Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands #4 Mariëtte Schrijver

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new Carpe Diem Special. This month I am introducing a few of my haiku colleagues from The Netherlands and today I love to introduce Mariëtte Schrijver to you. Mariëtte started recently with creating haiku and senryu and, as I may believe her words, she was immediately caught and addicted to this wonderful little poem from the Far East. I can imagine that feeling, because I had the same feeling as I started creating haiku back in the eighties.

I encountered Mariëtte on the Facebook page "Haiku het jaar rond" (A whole year of haiku) where the goal is to create haiku following the real season of time, so the haiku now are themed autumn. As I read one of her first haiku published on that FB-page I was immediately caught by her way of writing haiku. Very nice scenery and close to the beauty of nature. Mariëtte follows the strict syllables count of haiku and I think that's very strong for someone who just has started to create haiku. It also follows what we learned from Jane Reichhold. Jane told us: "When you start to write haiku follow the rules, but when you are a haiku poet for a longer period and have mastered the form then try to create your haiku in your own special way, without counting syllables. Than try to follow the fragment and phrase in your haiku".

As you all know I am not that "brave" in my haiku according to the strict rules, it's (so to say) not my "cup of tea", but sometimes its awesome to try to create haiku the classical way.

Here are a few haiku by Mariëtte Schrijver, I have tried to translate her haiku doing justice to the Dutch Original:

het dovende licht
laat laatste bloemen zingen
over de velden

the dying light
lets the last flowers sing
over the fields

© Mariëtte Schrijver (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

The above haiku she wrote as "caption" for this photo (© photo Mariëtte Schrijver) and I think it fits wonderful.

Another nice haiku written by her is the following:

de herfst haast zich voort
boom en wolken versmelten
met de grashalmen

autumn rushes
tree and clouds become one
with blades of grass

© Mariëtte Schrijver (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

As I was preparing this episode I ran through a lot of haiku written by Mariëtte, but not all her haiku are haiku I think, several of them are more senryu. Here is an example of a senryu written by Mariëtte (this one was already in English, so no translation needed). With this senryu came a beautiful photo by Mariëtte herself, it is made with IPhone-Art, this means the photo and the adjustments are made with the IPhone:

just a bit small talk
between the boy and a bird
nothing matters now

© Mariëtte Schrijver

As you have noticed this senryu follows the 5-7-5 rule in a great way. I hope you did like this introduction to the haiku and senryu by my fellow Dutchman Mariëtte Schrijver. I think she is very gifted and has found her own wonderful style of writing haiku (and senryu).

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 26th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands #3 Ria Giskes "six swans" (tanka)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is with pleasure that I give you another CD Special about Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands in which I introduce haiku poets from The Netherlands. This time I have chosen to share a few tanka by Ria Giskes. Ria Giskes writes mostly haiku, but she also writes tanka. I hope that you will like the examples of her tanka followed hereafter.

This is what Ria Giskes says about her passion ... haiku:

The ideal haiku to me is a short suggestive poem which shows you nature and all things around us as if you see it for the very first time:

a sparrow
conspicuously inconspicuous
comes closer

© Ria Giskes

Ria Giskes

And here are a few tanka written by her to inspire you. I have tried to do them justice with my translation.

losgelaten -

ver van de boom drijven ze
op het water
waar de stroom ze meevoert
naar het onbekende

released -
far from the tree they float
on the water
where the stream carries them
into the unknown

© Ria Giske (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

Swans

zes zwanen

middenin een tapijt
van veren -
rondom de kappersstoel
mijn witte plukjes haar

six swans
in the middle of a carpet
feathers -
around the barber chair
my white tufts of hair

© Ria Giske (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

Well ... I hope I have inspired you with these beauties by one of my Dutch haiku colleagues. Have fun!

This CD Special is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 19th at 7.00 PM (CET).

Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands #2 Jurgen Diepstraten

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the second CD-Special of Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands. In this month I love to introduce a few of my fellow Dutchmen who also are haiku poet. The Netherlands have a long history with Japan. This goes even back to the time of Matsuo Basho and Yozakura.

In this episode I love to introduce to you Jurgen Diepstraten. I met Jurgen through a Dutch Facebook page about haiku. And I was caught by the first haiku I read written by him. It was a wonderful haiku and I hope that my translation will do that haiku justice.

hoor de tijd verstild
zelfs hier zie je de stilte
weerspiegelt water

stilled time
here one can see tranquility
reflecting in water

© Jurgen Diepstraten (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

It wasn't an easy task to translate this haiku, but I think I did the Dutch version justice.

I don't know if Jurgen started haiku writing just recently, but in my opinion his haiku are wonderful, maybe sometimes more like senryu, but that doesn't matter, because according to Jane Reichhold is there almost no difference between haiku and senryu.

So here I have an other haiku by Jurgen Diepstraten to inspire you:

ruik de appeltaart
aarzelend omhoog dan maar
mijn oogappel plukt

faint-heartedly
my darling climbs up in the tree
the smell of apple pie

© Jurgen Diepstraten (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

As you can see in the Dutch versions Jurgen writes his haiku in the classical way following the sequence of 5-7-5 syllables. That makes it more difficult to translate them.

Jurgen Diepstraten is a gifted haiku poet and I look forward to what he will write more.

I have tried to create a haiku inspired on the haiku about the apple pie and I came up with the following haiku:

first frost -
a treasure for the birds
fallen apples

© Chèvrefeuille

Applesauce

And I found a few nice haiku in my archives:

harvesting apples -
sweeter than sweet a real treat,
grandma's applesauce

drizzling summerday
longing for the autumn weather -
harvesting apples

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 14th at noon (CET).

 

Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands #1 Jeanine Hoedemakers'

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have decided to bring this month a few Dutch haiku poets, my colleagues so to say, and as I am preparing this first episode of "Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands" I realize that I have taken up a real challenge. I have to translate the haiku of my fellow Dutchmen into English I of course will do that I only hope I do honor their work with my translation(s).

This first episode is about Jeanine Hoedemakers, a gifted haiku poetess, who has already published a few haiku books. I got to know her through the Haiku Kring Nederland (the Dutch Haiku Circle) several years ago. I was just a starting haiku poet and loved to make my haiku better. So I decided to become a member of the Dutch Haiku Circle. Jeanine then was coordinating the so called "chain letter" of the Dutch Haiku Circle. A group of haiku poets who shared their haiku with each other through a letter. I am still a member of that chain letter and I love it. It's a chance to read the work of others and comment on it to improve the haiku (or tanka) shared.

Jeanine is a long time member of the Dutch Haiku Circle and she always enjoys reading work of others and share her own work. She is a very active member of the Dutch Haiku Circle for sure more active as I am.

Jeanine Hoedemakers

Next to being a great poet, shae also is a very gifted photographer and painter. In this episode of "Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands" I love to share a haiga and a tanka to inspire you.

nu de rozenstruik
te groot werd voor de pot
moet hij de grond in
we moeten goed onthouden
zegt hij, hoe klein het begint

the rosebush
too big for the pot
should be earthed
we must remember
he says, how small it starts

© Jeanine Hoedemakers (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

And here is a beautiful haiga she created:

haiga Pair of Snails (photo and haiku © Jeanine Hoedemakers)

hij geeft haar een zoen nog een, bedelt ze lachend,

in slowmotion © Jeanine Hoedemakers he gives her a kiss another one, she begs with a smile, in slowmotion © Jeanine Hoedmakers (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

Of course there are a lot more beauties by Jeanine Hoedemakers, but that's maybe for another month. You can visit her (Dutch) website by clicking on the above given link.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 6th at noon (CET).

Have fun!