Carpe Diem Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands #4 Mariëtte Schrijver

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new Carpe Diem Special. This month I am introducing a few of my haiku colleagues from The Netherlands and today I love to introduce Mariëtte Schrijver to you. Mariëtte started recently with creating haiku and senryu and, as I may believe her words, she was immediately caught and addicted to this wonderful little poem from the Far East. I can imagine that feeling, because I had the same feeling as I started creating haiku back in the eighties.

I encountered Mariëtte on the Facebook page "Haiku het jaar rond" (A whole year of haiku) where the goal is to create haiku following the real season of time, so the haiku now are themed autumn. As I read one of her first haiku published on that FB-page I was immediately caught by her way of writing haiku. Very nice scenery and close to the beauty of nature. Mariëtte follows the strict syllables count of haiku and I think that's very strong for someone who just has started to create haiku. It also follows what we learned from Jane Reichhold. Jane told us: "When you start to write haiku follow the rules, but when you are a haiku poet for a longer period and have mastered the form then try to create your haiku in your own special way, without counting syllables. Than try to follow the fragment and phrase in your haiku".

As you all know I am not that "brave" in my haiku according to the strict rules, it's (so to say) not my "cup of tea", but sometimes its awesome to try to create haiku the classical way.

Here are a few haiku by Mariëtte Schrijver, I have tried to translate her haiku doing justice to the Dutch Original:

het dovende licht
laat laatste bloemen zingen
over de velden

the dying light
lets the last flowers sing
over the fields

© Mariëtte Schrijver (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

The above haiku she wrote as "caption" for this photo (© photo Mariëtte Schrijver) and I think it fits wonderful.

Another nice haiku written by her is the following:

de herfst haast zich voort
boom en wolken versmelten
met de grashalmen

autumn rushes
tree and clouds become one
with blades of grass

© Mariëtte Schrijver (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

As I was preparing this episode I ran through a lot of haiku written by Mariëtte, but not all her haiku are haiku I think, several of them are more senryu. Here is an example of a senryu written by Mariëtte (this one was already in English, so no translation needed). With this senryu came a beautiful photo by Mariëtte herself, it is made with IPhone-Art, this means the photo and the adjustments are made with the IPhone:

just a bit small talk
between the boy and a bird
nothing matters now

© Mariëtte Schrijver

As you have noticed this senryu follows the 5-7-5 rule in a great way. I hope you did like this introduction to the haiku and senryu by my fellow Dutchman Mariëtte Schrijver. I think she is very gifted and has found her own wonderful style of writing haiku (and senryu).

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 26th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #21 Spider's Web

Dear Haijn, visitors and travelers,

My excuses for being late with publishing, I am on the nightshift, so time isn't on my side. Today I hope to inspire you all with a nice autumn prompt, spider's web, to create a tanka. To inspire you I also will share a haiga with the following haiku:

deep silence
the beauty of a cobweb
morning Sunrise

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope I was a source of inspiration with this (very) short episode.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 26th at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, the 8th Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #20 Chrysanthemums

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. Yesterday we had the 7th Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, "clever treatment" and today We have just a prompt for you, a prompt that fits the time of the year, Chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are the flowers of autumn, but they can also be used as a "kigo" (season word) for winter.

The Chrysanthemum has a special message hidden in it. That special message is:

" Support your friends with loyalty and love, especially when they’re facing an obstacle or recovering from a life-changing event. Remember to honor the cycle of life, both at its end and with new beginnings".

A short episode, but I think you can work with it. I hope the special message of the Chrysanthemum can inspire you.

Chrysanthemums were introduced into Japan around the 8th century AD, and Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239) adopted this flower as his official seal.

Let's pluck and wear you,
O chrysanthemum flower,
while there's still dew --
that never-aging autumn
must then abide forever.

© Ki no Tomonori

A wonderful "waka" I think and I had to share it here with you.

Chrysanthemum

Here is my attempt to create a Tanka with this theme:

white chrysanthemum
stands proud between falling leaves
autumn has arrived
sharing its everlasting promise
there will be a new beginning

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 25th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Spider's Web, later on.

Carpe Diem Revise That Haiku #7 Wisteria Blossom by Kiyoshi (father of Yozakura)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I had to distract you all a little bit from our Tanka Splendor month. This month we are all into tanka and I just had to give you a break ... just for fun.

So I present to you a new episode of our special feature "Revise That Haiku" in which I challenge you to re-create the given haiku by a wellknown haiku poet. To "re-vise" you need to read the Original haiku several times to come in tune with the scene it describes and than with that scene you have to create a new "re-vised" version of the given haiku.

For this "just for fun" break I love to challenge you to "re-vise" a haiku written by the father of Yozakura, Kiyoshi. Maybe you can remember his haiku I used it in the serial Wandering Spirit.

So here is the haiku to "revise":

only silence
the summer breeze caresses
Wisteria blossom

© Kiyoshi, father of Yozakura

Have fun!

This Revise That Haiku episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will be open until next Saturday November 26th at noon (CET).

carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #19 Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment" (prompt: fragile beauty)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this new episode of our Tanka Splendor month. I know I am a bit late, but I am on the nightshift so time isn't at my side the upcoming days. This month it is all about tanka and how to create them. Through the ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika I hope to inspire you all to create tanka or to improve your skills in writing tanka.

Today I will introduce to you Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment".

Clever treatment, a witty or ingenious treatment of a conventional topic

The style must have been popular because Teika gave 31 poems in his anthology of style examples. This one is by the Archbishop Jien (1155-1225) on the topic of "snow" from the Shinkokinshū, #6:679:
niwa no yuki ni / waga ato tsukete / idetsuru o / towarenikeri to / hito ya miruran

in the snow only
I was in the garden
leaving footprints
will people think someone brought
comfort to my loneliness?

