ChanomiTalk

今朝は蝉なぜに啼かざる長崎忌

Why this morning
do the locusts not chirp
Nagasaki day.





こんちょう は　せみ なぜに なかざる　ながさきき

尾池和夫（おいけかずお）　

日陰避け歩を選び行く雪国人

ひかげ さけ　ほ を えらびいく　ゆきぐにびと


Avoiding shade
Picking steps
Snow country people walk


もし、ワイキキで、どちらかといえば注意深げに歩いている人を見かけたら、
「ここではブラックアイスの心配はご無用ですよ」と言ってあげてください。
日陰の水が凍ったものをブラックアイスといい、冬期の事故の悪玉です。

The first person to conceive of haiku in the modern sense was Matsuo Basho. Prior to his poetry, Japanese poets would write longer pieces utilizing the 5-7-5 pattern as an opening verse. Basho realized that this short verse by itself could be a profound and beautiful poem.

Basho’s most famous work is called 奥の細道　(oku no hosomichi / the narrow road to the interior). It is essentially a poetic travel log, wherein he recounts his experiences traveling over 1500 miles across Japan in 156 days. In it, he writes short passages followed by haiku that simultaneously conclude and embody the passages’ contents.

The combination of short story and haiku is today referred to as 俳文 (haibun). The spirit of haibun is wonderment and appreciation of the world and one’s own experiences.

一言も事実であれば話しなり

ひとこと も　じじつ であれば　はなし なり


A single word
that speaks of truth
can tell a story.




Frustrated by Michiko: Illustrated by Michiko

窯出しのパンの香りや今朝の秋

Freshly pulled
bread smell wafting in
a fall morning.






かまだし の　パン の かおり や　けさ の あき

尾池和夫（おいけかずお）　

三陸の釣りたて鰹復活す

In Sanriku
fresh caught tuna appear
once again.






さんりく の　つりたて かつお　ふっかつ す

尾池和夫（おいけかずお）　

突風の脅した壁にお湯の音

とっぷう の　おどした かべ に　おゆ の　おと


A strong gust
threatens the wall behind
whistling tea.

NACOS tips for writing English haiku

Haiku are sparse, but their purpose is usually to paint a vivid image. The reader is always meant to infer most of the image for him or herself, which means that each time the poem is read, a different image will emerge. The details you choose include will determine which parts of that image must remain constant no matter how the poem is read. So, be sure to include things that resonate well with each other while also causing a scene to spring up around them due to the mind’s associations.

In the case of the above poem, I thought wind and the whistle of a tea kettle resonated well with each other because of the interplay of sounds. In addition, hot tea is associated with cold weather and the comfort of the home. Coupled with the strong wind in the first line, the scene is one of people staying at home when the weather is nasty outside. Although this was my intention, I must also welcome different interpretations. Because the details I included are interesting and evocative unto themselves, the haiku works no matter what scene the reader ends up constructing for himself.




Frustrated by Michiko: Illustrated by Michiko