Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
It is time for an all new episode of "Encore" in which I share haiku by Basho, my haiku master, to challenge you to write an all new haiku inspired on the one I gave. Of course I will try to write an all new haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one given.
Basho was also a tanka poet although there are no tanka of him published. He is known by his haiku, but uses also tanka techniques in his haiku.
In the following haiku he uses words that are usually in tanka as we will see in the preface and comment by Jane Reichhold.
hatake utsu oto ya arashi no sakura asa
plowing a field
the sound of a violent storm
morning blossoms
(c) Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
With this haiku came a preface, as was very common use:
'On March 11, at the shrine of Shirahige in Araki village'. Usually in tamka the words 'arashi' (a violent storm) and 'sakura' (cherry blossoms) are combined in the fear that the blossoms will be blown down in a storm. So the 'wit' here is to combine these words with another (much more common) meaning.
The Japanese were very anxious as the wind blows while all the delicate blossoms are in full bloom. The Japanese are entwined with nature and when nature is in danger, the Japanese are experiencing the pain of nature their selves.
The delicate blossoms of the cherry trees and plum trees are famous for haiku, so I think that I will try a new haiku with one of these famous kigo (season word).
the spring storm
torns apart the delicacy
of cherry blossom
(c) Chèvrefeuille
For the Japanese this haiku is painful. As we know they are entwined with nature, but also a late spring storm that torns apart the delicate cherry blossoms is part of nature and ... when the blossoms have left with the wind they can grow those delicious cherries in summer.
Alright ... I will give a few new haiku on the delicacy of the blossoms. I was inspired.
do not scatter
the lovely cherry blossoms
oh violent storm
so fragile
the white plum blossoms
in the evening sun
Ah! that fragrance
delicate cherry blossoms
in the spring rain
(c) Chèvrefeuille
Well ... this time no long episode, but I hope you did like it and that it will inspire you to write an all new haiku or tanka.
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 16th at noon (CET) Have fun!
Really nice collection. In particular
ReplyDeletedo not scatter
the lovely cherry blossoms
oh violent storm
and
Ah! that fragrance
delicate cherry blossoms
in the spring rain
actually, the contrast between the sun and plum blossoms is so powerful, in your second one, the sun that created the blossoms then shows how thin and fragile they are...
so fragile
the white plum blossoms
in the evening sun
All these haiku are so lovely and have a strong Japanese flavour. In response I offer you something with a distinctly Australian flavour. :)
ReplyDelete