Carpe Diem #223, Hasu (Lotus)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Slowly we are going through mid-summer, we are already over the middle of the whole Summer with our prompts for this month. So in a few days we will enter the phase of late-summer, longing for Autumn, picking the fruits of the fruit trees and bushes, but ... well we have to go through a few mid-summer kigo. Today that mid-summer kigo is, Hasu (Lotus), it's a wonderful waterplant and it has a very deep spiritual meaning which I love to share here with you all. It's based on Buddhism by the way.

The lotus flower represents one symbol of fortune in Buddhism. It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower’s first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment.

The second meaning, which is related to the first is purification. It resembles the purifying of the spirit which is born into murkiness. The third meaning refers to faithfulness. Those who are working to rise above the muddy waters will need to be faithful followers.

The color bears importance in the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhism. A white lotus flower refers to purity of the mind and the spirit. If a lotus flower is red, it refers to compassion and love. The blue lotus flower refers to the common sense; it uses wisdom and logic to create enlightenment. The pink lotus flower represents the history of Buddha and the historical legends of the Buddha. A purple lotus flower speaks of spirituality and mysticism. Finally, the gold lotus flower represents all achievement of all enlightenment, especially in the Buddha.

The stage of growth the lotus flower is in represents a different stage of enlightenment. A closed lotus flower represents the time before a Buddhist follower found Buddha or enlightenment. A lotus flower fully bloomed and open represents full enlightenment and self-awareness.

The mud represents an importance in the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhism. All humans are born in a world where there is suffering. This suffering is a vital part of the human experience; it makes us stronger and teaches us to resist the temptation of evil. When we banish evil thoughts from our mind we are able to break free of the muddy water and become one with the Buddha. The mud shows us who we are and teaches us to choose the right path over the easy one.

Finally, the lotus flower represents rebirth, both in a figurative and a literal sense. The rebirth can be a change of ideas, an acceptance of Buddha where there once was none, the dawn after one’s darkest day, a renaissance of beliefs or the ability to see past wrongs. In a literal sense, the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhism represents rebirth as a reincarnation, such as in the Buddhist religion, when a soul leaves this world in its present form to be reborn in another. (Source: Shiva )

Credits: Lotus

The Lotus ... a wonderful flower full of light and spirituality. I like this flower very much. And I love to share the next haiku with you all.


spirit grows -
from the bottom of the pond
into the light

into the light
the Lotus reaches from the deep -
spirit grows


This prompt will stay on 'til June 18th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Shoobu (Japanese Iris), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). !! The linking widget for this episode will open at 8.00 PM (CET). So have patience before linking up !!

Carpe Diem Special #42, Kikusha-Ni's 'Morning Glory'

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today, on Fathers Day, I love to share a new haiku written by our haiku poetess for this month of Carpe Diem, Kikusha-Ni. She was a contemporary of Chiyo-Ni. As you all (maybe) know Chiyo-Ni wrote a lot of haiku about Morning Glories. Therefore I love to share a 'Morning Glory'-haiku by Kikusha-Ni.

morning glories
in the evening, they let us
admire their buds


(I couldn't retrieve the Romaji translation).

Credits: Pink Morning Glory

As I was preparing this Special episode I realized that it is Fathers Day today (June 16th) so I became inspired to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and Spirit as the one by Kikusha-Ni, but with a reference to Fathers Day.

granddad's grave
overgrown with Morning Glories -
tears in my eyes


Another one:

shadows disappear
Pink Morning Glories open their buds
for only one day


This Special prompt will stay on 'til June 17th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Hasu (Lotus), later on today around 8.00 PM (CET). By the way the linking widget opens at 9.00 PM (CET).

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge #2, 'a secret meeting'.

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to read that you like this new Tan Renga Challenge and I am happy to see how you all came up with different associations on the first episode of this Challenge with the haiku by Jane Reichhold. Today I share a new episode of this Tan Renga Challenge with you all.
OK ... I will reproduce here the goal again of this Tan Renga Challenge:

In classical Japan they had Renga sessions in which the poets composed a chain of stanza's. You can read more about Renga in our Carpe Diem Lecture 2 , Tan Renga is almost the same, a 'chain' with two links, written by two poets. Poet ONE writes the 5-7-5 stanza and Poet TWO writes the 7-7 stanza to associate on the stanza of Poet ONE. As you know I am not of  'counting' syllables so the used stanza's will not be as I mentioned earlier in this post.

The goal for this Tan Renga Challenge is to write the second stanza of the Tan Renga by associating on a stanza given by one of the classical masters, modern haiku poets or by myself. For this episode I have chosen a haiku written by myself.

In your posts for this Tan Renga feature you need to copy the given stanza. So we can see and read it in one Tan Renga. So copy the given stanza and fill in your second stanza. Well ... we will see how this is gonna work out. I hope you all understand what the goal is of this new feature? Just to write together a Tan Renga.

