The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages.

What it means

Basho opens his great travel diary by calling time itself a traveler: the years pass through like guests. Nothing stays; everything is on the road. Treat your days as a journey, not a holding pattern.

The source

"The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages." Matsuo Basho said it in Oku no Hosomichi (1702), opening. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

"月日は百代の過客にしてゆきかふ年も又旅人なり"

Original Japanese, Oku no Hosomichi (1702), opening. 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 "The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages." mean?

Basho opens his great travel diary by calling time itself a traveler: the years pass through like guests. Nothing stays; everything is on the road. Treat your days as a journey, not a holding pattern.

Who said "The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages."?

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Source: Oku no Hosomichi (1702), opening.

What is the original Japanese?

月日は百代の過客にしてゆきかふ年も又旅人なり. Translated from the original Japanese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages." on a shirt?

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

"The months and days are travelers of a hundred ages." (Matsuo Basho, Oku no Hosomichi (1702), opening, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/the-months-and-days-are-travelers-of-a