A Bee

A Bee - context Summary

Composed at Genjū-an, 1690

This haiku, written by Basho in 1690 during seclusion at Genjū-an near Lake Biwa and published in the Sarumino (1691), reflects the period that shaped his later lightness style. Its spare image, a bee staggering from a peony, matches the pared-down observational poetics Basho developed while living quietly at Genjū-an. Read as a concise natural snapshot born of that specific creative moment.