As you can read in the above tanka (or waka) the poet brings a scene of someone in a garden covered with snow, but in that scene he just mentioned the ordinary way of walking through the snow and what kind of feeling it gives. I think the tanka shows you how important the ordinary snow can be to create a sophisticated scene.

Koya San monastery in the snow - only women were allowed to enter this monastery

In this tanka you can feel the loneliness in a very strong way. With the prompt "fragile beauty" I think we can create a tanka with this technique.

hands full of snow
the Great Buddha still smiles
with compassion
an old beggar and his bowl
bows in honor sharing his bread

© Chèvrefeuille

What an awesome technique this is. I hope I have inspired you.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 23rd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Chrysanthemums, later on. 

Wandering Spirit - aggen teazu (again tears)

After Hoshina's surprise visit I left Ise Grand Shrine to take care of him. At that time I was in my early twenties. Hoshina's health became little by little more worse, but he lived longer than he and I had thought. Our life with each other was a happy life. His wife, he was married with Sayuri, accepted me as her son and she also accepted that Hoshina and I were lovers.
Sayuri took care of Hoshina too, but mostly she let me care for him. One day she came to me. "Is it okay to ask you something Yozakura?", she asked. I nodded. She took me by the hand and led me into the garden. I could smell the Jasmine and the Wisteria. In the back of the garden Hoshina had a built an alcove. The alcove was covered with Honeysuckle and it was in full bloom. We sat down on the wooden bench. She laid her hand on my knee.

"Yozakura ..."
"Yes", I answered.
"Hoshina and you are so close. Your relationship must be strong and honest. How did it became such a warm bond? You were only a child when you became his Wakashu. How did you cope with his love for you?"
"It felt natural when he asked me to be his lover. My dad ...". I took a deep breath and swallowed away my tears. "My dad had told me what it meant to be a Wakashu. When Hoshina asked me to be his lover I felt honored that he ... such a great samourai ... asked me to be his lover. Of course it wasn't always nice to lay next to him, but as I became older my heart opened up to him fully. One day when I went to visit my dad. Hoshina kissed me and hold me tight. "I love you Yozakura", he said to me. "But I know that you have to leave me". I cried when I left that day, because he really was in love with me and I loved him dearly. After the Great Fire I didn't return, because I was mentally broken and had to find my purpose in life. At that moment I decided to become a monk of the Grand Shrine of Ise".
Sayuri looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes. "Sayuri don't cry", I said. "Hoshina has a big heart he has love enough for you and your children and me. He is a wonderful man. You have to cherish him. I have been here now for several years. I have learned a lot and I have seen how great your love is for him. I see that every day as you are taking care of him".
"I know Hoshina has a big heart, but ... as I see how he is looking at you than it feels like he loves you more, so much more than he loves me. I am not jealous, but I have some difficulties to cope with that. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I do understand what you mean, but ... what can I do to help you, to make you feel more comfortable with this situation?"
"You don't have to do something Yozakura. I have to do something". She looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes. "I will leave", she said. "I go visit my mother, she's ill and she has not long to live. Take care of Hoshina. He is my greatest love and I cannot cope with his love for you, but I also cannot cope with his fragile health. Take care of him Yozakura".
"I will take care of him Sayuri and I will cherish him. I will love him even more, because than he feels your love too. He really loves you Sayuri you will break his heart, but he will understand that you need to go to your mother'.

Hoshina's heart really was broken as I told him that Sayuri had left him to take care of her mother, but he understood. Hoshina's health worsened fast after Sayuri had left him. I took care of him and loved him. Together we wrote a short chained renga on his deathbed ... the last stanza, he had to write, but he never did that, because his health was that bad that he not even could write anymore. I sat next to him and hold him in my arms as he gave his last breath. Hoshina died in my arms, he was 62. After a few hours his color changed, his skin became young again ... "I love you Hoshina", I whispered.

After the cremation of Hoshina I left again ... again I was a wandering spirit. I had taken care of the one I loved for almost ten years.

I wrote the last stanza of our renga ... to close this part of my life:

ムーﾝライト・アﾝ・ザ・リヴァー サウザﾝド・ラﾝターﾝズ・フロート・トゥー・ザ・ハーイザﾝ アナーイﾝグ・ザ・デッド

muunraito an za rivaa sauzando rantaanzu furooto tuu za haaizan anaaingu za deddo

moonlight on the river
thousand lanterns float to the horizon
honoring the dead

© よざくら Yozakura

Yozakura

To be continued ...

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #18 depression

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I have another prompt for you to work with. Today our prompt is depression and that's maybe not a theme for tanka, as it is mostly a poetry form for love poems, but I think this prompt can challenge you to think out of the box.

Depression? In this prompt I mean the "mood", because in tanka "mood" plays a big role. Let me first try to explain what depression can be.

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity or apathy that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being.
People with a depressed mood can feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present. (source: wikipedia)

depression

A lot to cope with if you have a depression. I remember that I had a depression back in 2008. All things in my life went wrong. I had problems at work, but also in my relationship. It took a while before I found my joy of life back, but not after a lot of tears and even suicidal thoughts. In that time I didn't write a lot of haiku or did something else. It really felt as if my life was over. But I survived because of the strong love of my colleagues and my family. After that period of depression I started to appreciate life more than ever and found my way of life back.

garbage 

the rotting remains of life

take my breath away

a broken heart and more, but ... 

the sun started to shine again

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you will not become depressed through this prompt. This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 22nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next post, Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique, later on.