Carpe Diem #1082 Raindrops (Chopin)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first episode of our new Carpe Diem Haiku Kai month, December 2016. This month it's all about the theme "Let The Music Inspire You" and we start this new month, in which I hope to inspire you through music, mostly classical music from all over the globe and of all times, with a beautiful piece of music by Chopin.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Frédéric Chopin:

Frédéric François Chopin (1810 – 1849), was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for the solo piano. He gained and has maintained renown worldwide as a leading musician of his era, whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation." Chopin was born in Warsaw. A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his earlier works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at the age of 20.

At 21 he settled in Paris. Thereafter, during the last 18 years of his life, he gave only some 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon. He supported himself by selling his compositions and by teaching piano, for which he was in high demand. Chopin formed a friendship with Franz Liszt and was admired by many of his musical contemporaries, including Robert Schumann. In 1835 he obtained French citizenship. After a failed engagement to Maria Wodzińska, from 1837 to 1847 he maintained an often troubled relationship with the French woman writer George Sand. A brief and unhappy visit to Majorca with Sand in 1838–39 was one of his most productive periods of composition. In his last years, he was financially supported by his admirer Jane Stirling, who also arranged for him to visit Scotland in 1848. Through most of his life, Chopin suffered from poor health. He died in Paris in 1849, at the age of 39, probably of tuberculosis.

Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest superstars, his association (if only indirect) with political insurrection, his love life and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era in the public consciousness. His works remain popular.

In my teenagers time I fell in love with the music of Chopin through my music teacher who was "prepping" me for the Conservatory. Chopin really created wonderful pieces of music mostly love-themed.

Beginning in D-Flat Major, this piece focuses on inner confliction and the contemplation of the solitary self. The composition was born from the mind of Frédéric Chopin. (Video created by Undying 23)

raindrops they fall one by one and become one

© Chèvrefeuille

In this haiku I have tried to bring the inner conflict to an image of nature. Raindrops (inner conflicts) fall one by one, but at the ground the become one ... and that makes the conflict solved and brings peace of mind.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 5th at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, Air by J.S. Bach, later on. For now ... enjoy the music and have fun.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #30 pilgrimage

!! The first seven (7) prompts for December 2016 Let The Music Inspire You are NOW ONLINE you can find them in the menu above !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Well ... this is it ... our last episode of our Tanka Splendor month. This month I hope you had a lot of fun and that you have learned something. Through the Ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika we explored the beauty of Tanka. It was a real adventure and a journey, because tanka isn't easy and as you all know not really my "cup of tea".

As I started this Tanka Splendor month I introduced to you a tanka which I had written and I asked myself the question if this tanka would change after this month ... well let's look at that tanka again.

lost in the woods
searching for a new path
between ferns
the early light of day
points the way to leave

© Chèvrefeuille

This tanka wasn't strong but it was the "scene" to explain why I choose to do a Tanka month. It gives words to my struggle with tanka, to me tanka is a new path, because I am a "real" haiku poet. This month was the light that poiinted me the way to leave the safe grounds of haiku and I hope that I have improved my tanka writing skills.

This tanka I will not change, but I will try to create a new tanka here with our theme for today ... pilgrimage ...

Sakura

Maybe you can remember our journey back in 2014, our two month pilgrimage following in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi on Shikoku Island were we visited the 88 temples. This pilgrimage is a once in a lifetime must for the Buddhists and we made that pilgrimage virtually. We were two months on our way on Shikoku and almost on the same time we walked to Santiago De Compostela together with Paulo Coelho (one of my favorite authors).

Here is the tanka which I wrote inspired on "pilgrimage" :

pilgrims transformation
as buds burst open in spring
flowering cherry trees

dancing naked to honor them
the beauty of the Sakura

© Chèvrefeuille

I think this tanka is close to the beauty of the real tanka written by a lot of you. It has the beauty of nature, but also the beauty of love. I think this tanka is one of my best. Did I succeed to find my path to tanka writing? Tanka ... it still isn't really my "cup of tea", but it is a poetry form which I will try more often ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 4th at noon (CET). I will try to post our first episode of December later on ...

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #29 autumn's voice

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the penultimate episode of our Tanka Splendor month. It was really a joy to create this special Tanka month and I am so glad that I dare to do it, because (as you all know) I am not a great tanka-poet. Haiku is more my "cup of tea", but I just had to do this month, not only for myself, but also for you and most of all for Jane Reichhold. Jane once said to me "you are a very sensitive guy and tanka is your kind of poetry, go on try it ..."

