Fleas, Lice

Fleas, Lice - context Summary

Composed During 1689 Journey

The haiku was written during Basho’s 1689 travel to northern Japan and appears in Oku no Hosomichi. Composed at the Shitomae Barrier, it records the discomforts of rustic lodging: fleas and lice and a horse urinating near the poet’s pillow. Published in 1702, the short poem serves as a concrete snapshot of the journey’s physical hardships, grounding Basho’s travel narrative in unromantic, bodily detail.