Carpe Diem Exploring The Beauty Of Haiku #1826 Juxtaposition

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. This month we are exploring the beauty of haiku through several writing techniques. Yesterday I introduced to you "apokoinou", and I have seen already a few nice submissions.

Today I love to challenge you with writing a haiku in which you use "juxtaposition". Let us first look at the meaning of "juxtaposition". Maybe you remember our series about "Haiku Writing Techniques", I reproduce a part of the episode on "juxtaposition".

JUXTAPOSITION

Juxtaposition or in a more "visible way"; if a waiter served you a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the same plate, your surprise might be caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-by-side contrast, of the two foods.

Any time unlike things bump up against each other, you can describe it as a juxtaposition. Imagine a funeral mourner telling jokes graveside, and you get the idea — the juxtaposition in this case is between grief and humor. Juxtaposition of two contrasting items is often done deliberately in writing, music, or art — in order to highlight their differences.

Juxtaposition (in art)

I often hear that juxtaposition is a key to successful haiku. The contrast of two images in haiku is most often instrumental in creating resonance.

Robert Spiess, editor of 'Modern Haiku', has said the following about juxtaposition in haiku:

[...] “Juxtaposition of entities in haiku cannot be simply the throwing together of just anything; the poet must have the intuition that certain things, albeit of "opposite" characteristics, nonetheless have a resonance with each other that will evoke a revelation when they are juxtaposed in accordance with the time-tested canons and aesthetics of haiku.” [...]

An example from my archives:

perpetual snow

reflects the sunlight -

I dream of a nude beach

© Chèvrefeuille

Here another example, that renown haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), "frogpond":

ancient lake . . .

a frog jumps into it

sound of water

© Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

Juxtaposition 

Well ... what a wonderful writing technique this is. Now it is up to you to create a haiku in which you use the "juxtaposition" technique. Enjoy!

Here is mine:

such sadness

to see tears on young leaves

the bright sunlight

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 7th at 10:00 PM (CEST). Have fun!  >>> you can add your submission by clicking on our logo here below <<<

Carpe Diem Extra January 15th 2016 Tepid and Bittersweet

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As promised ... I have created a new CDHK ebook in which I have gathered all the entries for our 3rd and 4th kukai, "juxtaposition" and "peace of mind". I have titled this new CDHK ebook "Tepid and Bittersweet", it's a line from the winning "juxtaposition" haiku by Ese  (twitter):

tepid and bittersweet

in the last sip of coffee

departing summer

© Ese

It has become a nice ebook and I hope you will like it. "Tepid and Bittersweet" is available for free download at the right of our Kai.

Have fun reading and re-reading it.

Namaste,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Special #180 Ese's first haiku this month as featured haiku poetess "red dragonfly"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am proud to bring you the first CD Special of November 2015. This month our featured haiku poetess is Ese of Ese's Voice. Ese was our kukai winner of the "juxtaposition" kukai, earlier this year. Next to being our featured haiku poetess for a month, she also won the opportunity to create an E-book. Ese emailed me lately to ask of we could make her E-book next year, because of circumstances. Of course I agreed ... so her E-book will be published next year.

Maybe you can remember the haiku which brought her the winning one in our "juxtaposition"-kukai. I love to publish it here one more time:

tepid and bittersweet
in the last sip of coffee
departing summer

© Ese

A nice haiku I think in which we can find the "juxtaposition" easily. Here is her haiku to inspire you to write an all new haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry, trying to catch her spirit, her sense and tone in it.

how calm she looks
with beads of dew frost on her wings
-red dragonfly

© Ese of Ese's Voice

Ese gave me the freedom to choose from her haiku and I hope that she, and of course you all, will like my choice.

Credits: sips nectar

deep silence
a bumblebee dances through the backyard
sips nectar

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 7th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, messenger of the gods (wind), later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Kukai - Our third CDHK Kukai "Juxtaposition" call for submissions

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to announce the start of our third Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Kukai 2015. This time I have chosen to challenge you to write haiku in which you have to use juxtaposition, one of our Haiku Writing Techniques. I will explain it in short hereafter.

Juxtaposition or in a more "visible way"; if a waiter served you a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the same plate, your surprise might be caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-by-side contrast, of the two foods.

Any time unlike things bump up against each other, you can describe it as a juxtaposition. Imagine a funeral mourner telling jokes graveside, and you get the idea — the juxtaposition in this case is between grief and humor. Juxtaposition of two contrasting items is often done deliberately in writing, music, or art — in order to highlight their differences.

I often hear that juxtaposition is a key to successful haiku. The contrast of two images in haiku is most often instrumental in creating resonance.

Robert Spiess, editor of 'Modern Haiku', has said the following about juxtaposition in haiku:

[...] “Juxtaposition of entities in haiku cannot be simply the throwing together of just anything; the poet must have the intuition that certain things, albeit of "opposite" characteristics, nonetheless have a resonance with each other that will evoke a revelation when they are juxtaposed in accordance with the time-tested canons and aesthetics of haiku.” [...]

 

Credits: Juxtaposition (in art)

What is a kukai? Well it's a haiku writing contest in which the participants are the judges too. You can submit a maximum of three (new and never earlier published) haiku to our email address:

carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com

Please write "kukai juxtaposition" in the subject line.

You can submit a maximum of three haiku (no tanka) before August 16th 2015. After the closing date I will compile an anonymous list of the submitted haiku and will publish it here at our Haiku Kai (in the menu above). After publishing that anonymous list the judging period of two weeks starts. You can only judge haiku if you have submitted haiku for the kukai.
As judge you can give 6 points (3 points for the best haiku, 2 points for the second best haiku and 1 point for the third best haiku). As all the votes are given I will gather the points and will announce the winner and the runner-up.
The winner gets the opportunity to compile his/her E-book (a maximum of 40 pages) which I will create for him/her and he/she will be our featured haiku poet for September. The runner-up will be honored in a Tokubetsudesu episode.

Our third CDHK kukai "juxtaposition" is NOW OPEN for your submissions.

PS. The judging for our second kukai "summertime" is done and I hope to announce the winner and the runner-up later today.

 

Carpe Diem Time Glass #34, "juxtaposition"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's Sunday and that means time for our Time Glass feature in which the goal is to write a haiku (or tanka) inspired on a given prompt and image and share it within 24 hours. This week's Time Glass is a slightly different one as I normally do. This week's Time Glass is juxtaposition, a haiku writing technique in which to different images/scenes are coming together in one haiku (or tanka). To learn more about "juxtaposition" you can visit the "Haiku Writing Techniques"-episode "juxtaposition" or you can find it in our Haiku Writing Techniques e-book at the right side of our weblog or above in the menu.

This week I love to challenge you with two very different themes our prompt this week is "nude beach" and hereafter you can see the image you have to use too for your inspiration.

Credits: Snow Mountain

I tried it myself, mostly I do not share a haiku (or a tanka) in the Time Glass episodes, but this time I needed to do that to "show" what I mean as I ask you to use "juxtaposition" in your haiku (or tanka):

at the nude beach
the heat is overwhelming -
longing for the coolness
high up in the mountains
perpetual snow

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Do you see the juxtaposition in this one? I think you do. I first tried a haiku, but I wasn't satisfied with it, but I will give you that haiku here too:

perpetual snow
reflects the sunlight -
I dream of a nude beach

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... it's up to you now my dear friends. Try to write/compose a haiku or tanka in which you use juxtaposition as seen in the prompt and the image. You have to submit it within 24 hours.

This Time Glass episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and it will remain open until Monday July 6th at 7.00 PM (CET) ... just 24 hours to respond ... have fun!