after: 17
plum blossoms
red! red!
. . . red!
Izen ?-1710
A poem about being rendered inarticulate in his excitement at a natural phenomenon. What's got him so excited? Perhaps these will help to explain:
plum trees flowering
around the countryside
the only sign of spring
Rito 1680-1754
in nooks and crannies
you can still feel the cold –
plum blossoms
Buson 1716-1784
spreading my mat in the field
I contemplate
plum blossoms
Buson
raising my head
to contemplate the vast sky –
the scent of plum blossoms
Soin 1604-1682
for the one whose hand
breaks off a branch
the scent of plum blossoms
Chiyo-ni 1701-1775
after breaking off
a flowering branch –
no more hiccups!
Issa 1763-1827
someone is blowing
his nose with his fingers –
plum blossoms
Basho 1644-1694
The "after" posted Dec. 30, 2010 may cast further light on the issue.
For an explanation of "afters," see the post for Nov. 2, 2010
posted by Bill | 6:59 AM
8 Comments:
Interesting, Bill. I appreciate the citation of the other plum blossom haiku which make us more aware of all those references Japanese haiku poets had in mind when they "simply" mentioned plum blossoms. Thus we understand a little better the function of the kigo which goes farbeyond the plain evocation of a seasonal element. It carries a whole cultural context, often difficult to apprehend for us.
Yes, Monika, we sometimes define kigo as season word or seasonal reference, but in classical Japanese haiku, as you've discerned, there's much more to kigo than that. I'm not sure we have, or can have, kigo in international haiku, although the seasonal theme still plays a significant role.
the cloth monkey
in high spirits...
plum blossoms
--Issa
much love
Good collection, Bill...and some new names of poets to me for further search and reading...Rito, Soin, Chiyo ni - thank you for that :)
wishes,
devika
That's a good one, Gillena. Thanks.
I've been reading a lot in the classics lately, Devika. Do you have Blyth's books?
No i don't Bill...may be i'll get the volume...most of my haiku readings are only online :)
wishes,
devika
excellent selection there and as previous comments have said it sheds light on the kigo
Thanks for this set!
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