Carpe Diem #1227 waiting for autumn (Aki tikashi, Aki wo matsu)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I had an amazing day today ... we had a wonderful nice, not to hot, summer day here in The Netherlands and my wife and i could be almost the whole day outside in the garden. I love my garden in every season, but especially in the tiny line between summer and autumn I love being in my garden. The leaves start coloring and the rains fall more often. Than I smell that nice perfume of wet earth and the starting of decay ... yes maybe this is my time of year.

Our classical prompt for today, waiting for autumn (Aki tikashi, Aki wo matsu), is extracted from the Kiyose, a collection of classical Japanese kigo (seasonwords). And it gives me the same feeling as described above. I am waiting, no longing, for autumn (Aki) and I can already smell it in the thin air of this summer day ... awesome.

autumn dreams

While I was doing my research for this episode I ran into several beautiful haiku with this theme, waiting for autumn, here is an example by Aioi Gakikajin:

Autumnal voices
in which of the windows
are there more?

© Aioi Gakikajin

And here is an other nicely crafted haiku. Deer start dating in autumn, and the lonely ones make a forlorn mating call that has become associated in Japan with lust and yearning:

Still with antlers, still
with love, the male deer —
— dashes!

© Kaneko Mukanshi

This second example makes me smile, because of the scene, but also of the true longing, waiting for autumn feeling in it. really an awesome haiku.

Longing for Autumn

Of course there are also beautiful tanka (waka or uta) about this waiting, longing for autumn. I found a nice one in the Man'yoshu written by Princess Nukata (ca. 630–690):

While, waiting for you,
My heart is filled with longing,
The autumn wind blows— 
As if it were you— 
Swaying the bamboo blinds of my door.

© Princess Nukata

And to conclude this episode ... I love to share the following tanka:

the scent of autumn
that sweet smell of decaying leaves -
after the rain - stronger
makes me think of days past
and my first real love ... 

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like this episode. I enjoyed creating it. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 31st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new "weekend-meditation" later on. For now ... have fun!