fragrant fresh shellac on
old snow shoes
the thrill of the chase
enjoy it every day
in five seven five
1824
老鳥の追れぬ先に覚悟哉
oi tori no owarenu saki ni kakugo kana
old bird--
even before the hunt begins
accepting the inevitable
Translator's note: "The old bird knows that it can't fly away from the hunters and their falcons.
"French translator Jean Cholley helped me to understand this haiku; En village de miséreux: Choix de poèmes de Kobayashi Issa (Paris: Gallimard, 1996) 219."