Today our prompt is autumn's voice, but what do I mean by that? With this prompt I hope to challenge you to create tanka in which you are listening to autumn's voice. Autumn's voice ... is the tough wind, the rustling of the fallen leaves, the hard smashing rains, the sound of birds on their way to warmer places and more.

A wonderful piece of music created by Nujabes in which he has tried to bring the voice of autumn. Maybe this music can help to awaken your muse.

just the wind
the rustling of fallen leaves
and the soft rain
together with the one I love
I discover the voice of autumn

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like this episode and of course I hope that it will inspire you to create tanka. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 3rd at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, the last of this Tanka Splendor month, pilgrimage, later on. During lack of time, I have a very busy week, I will not publish a Universal Jane episode this Wednesday. So only the regular prompt.

I am busy with the new prompt-list for December and I hope to publish it on time. As you all know in December we will explore classical music of all times. I am looking forward to this new month. I also hope to launch a new challenging kukai.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #28 Teika's Tenth Tanka Writing Technique "Demon-quelling" (prompt: autumn departs)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This is the last Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, it's very specific for that time as I look at the "name" for this Tanka Writing Technique "demon-quelling". It will not be an easy task to explain this Tanka Writing Technique, but I will give it a try together with Jane Reichhold.

Demon-quelling - onihishigitei (or kiratsu no tei), characterized by strong or even vulgar diction and terms

Because its methods are at odds with the classical poetical values of beauty, elegance, and grace, Teika said the style to be "more difficult" and should be attempted only when the student has become proficient in the other methods. One of Teika's examples is taken from the Man'yoshū, #4:503 which is a more violent version than a similar poem in the Shinkokinshū, #10:911:

kamikaze ya / Ise no hamaogi / orishikite / tabine ya suran / araki hamabe ni

divine winds
reeds on the Ise beach
are broken
to make a traveler's bed
on this rough shore

The operative words to demonstrate the demon-quelling style are "divine winds" the breaking off of reeds, and the rough seacoast. Teika taught that even though the poet put these elements into a poem, they should be treated with sensibility and gentleness however, it seems this has been most easy to ignore.

Let me try to explain this idea. As you maybe know in ancient Japan, as in many other ancient cultures, there were stories about demons, devils and ghosts, but in Japan and for example China they made these "oni" look like monstrous creatures.

Oni are a kind of yōkai from Japanese folklore, variously translated as demons, devils, ogres, or trolls. They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature and theater.

Oni (demons) woodblock print

Depictions of oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common.

They are often depicted wearing tiger-skin loincloths and carrying iron clubs called kanabō. This image leads to the expression "oni with an iron club", that is, to be invincible or undefeatable. It can also be used in the sense of "strong beyond strong", or having one's natural quality enhanced or supplemented by the use of some tool. In addition to this, it can mean to go overboard, or be unnecessarily strong or powerful.

It's the looks of these "oni" which Teika uses to describe this "demon-quelling" Tanka Writing Technique.

So the goal is to create a tanka characterized by strong or even vulgar diction and terms. Not easy I would say, because my goal for tanka (and haiku) is elegance and beauty and not anti-beauty or anti-elegance. But I have given it a try:

broken wings a butterfly crushed under my feet fragile beauty gone leaving me with a broken heart

© Chèvrefeuille

Huh ... the idea of this "anti-beauty and anti-elegance" is really not my "cup of tea", but I think this tanka fits the Tenth Tanka Writing Technique. As you can read the prompt for today is "autumn departs", so I have tried to create a tanka with that prompt too:

broken branches

last leaves ripped apart

autumn departs

the first snow starts to fall

cuddling in front of the hearth

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 2nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, autumn's voice, later on. For now ... have fun!

PS. I had a CD Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands planned, but during lack of time I have decided to drop that episode, maybe I will publish it next month.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #27 decay

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today my mom and I have seen the definite version of the grave-stone for my dad's grave. They will place it next Monday or Tuesday. Finally we can start with our real mourning after such a long time. I cannot imagine that it has been almost nine months ago that my dad died.

Today our prompt is decay and it is a bit rare to see this prompt on this day (thinking about what I wrote above), but ... I had planned this prompt for today so I couldn't change that anymore.

the scent of autumn
that sweet smell of decaying leaves -
after the rain - stronger makes me think of days past and my first real love ...

