Carpe Diem #1602 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (6) the night of firefly

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019. My apologies for being late with publishing I was on the evening shift and hadn't the opportunity to create a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai.

This month it's Tan Renga Challenge Month and that means every regular episode the task is to complete a Tan Renga (chained verse created by two poets) with a given haiku. Today I love to challenge you a little bit more. Today the Tan Renga Challenge is a Hineri (with a twist) challenge and that means you have to create a Tan Renga and two other stanza, so you have to create not only the second stanza of two lines, but also a third stanza (three lines) and a fourth stanza (two lines).

To start this Tan Renga Challenge Hineri I have a wonderful haiku by Katsura Nobuko (1914-2004) a female haiku poet. I had never heard from her, but she has written nice haiku. The haiku I have chosen is a love-haiku and a nice one I think to create your Tan Renga Hineri.

Katsura Nobuko (1914-2004)

Let me first tell you a litte bit more about her:

Nobuko Katsura was born Nobuko Niwa in Osaka on 1 November 1914. After graduating from High School, she began writing haiku under the direction of the poet Sojo Hino, editor of the 'Kikan' (The flagship). Later she founded the Marumero (Quince) haiku group with Kenkichi Kusumoto. In March 1945 during the WWII when the American planes bombed Osaka, Nobuko's house caught fire and she was just able to gather her haiku manuscripts before fleeing from the fire. The rescued manuscripts were later published in her first volume, 'Gekkoo shoo’ (Beams of the moon 1949).

In 1954 she helped Katoo Chiyoko edit the magazine 'Josei haiku' (Women's haiku). After 'Gekkoo shoo', she published 'Nyoshin' (The female body) in 1955, 'Banshun' (Late spring) in 1967, 'Shinroku' (Young leaves) in 1974, and several other collections. In 1970 she founded the magazine 'Sooen' (The grass garden), which is still publishing today. She has also been a vice-president of the Modern Haiku Association of Japan. Her ninth collection of haiku 'Kaei' (The shadows of flowers) came out in 1998. Nobuko’s style of writing developed through the years – from the slightly erotic notions in her early poems to the calmer yet full of emotions and sensuality haiku of her later career. (Source: The Living Haiku Anthology)

Firefly

Here is the haiku to start with:

I wear loosely
and meet the man
at the night of firefly

© Katsura Nobuko (1914-2004)

A wonderful haiku in which we can easily see the theme ... love. Really a nice haiku to start our Tan Renga Challenge Hineri with.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 14th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new weekend meditation later on. For now .... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1601 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (5) the weight of a butterfly

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. This month it's Tan Renga Challenge month so every theme / prompt is a haiku by a modern or classical haiku poet and the goal is to create a Tan Renga with it by adding your two-lined second stanza of approximately 14 syllables. The second stanza you can create through association on the scene(s) in the given haiku.

Today I have a wonderful, not so well known haiku by female haiku master Chiyo-Ni. I think you all know her at least from her wonderful Morning Glory haiku. That Morning Glory haiku however is not the haiku to work with today.

Here is the haiku to work with:

waterweed
floating away, despite 
the butterfly's weight on it

© Chiyo-Ni (Tr. Ueda)

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 13th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem #1600 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (4) cold wintry wind

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new milestone here at CDHK. Today I have the 1600th regular episode for you and I think that's awesome. As I started CDHK back in 2012 I couldn't have dreamed that there would be 1600 regular episodes of our wonderful Kai, but we did it. It is not only my milestone it's also your milestone. Without you I couldn't make CDHK. Thank you all for being part of CDHK's haiku loving family.

Arigatou (Thank You)

This month it is Tan Renga Challenge Month and I love creating this minth, because Tan Renga we make together, as we do all the time here at CDHK, but Tan Renga is a real nice way to create together.

Yesterday I had a wonderful haiku by Ken Gierke and I hope it inspired you in an awesome way. Today I have chosen to challenge you with a classical haiku by Natsume Soseki:

the cold wintry wind
is blowing so hard that
the sun sinks into the ocean

© Soseki

More about him you can find in our CDHK library. I created an exclusive CDHK E-book about him titled "Magnolia Blossom" back in 2016 (?).

the sun sinks into the ocean (image found on Pinterest)

The above haiku is a real beauty in my opinion and I think it can become a nice Tan Renga. Here is my attempt:

the cold wintry wind
is blowing so hard that
the sun sinks into the ocean                © Soseki

awakens the silvery moon
to give light to the world                     © Chèvrefeuille

Wow ... I think this Tan Renga is a beauty (how immodest). I like it very much. And now it is up to you to create your Tan Renga by adding your two lined stanza.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 12th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem #1599 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (3) garden at sunrise

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like to write and share Japanese poetry. This month it's Tan Renga Challenge month and that means that I challenge you to complete a Tan Renga.
A Tan Renga is a short chained verse created by two poets and looks in it's final form very much alike with the tanka. Tanka is another nice short Japanese poetry form but instead of 3 lines it has 5 lines. There is little difference between the Tanka and the Tan Renga ... a tanka is written by one poet and the Tan Renga is written by two poets.

