Carpe Diem #1659 Tan Renga Challenge Month May 2019 (6) chestnut

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our TRC month May 2019 in which we are creating Tan Renga together with known and unknown haiku poets. Today I have a nice haiku written by Matsuo Basho for you to work with. There is a small story behind this haiku and I hope you can appreciate that I tell you the background of it.

As you maybe know, Basho was interested in man, he was homosexual common for his time homosexuality was accepted. Maybe you can remember that I told you about "Wakasu" (this was a common way of same-sex culture in the ancient Samourai class. It was a common use for adult man to have a relationship with minors. Of course in nowadays Japan this isn't an accepted habit as far as I know.) and as you maybe know Basho was a son of a low ranked samourai and maybe he was once a "wakasu" himself. There is however no reference towards that in the stories of his life.
Basho was once in love with the son of good friend of him. The boy was 14 years of age and had a warm relation with Basho.

Chestnut Tree in full bloom

In several of his haiku Basho is referring to his homosexuality. The haiku I have chosen to work with is such a haiku. I will not give you further explanation about this haiku ... I leave that to you.

Here is the haiku to work with:

autumn moonlight--
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut.

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

It's a wonderful haiku, even if you don't know the background on it this is a beauty. I have given it a try to create the 2nd stanza to this one. Here is my attempt:

autumn moonlight --
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut                                             © Basho

at the crack of the day
birds start to praise their Creator               © Chèvrefeuille

I think this is a very nicely crafted continuation of the haiku by Basho. Maybe there is even a small reference to the background of the haiku by Basho.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 14th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

PS.: I try another linking widget (again). Click on the CDHK logo below to find the linking widget.

Carpe Diem #1658 Tan Renga Challenge Month May 2019 (5) Wintry gusts

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new TRC episode here at CDHK, the place to be if you like to write and share Japanese poetry. This month we are creating Tan Renga with eachother. Tan Renga looks similar with Tanka, but instead of being written by one poet it's written by two poets.

A Tan Renga has two stanza. The first stanza is 3-lined ("hokku") and the second stanza is 2-lined ("ageku"). To create the second stanza you have to associate on images and scenes in the first stanza. Together the both stanza are called Tan Renga or Short Chained Verse.

Today I have a nice haiku for you to work with. The haiku for today is written by a not so renown haiku poet, Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927). Let me tell you first a little bit about him and after that I will give you the haiku to work with.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927)

Akutagawa Ryunosuke

A Japanese writer active in Taisho period Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story", and is noted for his superb style and finely detailed stories that explore the darker side of human nature.
... Akutagawa published his first short story Rashōmon the following year in the literary magazine Teikoku Bungaku ("Imperial Literature"), while still a student. The story, based on a fantasy from late Heian period Japan, with a sharp twist of psychological drama, was largely unnoticed by the literary world, except by noted author Natsume Sōseki.
It was also at this time that he started writing haiku under the haigo (or pen-name) Gaki, Hungry Ghost. (Source)

Sardines

Here is the haiku to work with:

kogarashi ya mezashi ni nokoru umi-no iro

Wintry gusts:
on the sardine still lingers
the ocean's color.

© Akutagawa Ryunosuke a.k.a. Gaki (Tr.: Ueda)

A wonderful haiku as I may say so. I however couldn't come up with a good 2nd stanza to complete the Tan Renga, but maybe you are more inspired.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 13th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new TRC later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1657 Tan Renga Challenge May 2019 (4) Ocean Sanctuary

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Tan Renga Challenge (TRC) Month May 2019. This month it's all about short chained verses also known as Tan Renga. A Tan Renga looks very similar with Tanka, but instead of being written by one poet, the Tan Renga is written by two poets.

The goal of TRC is to complete or continue a given haiku (3-lined verse) by adding a 2-lined stanza through association on the scenes / images in the given haiku. Today I have chosen a haiku by Jane Reichhold to create a Tan Renga with.
As you all know Jane Reichhold died in 2016 after a period of extreme pain and discomfort. She was one of the most famous modern haiku poets the world ever has known. And she was a co-host here at our own Haiku Kai.

Waves Kneeling On The Beach

sunday morning 
all the waves in white
kneeling on the beach

© Jane Reichhold (Taken from "Ocean Sanctuary" an anthology of haiku inspired on the North Coast of California)

"Ocean Sanctuary" was never published and that's a sad idea, because Jane had gathered a lot of wonderful haiku fitting this theme. Really worth to read them ...

Here is my Tan Renga that I created from this beautiful haiku by Jane. She is still missed.

sunday morning
all the waves in white
kneeling on the beach                                    © Jane Reichhold

without loosing their virginity
monks bow in front of Mother Mary            © Chèvrefeuille

A little bit of humor maybe, but also spirituality, because monks choose to be virgin always. They give their lives to their God and live their lives in chastity.