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 1st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, the last Tanka Writing technique by Teika, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #26 meditation

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

This wonderful CDHK Tanka Splendor month is running towards its end and we have still a few days to improve our Tanka writing skills. Today I have a nice prompt for you which is a nice theme for tanka. Today our prompt is meditation.
We all know what meditation is I think, so no need to explain that further. Let's go and try to create tanka with this prompt, but first I have a few haiku for you which maybe can inspire you.

dervishes whirling
seeking a higher consciousness -
third eye opens

chanting their mantra
broomstick and rake in hand
true meditation

peace of mind
lotuses reach for the sun
growing from the dark

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... enough haiku to inspire you. I couldn't come up with something new at first, but I found a beautiful cascading haiku in my archive which I have re-worked into a tanka that fits the scene and even fits the "love" angle of tanka.

deep meditation
high up in the mountains
a Buddhist monk
even he violates chastity
watching a geisha

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 30th at noon (CET). I will publish our next episode, decay, later on.

!!! Soon to come a new challenging kind of kukai !!!

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor 25th Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique "Exquisite Detail" (prompt: charcoal)

!! I have replaced the e-books of CDHK to our Carpe Diem Library and I created a new page for our own E-zine Souchou!!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. This month our main goal is to improve our tanka writing skills through the Ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika. Today I will introduce to you Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique "Exquisite Detail" and I will try to create a tanka with it prompted "charcoal".

Let me first take you back in time to the century in which the tanka was known as waka. In ancient times, it was a custom between two writers to exchange waka instead of letters in prose. In particular, it was common between lovers. Reflecting this custom, five of the twenty volumes of the Kokin Wakashū gathered waka for love. In the Heian period the lovers would exchange waka in the morning when lovers met at the woman's home. The exchanged waka were called Kinuginu, because it was thought the man wanted to stay with his lover and when the sun rose he had almost no time to put on his clothes on which he had lain instead of a mattress (it being the custom in those days). Works of this period, The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji provide us with such examples in the life of aristocrats. Murasaki Shikibu uses 795 waka in her The Tale of Genji as waka her characters made in the story. Some of these are her own, although most are taken from existing sources. Shortly, making and reciting waka became a part of aristocratic culture. They recited a part of appropriate waka freely to imply something on an occasion.

Illustration from the Tale of Genji (woodblock print)

Much like with tea, there were a number of rituals and events surrounding the composition, presentation, and judgment of waka. There were two types of waka party that produced occasional poetry: Utakai and Uta-awase. Utakai was a party in which all participants wrote a waka and recited them. Utakai derived from Shikai, Kanshi party and was held in occasion people gathered like seasonal party for the New Year, some celebrations for a newborn baby, a birthday, or a newly built house. Utaawase was a contest in two teams. Themes were determined and a chosen poet from each team wrote a waka for a given theme. The judge appointed a winner for each theme and gave points to the winning team. The team which received the largest sum was the winner. The first recorded Utaawase was held in around 885. At first, Utaawase was playful and mere entertainment, but as the poetic tradition deepened and grew, it turned into a serious aesthetic contest, with considerably more formality. (source:wikipedia)

Okay back to our episode.

Exquisite detail - komayaka naru tei

This style is indicated by exact and precise details with often complex imagery. In Teika's anthology of tanka styles he has 29 examples. One of which is one from the Kokinshū, #4:193, written by Ōno Chisato (890-905):

tsuki mireba / chiji ni mono koso / kanashikere / waga ni hitiostu no / /aki ni wa aranedo

gazing at the moon
a thousand sad things
overcome me
not only I feel this
in autumn alone

This "exquisite detail" technique we can imagine quit well I think, because we are all haiku poets and are proud on the details we can use in our haiku. For example think about the haiku by Basho on "shepherd's purse", which we have seen here earlier:

if you look closely
a sheperd's purse flowering
underneath the hedge

© Basho

I have tried to create a tanka with "charcoal" and with the use of this "exquisite detail" technique. I don't know if it has become a good one.

in the meadow
peeling the leaves of daisies,
does she loves me?
dreaming In front of the fireplace
I look into the charcoal

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 29th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, meditation, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #24 Black Earth

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this belated episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. Yesterday I hadn't time to publish there were some serious circumstances that needed my attention. So my excuses for being late.

This month it is all about tanka as you all know and I have decided to re-create one of my WP weblogs into Tanka Splendor. Our WP weblog formerly known as Haiku Shuukan is now called Tanka Splendor and I will publish there every week a Tanka Challenge for you.