For today's Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a wonderful masterpiece by Ken Gierke, better known as RivrVlogr. Last weekend I challenged you to create a new masterpiece and this one Ken wrote is a real masterpiece in my opinion. So I have asked him for permission to use his haiku for this new Tan Renga Challenge.

Sunflower Field At Sunset (image found on Flickr)

The theme for our last weekend-meditation was Sunflower and Ken has created a wonderful haiku to work with and create a Tan Renga with. You have to add the second stanza (2-lines approx. 14 syllables) through association on the scenes in the haiku. Here is that beauty by Ken:

garden at sunrise
shadows erased by first rays
sunflowers turning

© Ken Gierke (RivrVlogr)

Wow ... what a gorgeous haiku. Here is my attempt to complete the Tan Renga:

garden at sunrise
shadows erased by first rays
sunflowers turning                             © Ken Gierke

while a nightingale sings
an aubade for the Creator                     © Chèvrefeuille

Hm ... I like this completion (how immodest) it makes the scene created by Ken even more stronger and intense.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 11th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now .... have fun!

Carpe Diem Rebirth of an Old Feature: Time Glass 1 Crystal

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you can remember that we once had a time-challenging feature titled "Time Glass". The goal was to create haiku or tanka inspired on a theme within 24 hours, so a real time challenge. I love to "restart" that feature. Why? Well as you all know a while ago I changed the responding time of our Kai into seven days, a whole week, but (as you all know) haiku is an impression of a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. That short time can help you to create your haiku (or tanka) based on that single moment.

I love to improve your haiku (and tanka) writing skills so I think this "Time Glass" feature can help you with that. But ... we are a haiku loving family from all over the world and we live all in different time zones, so I think it's a good thing to extend the (original) 24 hours of the "Time Glass" feature to 36 hours to respond on the theme.

That theme can be a haiku, a tanka, a waka, an image or just a word  And for the "rebrith" of this feature I have chosen for a haiku and an image to inspire you.

First the image:

Crystal Sunlight (image found on Flickr)

And here is the haiku, one I created myself inspired on the above image:

crystal clear sunlight
reflects all colors in the mirror -
shadow of a dragon

© Chèvrefeuille (2014)

Well ... a nice time challenge I think. Try to create your haiku or tanka inspired on this "rebirth" of the Time Glass feature and share it with us within 36 hours. That means this episode is open for your submissions around 3:00 PM (CET) and it will remain open until February 6th 03:00 AM (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1598 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (2) bright enough

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new week in another wonderful month of Carpe Diem. This month it is Tan Renga Challenge (TRC) Month so I will challenge you to make a Tan Renga complete with a given haiku.

I hope you all have had a nice weekend. And that you all are ready for a new week. For today's TRC I have chosen a haiku by Jane Reichhold to create a Tan Renga with:

bright enough
to write a poem
the cold moon

© Jane Reichhold

Bright Moon

Well .... it's your turn to create a Tan Renga with this beauty by Jane Reichhold.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 10th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #70 The Quest For A New Masterpiece continues ... sunflower

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday February 3rd at 7:00 PM (CET) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation ... that feature that gives me the opportunity to take a few days of. I love this feature and it's every weekend a new challenge to come up with a new feature episode. This weekend meditation I have chosen to challenge you (again) with an episode of our "Quest For A New Masterpiece".

What makes a haiku (or tanka) a masterpiece? Well ... I will give it a try to tell you what a haiku (or tanka) makes a masterpiece in my opinion:

First: It has to describe a moment that got your attention.
Second: You have to use the right words. Words that describe the moment in its true way.
Third: Maybe ... use the classical way of creating haiku (or tanka) (as mentioned in CDHK Lecture One above in the menu).
Fourth: It has been written right from the heart or soul not the mind.
Fifth: It's (maybe) in the sense and tone of the classical haiku (tanka) poets.
Sixth: It has to be ... how shall I say it ... be your child, your creation ... in a masterpiece we can read, between the lines, the poet who created it.

I think you all can name several masterpieces of the classic haiku poets, but also of modern haiku poets.

Sunflower Fields Tuscany Italy

For this weekend meditation I love tochallenge you to create a (new) masterpiece themed "sunflowers". I will give you an example:

on the piazza
drinking wine with my love
sunflower field in front

© Chèvrefeuille (2016)

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday February 3rd at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 11th at noon (CET). Have a wonderful weekend.