An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
This is a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Matsuo did everything to qualify it to be a haiku, he has 3 lines and 17 syllables.
Bashō was born Matsuo Kinsaku around 1644, somewhere near Ueno in Iga Province. However, as a child Bashō became a servant to Tōdō Yoshitada, who shared with Bashō a love for haikai no renga, a form of cooperative poetry composition. The sequences were opened with a verse in the 5-7-5 mora format; this verse was named a hokku, and would later be renamed haiku when presented as stand-alone works. The hokku would be followed by a related 7-7 addition by another poet.
The poem talks about a still, quite night near a pond and the peacefulness of it. Soon the silence is disturbed by a small that jumps in, the jumps created ripples. Not to long after that the silence was restored and everything became peaceful again.
I chose this photo of a pond because it is still and quiet, but that could change if a leave or a frog touch it. The smallest things can have the greatest impact.