Carpe Diem #1175 Theme Week Hafiz (1) potted plant

  

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first episode of the Theme Week (new style) in which I bring a week of specific prompts. This Theme Week I love to share only poems by Hafiz and maybe tell you something more about his background, but that's not certain as I am creating this episode.

This Carpe Diem month we have read already beautiful poems by Hafiz and I hope this week will bring you all a little bit more beauty by Hafiz. As you could have read in the earlier posts this month the Persian people often seek answers for their questions in the poems of Hafiz ... so maybe the poems in this Theme Week will give you answers on questions or thoughts you have. If that's what is going to happen than I am glad ... I think the spirit of Hafiz moves around here at CDHK and maybe he will give you the answers you need, but mostly this week is meant to bring the beauty of Hafiz's poems closer to you.

potted plants to decorate the fench

The first poem for this Theme Week is titled "potted plant" and it is taken from "The Subject Tonight Is Love", translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

In this poem we can read how Hafiz is honoring and praising God by taking care of a the earth. In this poem that "potted plant" is synonymous with caring for and cherishing the Earth. He praises the beauty of the moon ... she ... my love too.

A Potted Plant

I pull a sun from my coin purse each day.

And at night I let my pet the moon
Run freely into the sky meadow.

If I whistled,
She would turn her head and look at me.

If I then waved my arms,
She would come back wagging a marvelous
tail
Of stars.

There are always a few men like me
In this world

Who are house-sitting for God.
We share His royal duties:

I water each day a favorite potted plant
Of His--
This earth.

Ask the Friend for love.
Ask Him again.

For I have learned that every heart will get
What it prays for
Most.

© Hafiz (or Hafez) taken from:  'The Subject Tonight Is Love' Translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Persian nature (photo found on Pinterest)

What can this poem mean, is there an answer for your questions? Let me take a closer look at this poem. As I read and re-read this poem than I read a song of praise for our Creator. In a way in this poem Hafiz shows us the beauty of the creation, and that we have to care for it.
In this poem I also read that our Creator loves us and cherishes us and that He will give us what we need. The earth provides us with all we need, we have to take care of her ... That's a very important issue by the way nowadays.

I could ask the following question: "What can we do to take care of our surroundings, our neighborhood? And ... read this poem again and it gives me the right answer. So ... this is maybe what the Persian (Iranian) people experience as the ask their questions ...

Well ... a poem with a message I would say, a message to us all ... "take care of Mother Nature" and I think that we, haiku poets, can bring that message too. Haiku is ... the poetry of nature.

I dived into my archives and made a little "gathering" of haiku and tanka that fits this poem by Hafiz I think.

wandering through the woods
no paved paths to walk on
bare footed I feel

in the arms of nature
resting like a little child -
scent of fallen leaves

as far as I can see
the blue sea surrounded by mountains
black like the night

 © Chèvrefeuille

Aurora Borealis (photo found on Pinterest)

sign of the gods
the night painted in thousand colors -
cracking snow
reflects the 'dance of the spirits'
aurora borealis

rustling bamboo -
song of a Nightingale fades away
a new day rises
in the mystery of the dawn
the sound of rain

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope I have inspired you with this post.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 24th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, lover, later on.

Carpe Diem #1173 leaving

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I already shared on our facebook page, next month we will dive into the classical (and maybe modern) kigo (seasonwords) for spring. As you know one of the classical "rules" for haiku is the use of a kigo, or in other words a word that refers to the season in which the haiku "plays". I am aware that we did this earlier here, but in April I love to challenge you in an other way ... you have to follow the classical rules of haiku (or tanka), so that makes it a challenging month I think.

Okay back to today's post. This month we are exploring the beauty of the Persian poetry by Rumi, Saadi and Hafiz and I think this month is already a big success, because I have read wonderful poems and ... I am almost on pace with your submissions.

Today's post is titled "leaving" and it's about a poem by Hafiz (or Hafez). As I told you in an earlier post, the Persian (Iranian) people are using his poems to get answers on their "burning" questions. I don't know if that's also with this poem, but you never know.