I hope you did like this continuation and I hope that you don't see this as sacrilege. The scene of the bowing monks was the first thing that came in mind as I read this haiku by Jane Reichhold.

This TRC is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 12th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new TRC later on. For now ... be inspired and have fun!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #83 Renga With ... sun's reflection

!! Open for your submissions May 5th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation, that special feature for the weekends. A way of meditating and contemplating about a given theme or to reflect on your thoughts about haiku to work with. This weekend I have chosen to challenge you with a Renga With ... episode. This Renga With ... episode I love to challenge you to create a Renga with six haiku crafted by myself.

Here are the haiku to work with. I am looking forward to the renga toare going to create.

Narcissus
in love with his reflection
vainglorious guy

snowdrops blooming

waving goodbye to Winter

nearly Spring

icicles hanging

at the gutter of the old mansion

sun's reflections

Icicles (photo © Gita Photos _ Ron Hallam)

this cold winter night

laying naked under my quilt

feels like summer

messenger of heaven

circling high above my head -

re-thinking my life

light of ember

mysterious shadows on the wall -

a cool summer night

© Chèvrefeuille

You all know what to do but I will give you the task again. You have to add the two-lined stanza between the haiku. You may choose your own "line-up". Try to make it a closed chain by creating the "closing verse" or "ageku" associated on the "hokku" or "starting verse". Have a great weekend.

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday May 5th at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 12th at noon (CEST). 

Carpe Diem #1656 Tan Renga Challenge May 2019 (3) Dandelion and Butterfly

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to create this month full of TRC's created from modern and classical haiku. Today I have a nice classical, not so renown, haiku by one of the most famous female haiku poets, Chiyo-Ni.
As I discovered haiku back in the late eighties I only read haiku created by male poets, but at the start of this century I discovered that there were also female haiku poets. Chiyo-Ni was one of the first haiku poetesses I discovered I was immediately in love with the beauty of her haiku especially that gorgeous one themed "morning glories", that renown one.

I think I have read the most of her haiku, but the haiku to work with today I wasn't familiar with so I am looking forward to your responses on this haiku.

Butterfly on Dandelion

Here is the first stanza of today's TRC, a haiku by Chiyo-Ni:

a dandelion
now and then interrupting
the butterflys dream

© Chiyo-Ni

Well ... it's now up to you to create a Tan Renga with this one. Have fun!

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 9th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new weekend meditation later on.

Carpe Diem #1655 Tan Renga Challenge (2) Beautiful Ugliness

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the 2nd episode of May 2019. This month we are creating short chained verses or Tan Renga. Tan Renga looks a lot like tanka, but instead of written by one haiku poet it is written by two haiku poets and therefore it's the smallest form of a chained verse.

For today's Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a haiku by a not so well known haiku poet and contemporary of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), Yozakura better known here at CDHK as the Unknown Haiku Poet.

Basho Tree or Banana Tree

In the Spring of 1681 a disciple of Basho, called Rika, presented him a banana tree (a Basho). From that moment on he changed his name to Basho and his home was called 'Basho-an' (the banana tree cottage).

As Basho he became a famous haiku master. His earlier haiku, which he wrote under several pseudonyms, are now also known as haiku written by Basho. The first haiku he wrote as Basho was the following one (according to Jane Reichhold):

basho ue te    mazu nikumu ogi no    futaba kana

planting a banana tree
more than ever I hate
sprouting reeds

© Matsuo Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

The above haiku isn't the haiku to work with by the way. It's another beautiful haiku created by Yozakura, the Unknown Haiku Poet:

banana-tree

unworthy to look at

beautiful ugliness

© Yozakura

Thistle in Full Bloom

And here is my attempt to create a Tan Renga with this beauty by Yozakura:

banana-tree

unworthy to look at

beautiful ugliness                                         © Yozakura

thistles in full bloom
dewdrops shimmer at dawn                        © Chèvrefeuille

or this 2nd stanza:

dewdrops on thistles in full bloom
making them stunning at dawn                   © Chèvrefeuille

I couldn't decide which 2nd stanza to use. I prefer the second, but I don't know it for sure. What's your idea? Share it with me through the comment-field.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 8th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new Tan Renga Challenge later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Extra May 1st 2019 Tanka Splendor re-opened

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have re-opened our Tanka Splendor weblog on WP. It's the place for you if you like to create Tanka and share it with the world. Tanka Splendor will be published every Wednesday. I will give you a theme or a tanka to work with  Feel free to visit and participate in Tanka Splendor.

This week I have chosen for a beautiful tanka by Jane Reichhold to inspire you. You can find Tanka Splendor by clicking on the image at the right side of our Kai.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host