First stanza (5-7-5):

in the old barn
behind the straw bales
a secret meeting

Second stanza (7-7):

?????????? (your's to write)

Credits: Old barn

I have written the next 2nd stanza to make this haiku a Tan Renga. (Not common by the way, because Tan Renga are usely written with two poets, but sometimes it can be nice to do one on your own.)


two tough cowboys kissing
forbidden lovestory


This one was inspired on the motion picture 'Brokeback Mountain', a movie about two cowboys who are secretly in love with eachother.
As I place the first and second stanza together the Tan Renga becomes:


in the old barn
behind straw bales
a secret meeting

two tough cowboys kissing
forbidden lovestory

Credits: Brokeback Moutain (movie still)

I hope you enjoyed the read and I hope that this new Tan Renga Challenge 'a secret meeting' will inspire you all to write the second stanza to make a wonderful Tan Renga. This second Tan Renga Challenge will stay on 'til June 22th 11.59 AM (CET) and then I will post another Tan Renga Challenge. Have fun, be inspired and share your Tan Renga with us all here on Carpe Diem.

Carpe Diem #222, Kakitsubata (Blue flag or Rabbit ear Iris)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy it is every day again to prepare the Carpe Diem episodes and to read all of your wonderful haiku. It looks like this month you're all on a roll. The classical kigo are inspiring I think. I have read such wonderful haiku already and there are still a lot haiku to come (I hope). As I read all the haiku, several prompts are more liked then others and sometimes the haiku are almost all about the same theme. It looks like being one symbiotic group or something. There are several themes which occur on a regular base and it feels like we are in a way connected with eachother. I like that, I love to see that happen. We are a wonderful, creative, haiku community and that makes me proud and humble. I am honored that I may be your host on Carpe Diem.


a little verse
from a far away place
binds together


Today we are having a prompt that is of mid-summer and it came to me through a haiku of Matsuo Basho. I can't recall that haiku by the way, but I know I read a haiku by Basho with Rabbit ear Iris in it so I had to use that haiku. Maybe it will come back in mind later. Then I will share it with you all.

Credits: Rabbit Ear Iris (Kaju-ji Temple Kyoto)

I have found the haiku which I meant above and I love to share it here. It's a nice haiku about Rabbit Ear Iris

kakitsubata kataru mo tabi no hitotsu kana

rabbit ear iris
talking about a trip
is one of its delights

(tr. Jane Reichhold)

Credits: Woodblock Blue Flag Iris

While preparing this episode I did some research (as I do, by the way, for every episode) and ran into another haiku by Matsuo Basho. That haiku has the same theme as the other one, but now with Blue Flag in it:

kakitsubata ware ni hokku no omoi ari

blue flag iris -
thoughts of a hokku
in my mind

(tr. Gabi Greve)

This is also a wonderful haiku and in this one we can see Basho in front of us staring at a Blue Flag Iris which inspires him to write a hokku (the starting verse of a Renga, or chained poem).

OK ... let me do some haiku composing on this prompt for today.

at the waterfront
the reeds coloring blue-purple
rabbit ear irises

blue flag iris -
preparing a month of Carpe Diem
on a classical summer

Sorry I couldn't help it. I had to write that last haiku (smiles).

I hope this episode inspires you all to compose your own haiku on Blue Flag Iris. This prompt will stay on 'til June 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, another nice Special haiku by Kikusha-Ni, later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). !! The Linking Widget opens at 10.00 PM (CET)  !!

I will reproduce the haiku by Kikusha-Ni here already. This time I have chosen for a haiku on Morning Glory, because Kikusha-Ni was a contemporary of Chiyo-Ni, and as we know, Chiyo-Ni wrote a lot of haiku on Morning Glory.

morning glories
in the evening, they let us
admire their buds

(I couldn't retrieve the Romaji translation of this one)

Carpe Diem #221, Hotaru (Firefly)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day in Carpe Diem's haiku paradise. As you all know we are busy with classical Japanese kigo (seasonwords) for Summer. And we have entered mid-summer. Today our prompt is Hotaru (Firefly). The Firefly is one of the most popular insects in Japan. Lots of Haikus and songs are written with hotaru in it. Why the popularity, I'm not so sure. At one point, hotaru could be located everywhere throughout the islands of Japan. However these creatures require very clean river and lake water and over the years have diminished a lot in the areas where they could be seen. The natural light is probably what creates the awe for the people in Japan.

There are lot of songs, pictures and so on about Firelfly. I love to share here a song about Fireflies. It's called : Hotaru Kara Satoyama (The Firefly To The Satoyama).

And there are several haiku written on fireflies. Let's take a look at a few of them.

This one is written by Gabi Greve:

first firefly -
the moon also shows
his face

Or these by Issa:

Kisa Lagoon--
sparkling with fireflies
the rice planting boat

an evening spot
for calling fireflies...
planting a willow

Fireflies are a joy to write haiku about, but in ancient Japan the Fireflies were caught for pleasure and I love to share a woodblock here:

Source: Catchin Fireflies

Well ... let me look at my own Firefly-haiku. This one I have written in one of the posts in May as inspired by Kyoshi Takahama:

firefly party
their fragile light caresses me -
no lonely night

Or this one inspired on a haiku by Basho:

at sun down
the fragile light
of a firefly

OK ... let me think ... can I write another haiku on Firefly. Hm ... not easy, but I have to try.

dancing fireflies
in the twilight-zone between day and night
can I catch them?

