Carpe Diem #1276 Tranquil

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you maybe know I have (and have had) several special features here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Our trip along memory-lane goes today along one of those special features. It was a feature in which I introduced haiku by renown and unknown haiku poets which I loved and had something with. That special feature was titled "Sparkling Stars" and our prompt comes from one of the episodes in autumn 2014. (You can find that episode HERE)

The title of this episode is extracted from a haiku by Koyu-Ni, which I shared than and will re-share here again:

Koyu-Ni was (as e.g. Chiyo-Ni) a Buddhistic nun (as can be seen at her name "ni" stands for "female monk".) There aren't many haiku known by her.

hana chirite shizuka ni narinu hito-gokoro

the blossoms have fallen:
our minds are now
tranquil

© Koyu-Ni (Tr. R.H. Blyth)

[...] Koyu-Ni died in 1782, her family name was Matsumato. She is one of the more prominent woman poets of the Edo period. She learned haiku from Songi the First. [...]

our logo of this feature (2014)

I than translated this haiku myself and that translation I love to share again:

tranquility -
finally I have found peace,
blossoms have fallen

© Koyu-Ni (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

I think that in my translation the peace of mind is stronger present. With every gust of wind I am anxious that the fragile Cherry blossoms will be scattered and torn apart, but as all blossoms have fallen than my heart and mind are at peace, there is no anxiety anymore and that gives me that feeling of tranquility.

Life and dead are living together just on a thin line of silk, so close to one another, but that's the circle of life, the beauty of Mother Nature. This is what haiku is ... writing about nature and mankind as being part of it's beauty.

Well .... I think you all can remember this episode and I love to challenge you to create a haiku (or tanka) following the classical rules as described often here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until October 19th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, the sacred sanctuary, later on. For now .... have fun!

Carpe Diem Little Creatures #19, "Violets"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's Saturday again and this week we have a new episode of our bi-weekly "Little Creatures" feature in which the goal is to write a classical haiku (following the rules as mentioned in Lecture 1) and share it with us all.
In this special feature I share haiku about "little creatures" (insects, birds, flowers etc.) composed by classical or non-classical haiku-poets, known and unknown. And this week I have chosen for a haiku composed by my haiku-master Basho.

yamaji kite naniyara yukashi sumire-gusa

coming along the mountain path,
there is something touching
about these violets

© Basho (Tr. R.H.Blyth)

Naniyara expresses Basho's unwillingness to notice the violet, to make a verse on it. Somehow or other it compels him to notice it, importuning him like a weeping infant;

"a violet by a mossy stone half hidden from the eye"

This flower and the heart of Basho's have some deep affinity. It's even said that Basho wrote this while on one of his journeys encountering a beautiful man. As you maybe know Basho was interested in the homosexual love. The truth will be staying in the middle ....

Buson also wrote about violets, but his observation was more objective and not subjective as is the one by Basho.

suwaritaru fune wo agareba sumire kana

getting off the boat
that had grounded, -
the violets!

© Buson (Tr. R.H. Blyth)

Violets

Basho's verse is extended and "explained" by Gyodai:

sumire tsumeba chiisaki haru no kokoro kana

picking a violet, -
the slender
heart of spring!

© Gyodai

And here is another beauty written by Naojo:

tsumu mo ashi tsumanu mo ashiki sumire kana

to pluck it is a pity,
to leave it is a pity,
Ah, this violet!

© Naojo

For closure, when  the violet is held in the hand, it seems alsmost an extension of one's own body, giving a feeling of intimacy beyond the power of the eye. Koshu describes this in his haiku:

te ni toreba nao utsukushiki sumire kana

the violet:
held in the hand,
yet more lovely

© Koshu

This last verse (by Koshu) could have been written by Basho as one would follow the explanation that Basho was interested in the love between man ...

Violets

All wonderful haiku I think and that little flower, the violet, is so fragile and beautiful, it's a haiku by itself. Here is my attempt to write/compose an all new haiku in the classical way:

fragile and a beauty,
the purple leaves like velvet,
cherished in the rain

© Chèvrefeuille

The above version is in my opinion very artificial, but I ask you to write a classic haiku so I have to do that myself too. However my first version of this above haiku is more beautiful (as I may say so). It's not in the classical way, more like the "free style" of Santoka Taneda (1882-1940) so if you don't mind I love to share that (first) version also here:

fragile beauty,
these purple leaves like velvet,
cherished in the rain

© Chèvrefeuille

By the way ... I think you have noticed it. In these two haiku by myself I have used punctuation and that's new for my haiku ... I never use punctuation, because without punctuation the reader, you, can decide the tone by yourself. With punctuation I take your freedom of mind away ... and that's certainly not my way of being a haiku poet.

This episode is open for your submissions today at noon (CET) and it will remain open until next Saturday March 14th at noon (CET). Have fun!