Edo Senryu: A Fake Letter Read as if by a Wife - Haifu Yanagidaru Volume 6, Part 1 by Karai Senryu

Senryu is a form of 5-7-5 poetry perfected in the Edo period by Karai Senryu (1718–1790). To distinguish it from modern senryu, it is called Ko-senryu (Old Senryu) . While the form perfected by Matsuo Basho is called "haiku" rather than "Basho," only "senryu" uses the name of Karai Senryu.
Old Senryu involved paying an entry fee to submit 5-7-5 poems based on a 7-7 topic, with cash prizes for the best entries. The selections made by Karai Senryu became popular, and the annual best works were collected in the " Haifu Yanagidaru " (1765–1840), which was published every year. We will introduce the sixth volume. This is the first of five parts.
In this article, after providing an easy-to-read version, I will list the entry number, the original text, and the 7-7 topic (called a "maeku"). When I get into the mood, I have also included my own free translation and a 7-7 comment.

Holding a child, the sumo wrestler is stiff all over

13 Holding a child, the sumo wrestler is stiff all over - What a bother, what a bother

A newborn baby seems so fragile that I'm afraid to hold it. When my baby first came home from the hospital, it was so small and fragile that I didn't know what to do, so I just stared at it for a while.
If a large sumo wrestler were to hold a small baby, it would surely be a terrifying experience for fear of breaking it. This poem was written from the perspective of such a sumo wrestler.
This is how everyday life is turned into a 5-7-5 senryu. "Soshin" means the whole body.
The 7-7 maeku is "What a bother" (mendou na koto). I wonder if the poem was created with the meaning of being awkward or unsightly here.
It was believed that if a strong person like a sumo wrestler held a baby, the baby would grow up healthy, so perhaps it is the thought of a sumo wrestler who was forced to hold one.

Holding the baby with trepidation, the first-time dad
It's so small, it feels like it might break

The reason the priest is struggling is having two households

59 The reason the priest is struggling is having two households - Just for amusement, just for amusement

A corrupt priest is keeping a mistress for his own amusement (nagusami ni keri). Since he has two houses—his main residence and a separate one—he is struggling financially.
A poem that satirizes a priest, who is usually a figure of authority to the common people.

The priest spends his nights at his mistress's house
He needs rent money and he needs stamina

Crabs lice, extorted by the wife

40 Crabs lice, extorted by the wife - He can only stay silent, he can only stay silent

"Crabs lice" refers to pubic lice. The wife caught pubic lice from her husband. So where did the husband catch them? The husband, unable to argue back (he can only stay silent), buys expensive things as his wife wishes. That is what is meant by being "extorted."

Contracting an STD and being sued for damages
A curable disease is still better than that

Reading a fake letter as if for the wife to hear

71 Reading a fake letter as if for the wife to hear - How deep, how deep it is

Reading a fake letter on purpose so the wife can hear it. There is a deep (fukahi-koto kana) reason for it.
Even in an age of male chauvinism, this is the figure of a husband who can never stand up to his wife. It captures the subtleties of interaction between men and women in a verse.

Pretending to receive a phone call during a conversation
How to decline a long conversation

Is a fake letter the equivalent of a fake phone call today? Since there are many scams involving fake phone calls and fake emails, let's be careful.

I have introduced many old Senryu poems so far. People from over 100 years ago lived while thinking about the same things as we do today. And they were likely relieving stress by creating 5-7-5 works.

The summary of the old Senryu poems introduced so far is in the following article.