Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #40 Sparkling Stars ... "the autumn full moon"

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday July 8th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation, our special feature for the weekend. The weekend before last weekend I introduced to you a new feature "Along Memory Lane A Trip Back In Time" in which I will take you back into the rich history of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. This weekend I love to go back in time to a special feature in which I shared masterpieces written by the classic and non-classic haiku poets ... Sparkling Stars ... In that feature I not only shared haiku by classical and non-classical haiku poets, but all those haiku were in a way my favorite.

Sparkling Stars is a bit similar with the CD-Specials, but there is a little difference. I will introduce a 'masterpiece' of one of the classic haiku-poets (well-known and less-known) to inspire you to write a new haiku. Here is the difference with the CD-Specials. Those new haiku, inspired on the 'masterpiece', have to follow the classical rules of haiku:

1. 5-7-5 syllables
2. a kigo (or seasonword)
3. a kireji (or cutting word, in Western languages mostly interpunction)
4. a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water
5. a deeper meaning (could be Zen-Buddhistic or other spiritual or religious thought)
6. and the first and the third line are interchangeable.

For this weekend meditation "along memory lane, a trip back in time" I have chosen one of the haiku I used in this feature earlier here at CDHK ... I even had the guts to reproduce the whole episode ... sorry for that. I like to take the easy way sometimes.

Sometimes I am an a melancholic mood, mostly after a busy day at work, than I have to go outside in the late evening to smell the perfume of the coming night, to look at the stars and if she, the moon, is there I look at her in pure adoration. I love her. Sometimes she stands there high in the sky in full regalia, sharing her sun-reflected light with me. Sometimes she looks a bit sad and ashamed than she hides her beautiful face behind a veil of clouds. She doesn't know that I love her and that I adore her beauty. Her beauty is the best as she hides behind a thin veil of clouds. Than she is surrounded with a beautiful halo which is so colorful and bright ... than she looks like a queen, a goddess ...
Not so long ago I had such a melancholic mood. I went outside and looked up to the dark sky ... there she was, my love, almost full and clothed with a gorgeous light orange gown ... "Wow", I thought. "You're looking great my love!"

the night deepens
darker and darker the sky
without the streetlights
the night sky looks like a light show
the full moon and thousands of stars

© Chèvrefeuille

Isn't it a wonderful tribute to her, the moon, whom I love so much? As I look at my loving wife ... than I see her everlasting beauty, than she, is my full moon.

Why such a long introduction? Well ... I will explain that. To the Japanese, ancient and modern, the moon of autumn is the most beautiful gift of Mother Nature. There are countless haiku written inspired on the beauty of the autumn moon.
As I look at my own haiku-archive I can almost say that at least one third of them is about the moon in all her occurring images.

Basho also has written a lot of haiku about the moon and for sure the most 'moon'-haiku are about the moon of autumn. The haiku which I have chosen for this episode of "Sparkling Stars" isn't the best haiku by Basho, but it needed this long introduction, because it tells you more about my love for the moon and the love for the moon by Basho.

The Way of Haiku requires not only a Franciscan poverty, but the concentration of all the energies of mind and body, a perpetual sinking of oneself into things. Basho tells us, and it is to be noted, we believe him:

meigetsu ya ike o megurite yo mo sugara

the autumn full moon:
all night long
I paced round the lake.

© Basho

All night gazing at the moon, and only this poor verse to show for it? But it must be remembered that Basho was a teacher. And thus we too, when we look at the moon, look at it with the eyes of Basho, those eyes that gazed at that moon and its reflection in the placid water of the lake.

Full Moon of July (photo © Alison Hale)

Call me a nutcase, a dreamer or a fool, but I think that I am like Basho, that we all are like Basho, because we all are gazing at the beauty of our planet. We all are in love with the beauty of Mother Nature ... and that makes us all moon-lovers.

tears of joy

spilled into the old pond -

the moon's reflection

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like the read and that it will inspire you to write an all new haiku about the moon maybe or about the beauty of Mother Nature. Have fun, be inspired and share your "sparkling star" with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday July 8th at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until July 15th at noon (CEST). Have a great weekend!

Carpe Diem's Seven Days to Christmas #4 shooting stars

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Carpe Diem is counting down to Christmas with haiku and today we have our 4th episode of that countdown. This time I have chosen for shooting stars, because Christmas started with the Star of Bethlehem and Christmas is a time of good wishes ... so shooting stars are in my opinion a great prompt for our Christmas Countdown ... if you see a shooting star than you can do a wish ... that's the legend told of course ...

I love to share a haiku which I published on one of the Wordpress weblogs of Carpe Diem Haiku Family for a prompt of the Shadows meme:

thousand shooting stars
nothing to wish for anymore -
it’s raining silver

© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Star of Bethlehem

This episode of our Christmas Countdown is open for your submissions at noon (CET) and will remain open until December 23rd at noon (CET). We are almost there ... Christmas is coming closer ...

