Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Carpe Diem #638, New Year's Eve (Shinnen)


!! I am a bit early with publishing, because of a busy day !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Happy New Year to you all. I am looking forward to another year full of gorgeous CDHK prompts and wonderful haiku. You all could have read in our prompt-list for January that all our prompts this month are classical kigo (seasonwords) for New Year (the fifth seasons, according to ancient Japanese history). An all new year lays ahead of us and as we all (maybe) do we have good thoughts and ideas as a new year starts e.g "make more time for the kids and grandkids" or "quitting smoking".
I have no intentions to change something in my life this year. I like my life as it is, maybe the only good intention is that I hope to comment on time here at CDHK and of course I will try to make an even better year of CDHK.

Happy New Year in Japanese
Today I start with our first prompt of January 2015, New Year's Eve (Shinnen), no need to explain that I think. So I will just share a few haiku on New Year's Eve for your inspiration.

A haiku by Issa:

kageboshi mo mame sokusai de gyokei kana

my shadow too
in good health...
"Happy New Year!"

Another one by Issa:

toshidama cha doko wo megutte mata modoru

New Year's gift of tea--
where did you go
on your journey back to me?

Both are wonderful "new year" haiku. Let me look at a few haiku by Basho on New Year:

haru tatsu ya  shin-nen furuki  kome go-shoo

has spring already come?
I feel wealthy this New Year
with five sho of old rice

ganjitsu ya  omoeba sabishi  aki no kure

New Year's Day
I feel lonely just like
an autumn evening

And what do you think of this one by our unknown haiku-poet Yozakura?

nanimokawara nai  mainichionaji kono atarashii toshini naru desho u

nothing changes
every day will be the same
this new year



All beauties I think ... will not be easy to write a haiku (or two) with the same strength, but I have to try:

New Year's Eve
the sound of fireworks resonates 
against the snow

(C) Chèvrefeuille

Or this one:

after the fireworks
the rustling of bare branches
nothing has changed

(C) Chèvrefeuille

Awesome ... I like that second haiku very much ... (how immodest), but sometimes I have to give myself a tap on the shoulder (smiles). I hope you did like this post and of course I hope it will inspire you all to write all new haiku and share them with us.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 3rd at noon (CET). Have fun!




12 comments:

  1. I agree - that second haiku is superb Kristjaan.

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  2. The second one is superb.. I agree with that...

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  3. Your second haiku is stupendous. No need to be modest! Happy New Year!

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  4. Happy New Year to the Carpe Diem Haiku family. I learned a lot about haiku from one and all. A special thanks to you, our host, Kristjaan, you made it an interesting year of poetry for me.
    I too love these two.

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  5. Mixing sight and sound in the second haiku is most appealing.

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  6. Happy New Year Kristjaan :)

    Wonderful haiku here-- both of them!

    Thank you for all you do for us here at CDHK -- you've encouraged all of us on this remarkable haiku journey -- and CDHK has gotten to be one of the best parts of my day. All the best to you in 2015!

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  7. Happy 2015 to each of you and many thanks to you Kristjaan for making this a place where all feel welcome.

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  8. http://theyyouandme.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/promises-haiku/

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  9. I just love that second haiku, Kristjaan, stunning sound and image!! Happy New Year and thank you for being such a patient and awesome mentor!

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  10. What a lovely post. Again. And you effortless summed up the sense of anti-climax in the haiku.

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  11. Best of the New Year to all.
    I have returned from several days away where I had limited time on the net.
    With a few days off yet... soon to return to normal; but then what is normal?
    Always creating... I wove (a new form?) my New Years' haiku.

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