On The Trail With Basho Encore 5 a falling sound

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Time flies ... it's Thursday again and so it's time for an all new episode of our special feature "On The Trail With Basho Encore" in which I share haiku composed by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) for your inspiration. All the haiku used in this special feature are used with permission of Jane Reichhold, whom I am very grateful for giving me the opportunity to use her haiku.

This week's "Encore" haiku was written by Basho in spring 1666 short after the unexpected dead of his friend, Yoshitada. Basho was almost 22 years of age when he wrote this haiku. Jane says the following about this haiku:

[...] "What the Japanese call ume is most often translated as "plum" because of the Latin name Prunus mume, but the fruit more closely resembles the apricot. Because these fruits ripen during mid-June to mid-July, the rains of this time are called ume no ame ("plum rains"). Even ripe, the fruit is inedible until it has been preserved in a salty, sour liquid similar to olives". [...]

furu oto ya mimi mo su-naru ume no ame

a falling sound
that sours my ears
plum rain

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

Credits: Japanese Plums

Here is my attempt to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one I gave by Basho:

rain of summer
cherishes my naked body
after the heat

© Chèvrefeuille

Hm ... not a strong one, but I think it's in the spirit of Basho ... it's certainly, without a doubt in my spirit (smiles). Sorry ... that sounds a bit immodest.

This episode of "Encore" is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until next Thursday June 25th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Special #20, Chiyo-ni's The flowering branch of the plum

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we start with our first Special by Chiyo-ni, our female haiku master of this month of Carpe Diem, but first I would love to introduce her to you.

Chiyo-Ni

Chiyo-Ni, her real name was Fukuda Chiyo-Ni (Kaga no Chiyo), was born in 1703 in Matto, Kaga Province (now Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture) as a daughter of a picture farmer. Chiyo-Ni began writing haiku poetry aged 7. By the age of 17, she had become very popular all over Japan for her poetry. Her poems, although mostly dealing with nature, work for a unity of nature with humanity. Her own life was that of the haiku poets who made their lives and the world they lived in one with themselves.
Chiyo-Ni's teachers were the students of Basho, and she stayed true to his style, although she did develop on her own as an independent figure. Today, the Morning Glory is a favorite flower for the people of her home town, because she left a number of poems on that flower. Her most known haiku about Morning Glory you can find HERE .
After becoming a nun ('ni' in her name means 'nun'), Chiyo took the Buddhist name, Soen. Chiyo-Ni died on October 3rd 1775 leaving us a lot of wonderful haiku.

Now we know a little bit more about Chiyo-Ni and with this short introduction of our Specials for this month has started.

Today I have a wonderful haiku written by her:

taoraruru hito ni kaoru ya ume no hana

the flowering branch of the plum
gives its scent
to him who broke it off

This haiku had a prescript as was common in that time, 'In regard, to requiting evil with good'.

It's a typical Chiyo-Ni haiku. She has written a lot of haiku which could have the same prescript. She lived with nature as (almost) every haiku poet does. PS.: For our new contributors I will explain the goal of this Special. The haiku by Chiyo-Ni is your source of inspiration and you may write a haiku inspired on the one by Chiyo-Ni or in the same tone and Spirit. Try to 'dive in' the scene of the haiku and feel it, touch it, smell it, see it and hear it. Become one with the haiku and feel the energy to write your own haiku.

I love to share this new haiku with you (with a romaji translation):

sore wo kowasu suikazura no kaori watashi ha enpitsu

breaking it off
the perfume of Honeysuckle
to my pencil

This one feels good and even in touch with the one by Chiyo-Ni and with her Spirit.

Have fun. Enjoy the read. Be inspired and creative. And share your haiku with Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 5th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new prompt, 'joyful', later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).