The greatest of Japan's haiku poets and the greatest poet of his age, Basho raised the genre from a mediocre entertainment to serious verse and contributed greatly to its poetics. The work of his peak period is characterized by evocations of humankind's ultimate harmony with nature. He traveled widely, recording his journeys in his lyrical poetic diaries. He had numerous disciples, and haiku has remained a vigorous form of poetry to the present.
Cid (Sidney) Corman (June 29, 1924 - March 12, 2004) was an American poet, translator and editor, most notably of "Origin", who was a key figure in the history of American poetry in the second half of the 20th century. He lived most of his life in Kyoto, Japan.
