Frogs

1. The splash of a frog
   Leaping into the water
   Disturbs the old pond
2. The splash of a frog
   Its leap into the water
   New for the old pond
3. Frog sinks in old pool
   Ever-increasing circles
   Spread from leaping splash
4. Cause frog; splash effect -
   Ripples surge through the old pond
   Newly spread by leap
5. Dive into old pond
   Through the rippling aftersplash
   Frog’s and poet’s eyes
   

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6. Behold the old pond
   Its silence loudly disturbed
   When frog takes a plunge
7. Pool forms a crater
   Then slurps its surface over
   - Swallows a frog-leap
8. Pool rests undisturbed -
   Shimmering surface shattered
   By frog's dive - ker-plash!
9. Old pool long silent
   Reborn as sounding circles -
   Leapt upon by frog
10. Old pond ancient pool
    Frog's jump leap-frog croaker's plunge
    Plop water sounds splash
11. Silent I repose
    Amphibian leap tempts me -
    Swallow up frog - plop!
12. There's this old pool, yeah?
    And it makes with these sound things -
    Like this frog jumps, right?
    

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13. The old pool - aha
    A frog leaps and plunges in
    The sound of water
14. The sound of a frog
    In water - plunges and leaps
    The old pond - aha
15. The old water sound
    And aha a frog of leaps
    Plunges in the pool
16. The old water in
    The pool - aha, a frog leaps
    And sound of plunges
17. The water sound of
    Plunges and the frog leaps in -
    A pool - aha - old

The last four haiku are, in fact, a working-through of a form of DIY haiku; the fourteen words of the "conventional" treatment of Basho's original in the first haiku of the final sequence of five are rearranged in a more or less indeterminate fashion, after the manner of composers such as Boulez; the reader is invited to continue the experiment.

1. Two-sided surfaces
   I intersect with shock waves
   - Quick sound, slow ripples...
2. ... Even faster light
   Puts Basho in the picture
   - Haiku lasts longest
3. Old pond dreams of youth
   Before noisy frog, Basho
   - One silent tadpole
4. Haiku's froggy start
   Second line no more than sound
   Then water finish!
5. Basho drowns in pond
   Big splash - but then no body
   - The rest is frogmen
   

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6. Full of roguish thoughts
   Told of challenge - and respond
   So understated
7. Crawls from restaurant
   Bellyflops into old pond
   - Completely legless
8. Basho awaits sound
   Mist resting on the old pond
   - Foggy froggy due?
9. Frog bores hole in pond
   Splasho, Basho.  Had enough
   Grenouille ennui!
10. Frog leaps in old pond
    Silently - but then she farts
    Basho got it wrong!
11. Frog leaps in old pond
    With a sound like five soft gongs
    - Basho fast asleep!
12. Frog leaps in old pond
    - Frozen solid since Tuesday
    Lands on head.  Basho!
    

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13. Frog leaps in old pond
    Press release is not required
    - Only a sound-bite
14. Frog sits by old pond
    Sound~Water~Interface~Leap
    Kermity meeting
15. Post modern frog leaps
    Pond protests violation
    Basho plays back tape
16. Ponderous event
    Playing a game of leap-frog
    Sound reasons for it
17. Frog~pond~leap~Basho
    An interesting sound effect
    Zen see what happens!

1. A froglet, a leap,
   Not just a splash and a sound -
   Angry Soup Dragon
2. Suddenly a lake
   Is shattered by tsunami -
   Megafrog leaps in
3. Frog splash - old pond laps
   Rippling round the swallowed plunge -
   The rest is silence
4. Suddenly awake,
   Basho's dreamt a frog-dive's splash
   The rest is silence
5. Suddenly awake,
   Basho!  Frog's just dived in pond
   The rest is silence
   

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6. Suddenly awake,
   Basho!  Try to catch frog, pond,
   Or there's no haiku
7. Frog pissed as Newton's
   Original gravity
   Falls in with a splash
8. Will the frog jump? Bet!
   While, all the while, dragonflies
   Flutter on the pools
9. The Leapfrog contest
   A resounding success says
   Our correspondent
10. The first spring crocus
    Blooms by the old pond. Then frogs
    - The first spring croakers
11. Zen monks sit round pond
    Make bets on the next frog sound
    No cash?  Owe Basho
12. Basho had his frog
    And Newton had his apple
    - Behold gravity!
    

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13. Monks writing haiku
    When ten Zen men pen then yen!
    (Basho keeps profits)
14. We behold the frog
    - Shotgun pellet right through him
    "He be holed, the frog"
15. Once upon a time
    Frog dives too deep, too quickly
    Suddenly ear ache
16. Once upon a time
    Frog leaps into the water
    Once a pond, a time
17. The frog senryu ends
    Variations continue
    The pond is silent

1. If Shakespeare had heard it first
   
   All the pond's a stage
   The frogs are merely players -
   Sound from the water
2. On listening to the "naïve simplicity combined with heart-rending passion" of a Janacek piano piece
   
   From overgrown path
   A frog leaps forlorn, soundless -
   Once there was a pond

One of the Basho Street Kids (Terimati's Great Disciples) 'explored bashofrogging trikully', introducing the idea of narrative into one of the Great Master's innovations, the triku (see "Beyond the Haiku").

Frog sitting quietly
Basho approaching noisily
Basho scaring Frog
Frog leaping suddenly
Frog splashing loudly
Frog inspiring Basho
Basho creating haiku
Haiku inspiring disciples
Disciples emulating Basho
Disciples creating variations
Variations comparing poorly
Variations multiplying daily
Haiku frustrating disciples
Disciples aping Basho
Disciples frustrating Basho
Disciples alienating Basho
Basho leaving disciples
Basho seeking solace
Basho finding pond
Basho approaching silently
Frog sitting quietly