"Leaving" or "going away", "departure", "say goodbye" or simply "goodbye". We use it often I think in our daily lives, but what is the meaning of "leaving" at its essence? Leaving, in this word we can also find "leaf" or "leaves", so "leaving" can also mean "the movement of the leaves in the wind" or "the movement of the cherry blossoms in the wind". Leaving ... saying goodbye to someone or to the time of year. We are almost "leaving" winter and we will encounter spring, the season in which the light will grow and life is returning to nature. As I look at my backyard than I can already see a few young leaves and as I told you earlier cherry blossoms. The leaves and blossoms "wave" in the wind they are "leaving" or ... no they are welcoming spring.

Young Leaves (photo found on Shutterstock)

The poem for today is by Hafiz and it is extracted from "The Gift" and it is titled "No More leaving" and it is about the following: "You can not escape from your destiny. You cannot escape from God, Allah, Higher Self or what ever name you give that spiritual power you feel in your life. That power will always find you. If you are sad, it will find you, if you are happy it will find you, there is no escape. Maybe that's one of the questions asked by the Persian (Iranian) people ... I don't know, but if that's one of the questions they have than in this poem by Hafiz they will find their answer.

No More Leaving

At 
Some point
Your relationship
With God
Will
Become like this:

Next time you meet Him in the forest
Or on a crowded city street

There won't be anymore

"Leaving."

That is,

God will climb into
Your pocket.

You will simply just take

Yourself

Along!

© Hafiz (taken from: 'The Gift' - tr. by Daniel Ladinsky)

leaving

This is what "leaving" can mean also. Look at this photo. This man all alone on a station or an airport somewhere around the globe. He has no one, look how sad he is, head bend resting on his arms. His suitcase in front of him ... What has happened? Maybe he and his girlfriend or boyfriend broke up and now he is leaving. Maybe his boss kicked him out ... Leaving in this case is a sad emotion, but leaving as I told you above or that you have read in the poem can also bring happiness and joy ... so this guy ... well his spiritual guide will find him and lead him to his new path, towards a new life, towards happiness and love again.

I remember a post I wrote last January while we were on a pilgrimage to Santiago. That post was about "leaving all behind" (HERE) and I love to share a quote from that episode to conclude this episode:

reborn again

leaving all behind

first spring day

© Chèvrefeuille

Isn't that what we do every day again? Every day is a new day, what is in the past doesn't exist anymore in the present, don't look forward ... be there right in the moment. Isn't that what we try to accomplish with our haiku or tanka? Isn't that what we tell in our haiku and tanka? Be part of the present, be in the moment, be one with the moment ... be the moment.

Don't leave that moment, be part of it. My dad always said: "God has never said your journey will be calm and easy, but He promises you that you will bring it to the end save".

With those wise words of my dad I conclude this episode. Don't leave the moment ... be the moment.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 19th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, silence, later on. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form with us all.

Carpe Diem #1169 humble

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

In the second episode of this month I introduced to you the Persian poet Hafiz. Hafiz is one of the most loved Persian poets ever. His poems are used for giving answers on burning questions the reader has. The following poem is again a beauty, but I don't think in this poem you will find an answer on burning questions, but ... well you never know.
This poem is titled: "from the large jug, drink".

Persian jug

From the large jug, drink the wine of Unity,
So that from your heart you can wash away the futility of life's grief.

But like this large jug, still keep the heart expansive.
Why would you want to keep the heart captive, like an unopened bottle
of wine?

With your mouth full of wine, you are selfless
And will never boast of your own abilities again.

Be like the humble stone at your feet rather than striving to be like a
Sublime cloud: the more you mix colors of deceit, the more colorless
your ragged wet coat will get.

Connect the heart to the wine, so that it has body,
Then cut off the neck of hypocrisy and piety of this new man.

Be like Hafiz: Get up and make an effort. Don't lie around like a bum.
He who throws himself at the Beloved's feet is like a workhorse and will
be rewarded with boundless pastures and eternal rest.

© Hafiz - From: Drunk on the Wine of the Beloved (Tr. Thomas Rain Crowe)

All and Everything is Buddha

A nicely written poem with a true life's lesson I think. Let me point this out to you. To explain this I have to reproduce a part of this poem.

[...] "Be like the humble stone at your feet rather than striving to be like a
Sublime cloud: the more you mix colors of deceit, the more colorless
your ragged wet coat will get." [...]

