tis the season
Traditionally, haiku are written on seasonal themes and contain some sort of reference, direct or indirect, to the season. Although I've written on other themes, as a glance at the blog will demonstrate, I do respect haiku's venerable tradition. That's why my haiku these days tend to be full of snow. And that may be why one of my sons has been surprised to notice my "dark vision." I tell him just wait until spring, but who knows?
By the way, I might mention here that some of the poems I've posted might be senryu, rather than haiku, for those who maintain that distinction. I haven't talked about the distinction here (That will come later.), and for now I'll continue to post by whim rather than by definition.
Here are a few more products of this interminable (But good!) winter:
1
tiny pond
ripples hurried by the wind
carry the chill
2
ice on the river
glimpsed through flickering trees
from the car window
3
she speaks
a cloud of breath dissolved
in winter fog
4
Groundhog Day
my shadow one of many
shades of gray
5
shadows on the snow
my pen on the white page
makes its mark
posted by Bill | 9:29 AM
2 Comments:
Maybe it's too much to answer here, but where did this tradition start? I know its Japanese, but is there one poet that can be called the originator? Did he lay down rules regarding seasons and such? Just curious...
Basho, the first great haiku master (real name Matsuo Kinsaku), lived from 1644 to 1694, but haiku was already well-established by then, with its own set of rules. In fact,it was in danger of dying of artificiality. Basho was an innovator and liberator. Many of the form's conventions derive from the fact that it began life as an introductory part of longer compositions, and acknowledging the season, for instance, was a way of getting started. They remain current because a poet of Basho's genius, as well as other masters who followed him, did such great things with them; also because the mindfulness they promote remains worth seeking. Mindfulness includes an exquisite awareness of the patterns of permanence and change in nature suggested by the passage of the seasons. It also includes an awareness of where and how we fit into this picture. I'll go into this more fully in later posts.
Post a Comment
<< Home