Carpe Diem "Sparkling Stars" #3 "when the peonies bloomed" by Kiitau

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to publish an all new episode of our special feature "Sparkling Stars" in which I introduce haiku, masterpieces, by classic and non-classic haiku-poets. The goal is to compose a new haiku inspired on the given haiku, similar with our regular CD-Specials, but with the classical haiku-rules:

• 5-7-5 syllables
• a kigo (seasonword)
• a kireji (cuttingword or punctuation)
• a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water
• a deeper, spiritual, meaning
• the first and third line are interchangeable

For this episode I have chosen a haiku by Kiitau, a not so well-known haiku-poet, who has written just one haiku as far as I know.

botan saite atari ni hana no naki gotoshi

when the peonies bloomed,
it seemed as though there were
no flowers around them

© Kiitau

Credits: Peonies

An occidental poet will have this experience in regard to a woman with whom he is in love. When she enters the room, all other women cease to exist for him, become soulless automata. An oriental poet personalizes the flowers in the sense that their life is as vivid and meaningful to him as that of human beings. It may be thought that per se the interest in flowers must be of a lower order, an inferior content poetically compared with that in human beings. But the distinction is not in the standpoint, in the world view; not in the treatment; whether it is classical or romantic; not in the culture, occidental or oriental; neither is it in the object, the material that is assimilated and spiritualized. It is depth alone which matters, depth alone which admits of comparison. (Source: R.H.Blyth, Haiku Vol. 3, summer - autumn).

In the haiku by Kiitau I see the beauty of peonies, those awesome rose-like flowers. Several years ago I had a wonderful bush of peonies in my backyard. I can still see their pinkish-white colors in front of my eyes. When they were still in their buds they were visited (frequently) by thousands of ants, and than ... they bloomed ... an explosion of flowers ... all the other plants, trees and flowers became "over-shadowed" by the beauty of "my" peonies ... awesome.

Credits: Book-cover "Memoires of a Geisha" by XMarr

As I was writing this post the movie "Memoires of a Geisha" came in mind. In front of my eyes a peony appeared with the face of a geisha. It hit me ... what a beauty. I have tried to catch that image in my haiku in response on the one by Kiitau. I hope I succeeded. I love to share here my way of composing haiku ... I call that process "giving birth".
As I am starting to write our posts, I also start to compose the haiku in my mind. During the writing of the posts images start to flow in front of my eyes. Images, or flashes of images, appear and flow, emerging in and out, like breathing. The images are constantly changing as I write the posts. During writing a lot of images come and go. There are always images that stay. As I am almost ready writing the post, a few images remain in my mind, I know I have to use them in my haiku.
Than the 'sculpting' begins. I write my haiku and re-write them until I know, don't ask me how, that I have the right haiku. Sometimes, and I know that the classical haiku-poets (e.g. Basho or Shiki) did that also, I have to re-do the final haiku a few times again.

the beauty of nature (4 syllables)
a geisha with peonies in her hair (9 syllables)
the sweet sound of a bamboo flute (7 syllables)

© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Woodblock print "geisha"

The above haiku, for example, is one of the "pre-haiku" of the haiku to share here. This "pre-haiku" I have to re-do, because of the classical rules we have to use here in this "Sparkling Stars"-feature. And ... as you maybe know, I am not a haiku-poet of the classical way of writing. Here another kind of 'sculpting' starts, to got 5-7-5 syllables. As you all know I am not that familiar with the syllables-rules of English, so I use a syllable-counter on the Internet.

This is my "composing-path" to make the (above) haiku, a classical one (after every line between () you can read the syllables-count). This is the first 're-make':

nature's beauty (3)
a geisha with peonies in her hair (9)
the sound of a flute (4)

In this second version I have not enough syllables, so I have to try other words, without losing my image as I have planned; "nature's beauty" (3), not enough syllables, what to do? I will add  astonishment  to the beginning of this line.

Ah! the beauty of nature (5)

The first line is ok, so up to the second line.

"a geisha with peonies in her hair" (9), to much syllables. How to re-do this line without losing the scene? I have to get a few words out of this line, and than ... the "aha-erlebnis":

geisha, peonies in her hair (7)

To make the image complete I have to come up with a wonderful third, closing, line. So I seek for other words for example instead of "a flute" I use "Shakuhachi" (a Japanese end-blown flute. During the medieval period, shakuhachi were most notable for their role in the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhist monks, known as komusō ("priests of nothingness," or "emptiness monks"), who used the shakuhachi as a spiritual tool. Their songs (called "honkyoku") were paced according to the players' breathing and were considered meditation (suizen) as much as music). And so I have found my third line too.

playing the shakuhachi (5)

