Carpe Diem Special #112, Shiba Sonome's "an oak deep in the woods"

!! I publish this episode earlier than I normally do, because I am in the nightshift !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
What a joy to share another nice haiku written by our featured haiku-poetess Shabi Sonome (1664-1726), a contemporary of Basho. Shiba Sonome was a disciple of Basho's whom he admired. After the death of her husband, she earned her living as an eye doctor and as a judge of haikai. It should be noted that it is due to Basho and his ability to work with women that the amount of woman's haikai writings have been preserved which we have. One sees that most of these women gained access to the inner circle around Basho by being related either by marriage or blood to one of his disciples. It is possible that Shiba Sonome was one of the few to be accepted as a poet on her own.(Source: AHA-Poetry)

Credits: Basho Tree (Banana-tree/bush)

For this CD-Special, the next haiku by Sonome is the inspiration for you to write an all new haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one by Sonome.

yo ni hito no shiranu hana ari miyama shii

some blossoms there are
that nobody sees—
an oak deep in the woods

© Shiba Sonome

As I read and re-read this haiku again it felt like Sonome had written it for her master Basho, because, as you all know ... Basho means 'banana-tree' and that tree has blossoms that aren't rich in color, the blossoms of the banana-tree are inconspicuously and it's wood is useless. But he (Basho) is like an oak, he is the master of haiku and he can point you the magical world of nature and expose it to you all (The deeper meaning of oak is mysterious and deeper knowledge/wisdom). So ... maybe Sonome has written the above haiku for her master.

I ran into a haiku by Yozakura (1640-1716) ...

medatte  hana fukurou no  sakebi  fuu ni sureru oto bashou no ha

unnoted blossom
basho leaves rustle in the wind -
the cry of an owl

© Yozakura

searching for honey
the little bumblebee
in the hyacinth

© Chèvrefeuille

I think Yozakura wrote this one in honor of his master and friend Basho ...
And of course I have to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one by Sonome, but will I succeed in that ... we will see .

shepherd’s purse
trembles in the summer breeze -
bees seek for honey

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... it's up to you now ... to compose an all new haiku in the same spirit as the one by Sonome. This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until October 19th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, amanogawa (Sepetember 2013), later on. For now ... have fun!