Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #105 Turn Back Time ... a special feature for our 7th brithday

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday October 6th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first weekend meditation of our anniversary month October 2019. This month we are celebrating our 7th anniversary ... and especially for this month I have created a new feature for our weekend meditation. I have titled it "Carpe Diem's Turn Back Time". I think you all will understand that this special feature will bring us back in time ... In this special feature I will challenge you with a few features we have had here at our wonderful Haiku Kai during our existence. For this special feature I have created a new logo also:

credits

In this first weekend meditation I love to take you back in time to one of the first special features I created, Carpe Diem Special. That feature I created to bring the so called "big five haiku masters" to your attention and for your inspiration. The "big five" are: Basho, Buson, Chiyo-Ni, Issa and Shiki ... they all have been the theme for that first special feature "Carpe Diem Special" and I love to Turn Back Time to December 29th 2012 to an episode titled "Ancient Road". This title was taken from a haiku by Yosa Buson (1716-1784):

furumichito kikeba yukashiki yukino shita

"An ancient road," they say
How charming
Though beneath this snow.

© Yosa Buson

The Samurai's Mountain Road

Maybe Buson walked on this Samurai Moutain Road in the middle of winter. The road beneath a blanket of snow isn't seen very well.

Let me tell you a little bit about the "Samourai's Mountain Road": In the days of the samurai, two ancient roads linked Japan’s great cities of Kyoto (the home of the sacred emperor) and Edo (the seat of the shogun and the place we now call Tokyo). One road followed the sea coast; the other wound its way through the forested hills of central Japan and was simply called the Nakasendo – the road within the mountains. Both bore regularly the tramp of marching feet as armies of samurai, dressed in their finest, accompanied their lords on their way to pay his annual respects to the shogun. Should two marching columns meet the social inferior was required to dismount and his men pull respectfully back to one side to allow the nobler lord to pass by.

Nowadays these roads are frequented by a lot of feet, but not of Samurai anymore, but of tourists and hikers.

Somewhere Along the Samourai's Mountain Road

What a joy to Turn Back Time ... this brings sweet memories back to me. I wasn't sure if I would continue with Carpe Diem Haiku Kai back in December 2012, because of the time I had to spend to it. An every day post wasn't always possible back than, but (as you all know) that's a problem sometimes too in our recent time.
The goal of this special feature is to create a Japanese poem, like haiku or tanka, inspired on the haiku by Buson (or the one by Basho).

If you would like to read the mentioned CD Special than you can find it HERE.

To conclude this first weekend meditation I have a nice haiku by Basho for you that in a way has to do with the Samurai's Mountain Road:

waving long grass
all that remains of ancient warriors
trace of dreams

© Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

(This is a translation of the original by myself: the original haiku in romaji is: natsukusa ya / tsuwamono domo ga / yume no ato)

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday October 6th at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until October 13th at noon (CEST). Have a wonderful weekend!