Shiki's last three Haiku
The next Haiku are Shiki's last Haiku he composed by his own handwriting 13 hours before his death(around 11 am.).
"Dishcloth gourd came into flower
I'm going to die
sticking phlegm in my throat"
"No matter how I get the water of dishcloth gourd
It's not enough to clear a large quantity of phlegm
amount to about 12 liter"
"I didn't gather the water of dishcloth gourd
on the day before yesterday(15th Sept. of lunar calendar)
which is good for clearing phlegm"
Shiki, symbolized himself as dishcloth in this Haiku, ended his life at the age of 35, in the moonlight of 17th night moon, in 19th Sept. 1902(Meiji 35).
"Shiki passed away
in the moonlight of 17th night
of the lunar calendar" (Kyoshi)
Kyoshi stayed at Shiki-an Hermitage on the night of 18th Sept.. He was unwilling to lie down and stepped down to the garden, "It probably was around the twelve o'clock. The bright moon was hanging over the trellis of dishcloth gourd".(referred to "Mr.Shiki and I" by Kyoshi)
Shiki fell into a deep sleep. Kyoshi came back to the parlor and dozed off in a little while, and then he was called "Mr.Kiyoshi"(his real name) by Shiki's mother.
Shiki had already breathed his last breath. It was just the time when the moon of 17th night in the lunar calendar brightened up more clearly and brightly in the center of the sky.