Ah! such fragility
the firefly with his soft light -
a lullaby

Well ... I hope you did like the read and that you enjoyed the Firefly-song. Be inspired and creative. Share your haiku with us all here on Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'til June15th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Kakitsubata (Blue flag or Rabbit ear Iris), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). The linking widget will open on 10.00 PM today. Have fun.

Carpe Diem #220, Taue (Rice Planting)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

An all new episode of Carpe Diem to prepare ... a joy to do and no struggle. I love what I am doing and I am so happy that you all like this daily haiku meme. By the way I will use our temporarily linking widget from now on every day. Only for the daily haiku challenges, for the other features such as "Oasis", "Tan Renga" and Imagination I will stay to the old widget provided by Simply-Linked. I am really pleased with our new linking widget, because now I acn publish the new episodes earlier which granted you all some more time to write your own haiku.

Today we share haiku on our next mid-summer kigo, Taue (Rice Planting), I remember that I had a same looking prompt in one of our other Carpe Diem months, but ... well ... to me not a problem and I hope it's not a problem for you too.

Tanada Wadakita (c) Gabi Greve

Rice is the most important food item in Japan. In olden times, it was eaten three times a day.The Emperor, embodying the god of the ripened rice plant, plants the first rice of the spring and harvests rice from the plants of the autumn. In one of the most solemn Shinto ceremonies of the year the Emperor, acting as the country's chief Shinto priest, ritually sows rice in the royal rice paddy on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.

The Grand Shrine at Ise is closely related to the rice culture of Japan, with its own rice fields for ritual purposes and a "sacred dining hall" for the deities.

Grand Shrine of Ise

The Japanese lifestyle and rice cultivation are deeply associated with one another. Of particular significance is the process known as taue in which rice seedlings growing in the nursery are replanted in the paddy fields. Although events associated with this rice planting can be found all over our country, the festival at the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine is unique for its reproduction of the rituals in faithful observance of ancient procedures in such a grand ceremonial style.

First, the paddies are tilled by oxen, which is a scene you rarely come across today in large cities. The main attractions of the rituals are the spectacular dance performances and songs. Dancing is believed to enhance the vitality of the grains. People living in the remote past used to believe that powerful spirits dwelled inside the rice seedlings that were to be replanted in Mother Earth. Outside the paddy fields where the women sing as they replant the seedlings, all kinds of performances are given one after the other. In addition to a dance performed by women wearing kasa (braided hats) adorned with flowers, there is a procession of samurai warriors clad in full armor.

I have found a wonderful video of a rice planting festival (or ritual) which I love to share this video hereafter. This festival takes place on the first sunday of June, according to the classical calendar that was mid-summer.:

Isn't it wonderful? Well ... I think I have told enough about rice planting and everything which belongs to that important food of Japan.

I have also looked at a few 'rice-planting' haiku and I found the next one.


saiden no minorishi ine ni kama iruru

in the fields
with ripe rice plants for the Gods
the sickle is used . . .

(c) Takezaki Shisen 


Or this one by Issa in which he describes a foreigner, most likely that was a Dutchman, because the Japanese and Dutch people are more then 400 yrs friends.

karabito mo mi yo ya taue no fue taiko

a  foreigner watches
the rice planting too...
flutes and drums

(c) Issa

Credits: Rice planting

By the way that last photo I have retrieved from http://ricewisdom.org/your-action.html a worldwide organization which is 'fighting' for natural rice and against genetically engineered rice. They are also 'fighting' for rightworthy sale of rice.

OK ... let us do some haiku composing ...

over the paddy
resonates a sweet song -
rice planting girls

sowing rice plants
source of food for thousands
while singing a song

Hereafter I share a traditional rice-planting song or Tauebayashi Song.

Well ... this was it for today I think. I hope you enjoyed the fun, the read and the haiku. Be inspired and share your haiku with Carpe Diem. This prompt will stay on 'til June 14th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode in our 'trip' through the classical Japanese kigo, Hotaru (Firefly), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Namaste.

Carpe Diem #219, Samidare (midsummer rain)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday we entered our mid-summer kigo and today our prompt is very specific related to mid-summer. Today we share haiku on Samidare (midsummer rain). Samidare or midsummer rain refers to the rain during the Rainy Season (from mid-june to mid-july).

I found a nice haiku by Basho. In this haiku he uses Samidare, but in his time, Samidare stood for rain in the first lunar moon of Summer (May). Later Samidare became a kigo for the Rainy Season.

the sun's way:

hollyhocks turn toward it

through all the rains of May

(c) Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

after a hot day
lightning and thunder
midsummer rain

midsummer rain
finally the heat has gone
after a hot day

almost naked 

dancing in the Solstice rain
ah! that coolness

ah! that coolness
raindrops on my naked body
hot Summer day

OK ... that was it for today ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here on Carpe Diem. This prompt will stay on 'til June 13th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Taue (Rice Planting), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Namaste