A Snowy Morning

A Snowy Morning - context Summary

Composed in Winter 1686

This haiku, written in 1686 and later published in 1689 in the collection Arano, captures a spare winter scene. The speaker alone chews dried salmon on a snowy morning, an image that reflects Basho's voluntary poverty and solitary life at his hut in Fukagawa, Edo. Its brevity and domestic detail evoke quiet endurance and the poet’s focus on humble, everyday presence amid seasonal conditions.