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Then he lifted his helpless old mother to his back and started on his painful journey up the mountain. The road was long and steep; the narrow road was crossed and re-crossed by many paths made by the hunters and woodcutters. In some place, they lost and confuses, but he gave no heed. One path or another, it mattered not. On he went, climbing blindly upward -- ever upward towards the high bare summit of what is known as Obatsuyama, the mountain of the “abandoning of the aged”.
After making arrangements for the food and water for his mother, the poor farmer lifted and tied his helpless, old mother on his back to take her to the mountain. He felt dejected while making preparations to abandon his lovable, helpless, aged mother, but he was in a compelling situation to do that.
The poor farmer started his journey. The mountain road was not smooth. The road was long and steep; the narrow road was crossed and re-crossed by many paths made by hunters and woodcutters. And so, in some of the places, it was confusing. Still, the poor farmer continued to walk and reach the mountain, as he knew that leaving his mother on the mountain was one of the kindest ways of killing her. And so, he never wanted to return to his home with his mother since it may have led to her murder in a violent way.
It never mattered to him which road he chose. He climbed up the mountain, proceeding upward blindly without any second thought, thinking that he should not go back but continue forward. 'Obatsuyama' means "abandonment of the aged". According to the story, "Obatsuyama" refers to a mountain "where the aged are abandoned". The poor farmer was about to leave his mother in a desolate place, with a heavy heart, as he was in such a demanding situation.
Meaning of difficult words:
S. No. | Words | Meaning |
1. | Narrow | Very short in width |
2. | Bare | Not covered by anything |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2018). English Standard-10. The Aged Mother - Matsuo Basho (pp. 120-122). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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