Quote by Matsuo Basho: “First winter rain, the world and I are young.”

This haiku captures a feeling of renewal and fresh perspective that can come with a change in season. It suggests that even in the face of winter's arrival, one can find a sense of youthfulness and deep connection with the rejuvenating world around them.

Bashō's poetry often intertwined personal feelings with natural phenomena, finding profound meaning in seasonal changes and the intimate relationship between the human observer and the natural world, a hallmark of Edo period haiku.

Seventeenth-century Japanese poet widely regarded as the master of haiku, a poetic form he elevated from light verse into a vehicle for Zen-infused contemplation of nature and transience. His travel journal Oku no Hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Deep North) is considered a masterpiece of Japanese literature. He spent much of his life wandering Japan's rural landscapes on foot.