Shinano's deep wooded mountains
even in Fifth Month...
cherry blossoms
Translation by David G. Lanoue
Shinano, present-day Nagano Prefecture, was Issa's home province. It is known for its long, cold winters and late springs. Cherry trees are supposed to bloom in the springtime, but in Shinano (in the poem) they bloom in Fifth Month: mid-summer by the old Japanese calendar.