In this "quote" I read what the spiritual roots are of haiku (and tanka). Be one with nature, be as nature, be that stone at your feet. Don't place your self in front of it, but be humble, be humble and praise nature. This is what the Zen-Buddhism background of haiku has taught us ... everyone and everything around you is Buddha. In all and everything Buddha is present. Be one ...

Humble ... what is humble, being humble? In my opinion humble means respecting nature, respecting the gift of the gods that you may be here and be part of life, part of nature. I have said it very often here at CDHK I think "your humble host" and that is true. I love to create CDHK, but I don't create it for myself ... I create it for you my dear haijin, visitors and travelers. I create CDHK just to give you the opportunity to improve your haiku and tanka writing skills ... to give you a moment of silence, excitement and unconditional love. CDHK ... is for you and I am just your humble host, the one who is given this opportunity by a Higher Power, God, Allah or what ever name you use for it.
I am grateful that I can and may be your host.

Next to the above haiga I found two haiku in which I share my gratefulness for being your host.

unseen flowers
between the oversized leaves -
a humble haijin

joy of writing
for all the friends of Carpe Diem -
makes me humble

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope I have inspired you with this post and mostly of course through this beautiful poem by Hafiz.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 12th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, fountain, later on. For now ... have fun!

 

Carpe Diem #1166 Nightflower

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope you did like our first episode of March 2017. This month we will explore the beauty of Persian poetry and especially the poetry by the renown poets Rumi, Hafez (or Hafiz) and Saadi. Yesterday we started with two beautiful poems by Rumi, one of them the name-giver of this month "praise to the emptiness".

Today I have a beautiful poem by Hafez (or Hafiz) for you. Hafez is the most loved poet of Persia, nowadays Iran. Every Iranian can recite his poems and they often use his poem to find an answer on burning questions they have. How does this work? Well ... they pick up one of Hafez's bundles of poetry, ask their question in their mind and than rush through the poem bundle. Than on intuition they stop and than they hope to find their answer in the poem they open up. A strange way to find your answer, but if I can believe the Iranian people ... they always find their answer and try to cope with it and bring it into their lives.

Hafez (or Hafiz) renown Persian poet and mystic (1326-1390)

Let me tell you a little bit more about Hafez:

Hafiz, a Sufi poet, expressed in poetry love for the divine, and the intoxicating oneness of union with it.  Hafiz, along with many Sufi masters, uses wine as the symbol for love. The intoxication that results from both is why it is such a fitting comparison. Hafiz spoke out about the hypocrisy and deceit that exists in society, and was more outspoken in pointing this out than many poets similar to him.

hafez has written a lot of poems in which he talks about the divine and love, but also full of wisdom. Today I love to challenge you with the following poem by Hafez:

This poem is titled "all the hemispheres":

Leave the familiar for a while.

Let your senses and bodies stretch out

Like a welcomed season

Onto the meadows and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.

Make a new watermark on your excitement

And love.

Like a blooming night flower,

Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness

And giving

Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

Poppies in the late evening / early night (found on flickr)

All the hemispheres in existence

Lie beside an equator

In your heart.

Greet Yourself

In your thousand other forms

As you mount the hidden tide and travel

Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven

Are sitting around a fire

Chatting

While stitching themselves together

Into the Great Circle inside of

You.

© Hafez (From: 'The Subject Tonight is Love', tr. Daniel Ladinsky)

I didn't say to much I think. This is really a wonderfully crafted poem by Hafez. Will not be an easy task to come up with a haiku or tanka inspired or distilled from this poem.

Moonflower or Ipomoea - alba

Here is my attempt:

like a nightflower

I stretch towards the moon

she ... the one I love

© Chèvrefeuille

I found a nice tanka which I wrote in 2013. This tanka I love to share here too, because I think it fits this episode.

fragile beauty

climbing against the fence

moonflower straightens

with her snow white blossom

to the Summer moon

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope I have inspired you.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 6th at noon (CET). I will publish our first "weekend-episode" later on. (According to this "weekend-episode" I said earlier that I would do two episodes on Fridays, but I decided to not do that. So on Fridays I will only do "Namasté" and "Universal Jane" alternating bi-weekly.)