Carpe Diem #566, Crow

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Crow is our prompt for today and I think this bird is so autumn ... however I couldn't imagine first why Jane has chosen 'crow' as a modern kigo for autumn, because there are several haiku written by the classics about crows e.g. this very famous one by Basho:

kare eda ni karasu no tomarikeri aki no kure

on a bare branch
a crow has stopped
autumn dusk

© Basho

Basho wrote this final version of this seminal haiku, in 1689, five years before his death, which, according to many literary critics, ushered in modern haiku replete with its subtle yet profound power. It represented a revolutionary change from the shallow, pun-ridden, clumsy haiku of the Danrin  School that held sway at the time. In the words of R. H. Blyth, this 'crow' haiku by Basho was the watershed in "the setting up of his own, indeed, the creation of what we now call 'haiku."

!! By the way ... I am coming back on this famous haiku by Basho in a new feature which I am creating right now !!

Credits: Big Crow on Snowy Branch (woodblock print by Koson (1875-1945)

Or this one e.g. by Issa:

ki ni naku wa yamome karasu ka ama [no] kawa

cawing in the tree
are you a widow, crow?
Milky Way above

© Issa

And this is one of Jane's examples:

a crow's wing tips
sweeps from the clouds
dark rain drops

© Jane Reichhold

Isn't it a wonderful creature? But is it only for autumn? I don't think so ... but as I talk about crows there is an association with autumn or winter ... 

black on white

a flight of crows settles down

in an autumn field

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until September 23rd at noon (CET). I will publish our new episode, a new CD-Special, later on.