Today here at CDHK I have a bit strange prompt black earth and I think this will be a tough one to create tanka with.

black earth
covered with fresh fallen snow
awaits spring
I lay down and rest a while
in front of the fireplace

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 29th at noon (CET). I will publish our new episode, Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique, later on.

Delayed post

Dear Haijin,

I will publish our new episode tomorrow during lack of time.

Namaste,

Chèvrefeuille your host

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #23 crows

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I have a slightly different episode for you all. As you maybe know every Wednesday I publish an episode of "Universal Jane", but during lack of time I have decided to bring both planned episodes together in one post.

Today our prompt is crows and of course the first thing which came in mind was that famous crow-haiku by Matsuo Basho, my master:

on a bare branch
a crow lands
autumn dusk

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

Jane has translated a lot of haiku written by Basho and after a period of ten years she published her "The Complete Haiku by Basho", which I have used very often here at CDHK. So this haiku I couldn't forget for this episode, but what is the slightly difference of this episode?

Well ... let me tell you that. This month its all about Tanka Writing Techniques and maybe you know that Tanka and Tan Renga are looking the same, the only difference is that a tanka is writtern by one poet and the Tan Renga by two poets.

 

For today's episode I love to challenge you to create a Tanka inspired on the above famous haiku by Basho, or make the Tan Renga complete by adding your two lines towards the haiku by Basho.

I have chosen to create a new tanka inspired on this haiku by Basho:

autumn departs
between bare branches
crows nest abandoned
after the cold dark winter
it will be inhabited again

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 28th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, black earth, later on. For now ... have fun!

 

Wandering Spirit - siikingu mai pasu (seeking my path)

After the death of Hoshina I traveled to Yokohama to visit Sayuri, the wife of Hoshina, to tell her the sad news that her husband, my lover, had died. She was sad and cried, but she was glad to know that I had taken care of him for such a long time.

“Thank you Yozakura”, she said. “Thank you for taking care of him. You have given a big part of your life to do that. So now … it is time for you to find your purpose in life. Go find your path”. I bowed. “Thank you Sayuri. Thank you that you have given me the opportunity to care for Hoshina. I will never forget that”. I embraced her and parted.

I became a wandering spirit again, but now it was just for my own cause … I had to find my path, as Sayuri called it. But what was my path? To find an answer on that question I decided to make a journey to the city of Kobe to become a monk of the Taisan Ji Temple. There I hoped to find my path. During this journey I clothed myself as a monk, because that was the only safe way to travel and it gave me the opportunity to find places to sleep without paying or only low prices. 

スィーキﾝグ・マイ・パス クローズド・ライク・ア・マﾝク・フォー・セイフティー ワイト・ローズ・イﾝ・マイ・ヘア

siikingu mai pasu kuroozudo raiku a manku foo seifutii waito roozu in mai hea

seeking my path
clothed like a monk for safety
white rose in my hair

© Yozakura

This was one of my first haikai-like poems I wrote during this journey to Kobe. Along the way I spoke often with other travelers and it was one of them who told me about a new poet who became more famous every day.

Lodging House "Masayuki"

One day I spoke another lone traveler, Yasuhiro, in a lodging house. He had traveled a few days and planned to stay for a few days in this lodging house, Masayuki, somewhere between Edo and Kobe.
“I was told about a famous poet”, I said to him. “Have you heard of him? His name is Tosei”. He looked at me and shook his head. “Never heard of a poet Tosei, but maybe someone else here in the lodging house knows him”.
The inn-keeper, Yori, brought us some rice and onions and sake. “I overheard what you asked your travel companion”, he said. “Did you ask him if he knew a poet Tosei?” I nodded. “Yes, during my journey I heard several times people talk about him. He must be a great poet, because there are so many people who know him. Do you know him?” The inn-keeper smiled. “Yes, just recently I read an anthology of poems, haikai, titled “Kai Oi”, the Sea Shell Game”, he answered. “This Tosei is a rising star in the world of poetry, but he is very young. He is 28 and he once was a servant of Tōdō Yoshitada, the son of a samourai”. “I was raised and educated by a samourai”, I said. “Maybe you know him”. The inn-keeper looked at me. “His name was Hoshina Masayuki”. The inn-keeper shook his head. “Never heard of him”. I was a bit disappointed as he said that, because his lodging house had the same name as my lover, but I let go of it. “Must be a coincidence”, I thought.

