In his perfectly crafted haiku poems Basho described the natural world with great simplicity
and delicacy of feeling. When he composed The Narrow Road to the Deep North he was a serious
student of Zen Buddhism setting off on a series of travels designed to strip away the trappings
of the material world and bring spiritual enlightenment. He wrote of the seasons changing of
the smell of the rain the brightness of the moon and the beauty of the waterfall through
which he sensed the mysteries of the universe. These travel writings not only chronicle Basho's
perilous journeys through Japan but also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world
around him.
