Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Carpe Diem #154, Shuntoo (Spring lantern)



Dear Haijin, visitors, travelers,

This month is almost over. We have still a few days to go in this all classical Japanese kigo month. I have read wonderful haiku the last few days, but I am also a bit behind with commenting on all of your lovely posts. I hope to catch up, but please don't be sad if I haven't commented yet on your posts.


Today we share haiku on Shuntoo (Spring lantern). The first thing what came in mind was the Autumn lantern. When the evenings start earlier, nights getting longer, its time to get out the lamps (consider you have no electricity in the Edo period). 

It is a time for huddeling together and become quiet looking in a candle light.
It is also a time to sit in peace and read a good book under the lamp light.

But we are busy with Spring kigo and than the meaning of Shuntoo (Spring lantern) is a more pleasant thing, with evenings getting shorter. It's also a time to huddeling together and look at the sunset when the evenings becoming longer. Sitting on the terrace or the porch together with your loved ones. When the evening goes on and the sunlight becomes less, the shadows become longer and we enter the 'twilight', lighting the candles or lamps. Shadows on the wall dancing in the candlelight ... wow what a spooky, but also romantic thought.



Credits: Japanese Lantern (Edo period)

I have found a nice haiku written by Issa on Spring Lantern:


chôchin de tabako fuku nari haru no kaze


smoking a pipe
by lantern light...
spring breeze

A wonderful haiku I think. Very well ... let's do some haiku composing myself.

on the verandah

in the light of a Spring lantern
writing haiku

writing haiku

inspired on the wonderful sunset
a Spring evening

a Spring evening

on the porch with my beloved ones -
the sound of frogs

the sound of frogs

resonates through the Spring night
young leaves rustle

young leaves rustle -
lighting sweet scented candles
on the verandah

Well ... I was on a role as you can see. I like this prompt a lot and I was inspired. I hope that you all, my dear haijin, visitors and travelers, are inspired as well to write haiku on Shuntoo. This prompt will stay on 'til March 27th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Oborozuki (hazy moon), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). I hope to be on time, but if not my excuses there for. I am in the nightshift and so I will maybe not be able to post on time. Just as I did today. Sorry for this late post.





8 comments:

  1. Although it is way too soon for the verandah where I am, your last verse put me in the mood for a warm late spring evening with candles and whispering leaves. Nicely done!

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  2. Always happy to see your posts whenever you have time so don't worry. I love your sequence today.

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  3. I absolutely love your imagery and the lanterns. I can picture the romantic evening and the croaking frogs and singing crickets.

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  4. Some truly beautiful and inspirational haiku you wrote there Kristjaan, I am not sure about the troiku idea though. Wonderful write up as always - don't know how you manage it!

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  5. Really wonderful inspiring haiku .

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  6. Lovely cascade into warmer evenings. Thank you Kristjaan :)

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  7. Still didn't find an illustrative picture. Maybe I'll give it another try later. Thanks for all the work involved. Nice prompt today.

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  8. Your haiku is beautiful. I love the lilting, gentleness of it.

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