I stayed a few days in this lodging house and finally I found the peace to write haikai-like poems to clear my head. My head really full of all what I had experienced in the last years. I had to bear all the sadness alone and sometimes there were days that it made me depressed and that I thought to commit suicide. Happily I could resist those thoughts, because I love life and I want to take everything out of my life. At the lodging house I decided to visit this young poet who’s star was rising and maybe he would accept me as his apprentice, but then I had to write a few haikai-like poems to show him.

It wasn’t easy to create these haikai-like poems, but my hidden emotions and my background as a Shinto priest helped me to do it.

roonrii furauaa noo wan kan sii mai teazu batto za gaddozu

lonely flower
no one can see my tears
but the gods

fiiringu aroon roosuto in za wuddozu araundo iidoo - jasuto za attamu waindo

feeling alone
lost in the woods around Edo -
just the autumn wind

bea buranchazu a peintingu aggensuto za buruu sukai riivuzu andaa mai fiito

bare branches
a painting against the blue sky
leaves under my feet

atto doon ai woshu mai fiito wizu duu za roongasuto dei

at dawn
I wash my feet with dew
the longest day

roosuto in za wuddozu natto inafu raito tuu faindo za pasu - za kurai avu an auru

lost in the woods
not enough light to find the path -
the cry of an owl

© Yozakura

“Yozakura, these are beautiful”, the inn-keeper said with a smile on his face. “You have the talent my friend”. I blushed as he praised my work. “These are just my first attempts to write haikai-like poems”, I said. “I have tried to write down my feelings and the emotions hidden in me. My dad died in the Great Fire of Meireki  and my lover just recently died after a long bed of sickness”. Tears rolled over my cheeks and I couldn’t stop them anymore. Then I became unconscious. Several days later I found myself on a sleeping mat in the house of the inn-keeper. He and his friend had taken care of me after I passed out.
“Ah good to see you awake my friend”, the inn-keeper’s friend, Yamato, said to me. “You have been “out” for several days. A local doctor has examined you and he has diagnosed you with a pneumonia and exhaustion”.
I looked at him. “I was “out” for several days?”
“Yes, to be precise almost 7 days. You had high fevers. There was even a moment that we were afraid that you would die”. I was in shock as I heard what had happen. I couldn’t believe that I had been sick that bad.
“Thank you for taking care of me Yamato”, I said with tears in my eyes. “How can I ever repay you what you and your friend have done for me?” Yamato smiled and shook his head.
“No need to repay us Yozakura. Just remember us when you are a famous poet and then please visit us again”. With a big smile he helped me on my feet, embraced me and gave me a kiss on my forehead. “Friends forever Yozakura, friends forever. Yori will say that too I know that for sure”.
“Well … good to see you on your feet Yozakura. How are you? How are you feeling today?” Yori, who entered the room, asked me with a bright smile on his face.
“I am feeling great only still tired, but that will become better I think. Thank you for taking care of me Yori”.
“It’s ok Yozakura. Yamato and I have done it out of unconditional love for all and everything. So no thanks we loved doing it”, Yori said.

Shakuhachi player

Later that day, I sat together with Yori and Yamato at the table. Yori had made us a delicious stew and we drank a lot of sake. During our dinner a local musician played on his Shakuhachi. It was a nice peaceful evening and I felt at home. Through a hole in the paper window I saw the full moon. “A perfect day”, I thought.

a bamubuu furuuto kuaresusesu za muunritto naito - furajaru saundo

a bamboo flute
caresses the moonlit night -
fragile sound

As we went to bed the horizon started to color already. A new day was rising. I slept until midday and after a nice meal I decided to leave. On my way again to find the purpose of my life.

To be continued …

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #22 Teika's 8th Tanka Writing Technique - Novel Treatment (prompt: blues)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Tanka Splendor month. Today the Tanka Writing Technique by Teika is Novel Treatment and the prompt to use is blues.

I will give you a short description of this technique and an example of a tanka in which this technique is used.

Novel treatment - Using an unusual or original poetic conception

Among the 26 examples is the poem by Fujiwara Motozane (ca 950) from the Shinkokinshū, #11:1060:

namidagawa / mi mo uku bakari / nagaruedo / kienu wa hito no / omoi narikeri

a river of tears
floats my body off
on its current
but it cannot quell the fire
you have set in my heart

As we look closer to this tanka (or waka) we can see in the first lines what is meant here "a river of tears floats my body off" This sounds unusual, but it is used for poetic conception to make the emotion stronger in this tanka.

River of Tears

I couldn't come up with a tanka for this Tanka Writing Technique, so today no tanka written by me. Maybe later.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 27th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, crows, later on. For now ... have fun!