?

荒海や佐渡に橫ふ天の川. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

荒海や佐渡に橫ふ天の川

Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven.

Matsuo Basho, Haiku, Echigo coast (1689)

What it means

A wild sea below, the Milky Way laid across the island above. The poem holds turmoil and vast calm in one look. Both are always present; choose which one you lift your eyes to.

The source

"Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven." Matsuo Basho said it in Haiku, Echigo coast (1689). Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

"荒海や佐渡に橫ふ天の川"

Original Japanese, Haiku, Echigo coast (1689). 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 "Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven." mean?: A wild sea below, the Milky Way laid across the island above. The poem holds turmoil and vast calm in one look. Both are always present; choose which one you lift your eyes to.
Who said "Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven."?: Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Source: Haiku, Echigo coast (1689).
What is the original Japanese?: 荒海や佐渡に橫ふ天の川. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.
Is "Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven." 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

"Rough sea. Stretched over Sado Island, the River of Heaven." (Matsuo Basho, Haiku, Echigo coast (1689), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/rough-sea-stretched-over-sado-island-the-river