Credits: Komuso Buddhist monk beggar playing the Shakuhachi

Finally I have caught the image, which came in mind as I was writing this post. And now I can share the haiku which I distilled from the images in my mind inspired on the haiku by Kiitau:

Ah! the beauty of nature -
geisha, peonies in her hair,
playing the Shakuhachi

© Chèvrefeuille

Not completely according to the rules of this feature, because the first and third line aren't interchangeable. You can try to interchange it, but than the haiku loses it's beauty. So ... I am sorry that I didn't succeeded, forgive me ... (smiles)

I love to share a nice piece of Shakuhachi music. Enjoy the music. (This piece of Shakuhachi-music is called 'kyuden no kurayami' and is performed by Rodrigo Rodriguez )

This episode of "Sparkling Stars" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until next Saturday September 6th at noon (CET). Have fun! I hope you enjoyed this post and the insight story about 'giving birth' to a haiku.

Carpe Diem Sparkling Stars #2, Kikaku's "The beggar"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to publish a new episode of our Sparkling Stars feature here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. It's a bit similar with the CD-Specials, but there is a little difference. In every episode (once a week on Saturday) I will introduce a 'masterpiece' of one of the classic haiku-poets (well-known and less-known) to inspire you to write a new haiku. Here is the difference with the CD-Specials. Those new haiku, inspired on the 'masterpiece', have to follow the classical rules of haiku:

1. 5-7-5 syllables

2. a kigo (or seasonword)

3. a kireji (or cutting word, in Western languages mostly interpunction)

4. a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water

5. a deeper meaning (could be Zen-Buddhistic or other spiritual or religious thought)

6. and the first and the third line are interchangeable.

Of course I will tell also something about the scene and background of the haiku which you can use for your inspiration. I hope you all will like this new episode.

Many people look upon Kikau as the obverse, or complement of Basho, and there is a good reason for this. He is the non-religious, non-moral poet. He and Basho correspond to Ritaihaku and Hakurakuten in Chinese poetry and to Byron and Wordsworth in English poetry. In the "sparkling star"-haiku hereafter by Kikaku, haiku is doing something which it was never intended, perhaps, to do. There is a similar passage at the end of Soshi; there may be some relation between the two:

[...] "When Soshi was about to die, his disciples wished to bury him in a grand style, but Soshi said, "My coffin will be Heaven and Earth; for the funeral ornaments of jade, there are the sun and moon; for my pearls and jewels I shall have the stars and constellations; all things will be my mourners. Is not everything ready for my burial? What should be added to this?" [...]

the beggar!

he has Heaven and Earth,

for his summer clothes

© Kikaku

What a gorgeous haiku, don't you think too. As we look again at the part by Soshi, than it is obvious that that piece of poetry was his inspiration ...

at the cemetery

beneath cherry blossoms in full bloom

grandmother's fresh grave

© Chèvrefeuille

Step back and look at the scene ... peacefull ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will stay open until next Saturday August 30th at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem Sparkling Stars #1, "Frogpond"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to introduce an all new feature here at our Haiku Kai. It's a bit similar with the CD-Specials, but there is a little difference. In every episode (once a week on Thursday) I will introduce a 'masterpiece' of one of the classic haiku-poets (well-known and less-known) to inspire you to write a new haiku. Here is the difference with the CD-Specials. Those new haiku, inspired on the 'masterpiece', have to follow the classical rules of haiku:

1. 5-7-5 syllables
2. a kigo (or seasonword)
3. a kireji (or cutting word, in Western languages mostly interpunction)
4. a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water
5. a deeper meaning (could be Zen-Buddhistic or other spiritual or religious thought)
6. and the first and the third line are interchangeable.

Of course I will tell also something about the scene and background of the haiku which you can use for your inspiration. I hope this new feature will be fun.

Haiga "frogpond" (Woodblock-print)

For this first, introduction, episode I have chosen the well known haiku by Matsuo Basho "frogpond". This is situated during a gathering of Basho's disciples at his Basho-hut. Basho is writing a haiku, but doesn't get a good first line. he struggles with it and Kikaku, one of his disciples suggested 'Irisses pond', but than Basho 'sees the light' and writes:

the old pond (-)
      a frog jumps in
            sound of water

This one became that famous, because until than, the frog was used only for its own croaking and not for its movement. As you can see this translation doesn't follow the classical count, but in the Japanese Onji it follows for sure that count.  'Frog" is a seasonword (kigo) for Summer; the "-" is the cutting word (can be translated into the Japanese "ya"); it's a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water; the deeper meaning is in the 'movement' of the frog and if you interchange the first and third line the haiku is almost the same:

sound of water
       a frog jumps in
              the old pond

Well ... now it is up to you and I have struggled with my own new haiku, but maybe, I succeeded at last ...

in the dark forest
walking in the full moon light -
Nightingale's song

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until next Thursday (August 21th) at noon.