Dynamic poetry · two-letter drift

The Old Pond, Crossing the Water

A pond, a shore, a tree in the wind. Two letters let the scene travel further. Read again from the top.

After Matsuo Bashō · English translation by Harry Behn
Dynamic adaptation by Tyler Burns

An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond—

Splash! Silence again.

Version 001 / 41 Original text

One or two letters are replaced in one word at each step. Every resulting word is an English word. The route follows three scenes, with stranger passages between them. The poem travels outward, then retraces its steps home.

Every version, in order

001

An old silent pond A frog jumps into the pond— Splash! Silence again.

002

An odd silent pond A frog jumps into the pond— Splash! Silence again.

003

An odd silent pool A frog jumps into the pond— Splash! Silence again.

004

An odd silent pool A frog jumps into the pool— Splash! Silence again.

005

An odd silent pool A crow jumps into the pool— Splash! Silence again.

006

An odd silent pool A crow jumps into the pool— Squash! Silence again.

007

An odd silent pool A crow jumps into the pool— Squawk! Silence again.

008

An odd silent pool A crow limps into the pool— Squawk! Silence again.

009

An odd silent pool A crow limps onto the pool— Squawk! Silence again.

010

An odd silent pool A crow limps onto the pond— Squawk! Silence again.

011

An odd silent pool A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

012

An odd silent pond A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

013

An odd silent sand A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

014

An old silent sand A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

015

An old splint sand A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

016

An old sprint sand A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

017

An old spring sand A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

018

An old spring pond A crow limps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

019

An old spring pond A crow leaps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

020

An old spring pond A crab leaps onto the sand— Squawk! Silence again.

021

An old spring pond A crab leaps onto the sand— Squash! Silence again.

022

An old spring pond A crab leaps onto the sand— Squish! Silence again.

023

An old spring pond A crab leaps onto the sand— Squish! Silence slain.

024

An old spring pond A crab leaps onto the land— Squish! Silence slain.

025

An old spring land A crab leaps onto the land— Squish! Silence slain.

026

An old spring land A crow leaps onto the land— Squish! Silence slain.

027

An old spring land A crow leaps onto the land— Squash! Silence slain.

028

An old spring land A crow leaps onto the land— Squawk! Silence slain.

029

An old spring land A crow leans onto the land— Squawk! Silence slain.

030

An old spring land A crew leans onto the land— Squawk! Silence slain.

031

An old spring land A tree leans onto the land— Squawk! Silence slain.

032

An old spring land A tree leans into the land— Squawk! Silence slain.

033

An old spring land A tree leans into the sand— Squawk! Silence slain.

034

An old spring land A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

035

An old string land A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

036

An old strong land A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

037

An old strong sand A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

038

An old strong wind A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

039

An odd strong wind A tree leans into the wind— Squawk! Silence slain.

040

An odd strong wind A tree leans into the wind— Squall! Silence slain.

041

An odd strong wind A tree leans into the wind— Squall! Silence again.