Carpe Diem #525 Buson (5), "a glimpse of dawn"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Slowly, slowly ... the end of this month is coming closer. It was a month full of haiku of the big five, Basho, Chiyo-Ni, Buson, Issa and Shiki. They all wrote wonderful haiku and you all did a great job every episode again with writing all new haiku inspired on the haiku by the big five. It makes me proud and humble to be your host here at CDHK.

Today we have our last haiku by Buson and I hope you all will be inspired by this haiku written/composed by Yosa Buson.

shira ume ni akuru yo bakari to nari ni keri

the night almost past
through the white plum blossoms
a glimpse of dawn

© Buson

Yosa Buson died on December 25th 1783 and the above haiku was, what we call, his Jisei or deathpoem. Even on his deathbed Buson wrote haiku as if he was painting ... what a gorgeous haiku he left behind as his soul travelled to Paradise.

Credits: White Plum Blossom (woodblock print by Kawarazaki Shodo)

It will not be easy to write an all new haiku inspired on the last one Buson wrote, but I have to try ...

white cranes

flying above the meadow -

church bells ring

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until July 29th at noon (CET). I will try to post our new episode later on, that will be the last haiku by Issa for this month.