ARTS: Thirteen Ways of Reading a Haiku

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  • Kokuu
    Dharma Transmitted Priest
    • Nov 2012
    • 6849

    ARTS: Thirteen Ways of Reading a Haiku

    Hi all

    A very lovely piece by haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch which cuts to the heart of what haiku are about.

    First published by the Africa Haiku Network in The Mamba #5, March 2018, pages 92–126 . Two paragraphs, starting with “Speaking of empathy,” are new additions since first publication, as are the quotations at the start, and the Henderson quotation at the end. Originally written in November and


    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday/lah-
    Last edited by Jundo; 01-24-2021, 02:36 AM.
  • Onka
    Member
    • May 2019
    • 1575

    #2
    Originally posted by Kokuu
    Hi all

    A very lovely piece by haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch which cuts to the heart of what haiku are about.

    First published by the Africa Haiku Network in The Mamba #5, March 2018, pages 92–126 . Two paragraphs, starting with “Speaking of empathy,” are new additions since first publication, as are the quotations at the start, and the Henderson quotation at the end. Originally written in November and


    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday/lah-
    Thank you Kokuu

    I have already worked out when I will read this essay tomorrow. I very much look forward to it.

    Gassho
    Anna

    Sat today
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

    Comment

    • Washin
      Treeleaf Priest
      • Dec 2014
      • 3800

      #3
      Thank you Kokuu

      Gassho
      Washin
      sattoday
      Kaidō (皆道) Every Way
      Washin (和信) Harmony Trust
      ----
      I am a novice priest-in-training. Anything that I say must not be considered as teaching
      and should be taken with a 'grain of salt'.

      Comment

      • Mp

        #4
        Thank you Kokuu. =)

        Gassho
        Shingen

        Sat/LAH

        Comment

        • Kyotai

          #5
          Wonderful. I must admit, poetry just doesnt speak to me, it never has. Perhaps I am just a simple fellow [emoji6]

          Gassho Kyotai
          ST LaH

          Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

          Comment

          • Shinshi
            Treeleaf Priest
            • Jul 2010
            • 3691

            #6
            Thank you Kokuu!

            Gassho, Shinshi

            SaT-LaH
            空道 心志 Kudo Shinshi

            For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.
            ​— Shunryu Suzuki

            E84I - JAJ

            Comment

            • Kokuu
              Dharma Transmitted Priest
              • Nov 2012
              • 6849

              #7
              I must admit, poetry just doesnt speak to me, it never has. Perhaps I am just a simple fellow
              Some people like it, some people don't.

              There are plenty of art forms to go around and Zen has been expressed in words, images, sound and doubtless many other ways that can speak to people.

              Gassho
              Kokuu
              -sattoday/lah-

              Comment

              • Kotei
                Dharma Transmitted Priest
                • Mar 2015
                • 4200

                #8
                Thank you Kokuu.

                Originally posted by Kyotai
                Wonderful. I must admit, poetry just doesnt speak to me, it never has. Perhaps I am just a simple fellow [emoji6]
                In your sound- and land- scapes, I find something, that I am searching and finding in poetry, too.
                Thank you for making this kind of poetry ;-)

                I don't get tired, repeating these words from Muso Soseki:

                'The sounds of the stream splash out the Buddha's sermon.
                Don't say that the deepest meaning comes only from ones mouth.
                Day and night 80.000 poems arise one ofter the other
                and in fact, not a single word has ever been spoken.'

                Gassho,
                Kotei sat/lah today.
                義道 冴庭 / Gidō Kotei.

                Comment

                • Heiso
                  Member
                  • Jan 2019
                  • 834

                  #9
                  Thank you Kokuu, I loved this article and some of the examples of different haiku the author gives us particularly:

                  Listening . . .
                  After a while,
                  I take up my axe again

                  —Rod Willmot

                  I don't know why it resonates with my so much but I can feel, hear and smell the forest when I read it. On the Realizing Genjokoan thread Shinshi made the point that reading Dogen is often like playing music - the space between the words (or notes) create the beauty - it seems the same with haiku and the author makes that point in that we the reader have to fill in the gaps and complete the picture. Beautiful.

                  Deep bows.

                  Neil

                  StLah

                  Comment

                  • pinecone
                    Member
                    • Jul 2019
                    • 18

                    #10
                    Hi Kokuu, this piece was a great find, there are some wonderful haiku there. Thanks for sharing.
                    On a not wholly tangential note, do you recall if this thread has ever been used to write renga? Might be fun...
                    Gassho,
                    Mark
                    Sat/LAH

                    Comment

                    • Onkai
                      Treeleaf Priest
                      • Aug 2015
                      • 3048

                      #11
                      Thank you, Kokuu, for sharing this with us. I was having trouble relating to most haiku, but some of the haiku in the article resonated strongly for me. I also feel for Richard Wright's haiku (in Haiku: The Last Poems of an American Icon), although he wrote in the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Haiku is gradually becoming more accessible to me overall.

                      Gassho,
                      Onkai
                      Sat/lah
                      美道 Bidou Beautiful Way
                      恩海 Onkai Merciful/Kind Ocean

                      I have a lot to learn; take anything I say that sounds like teaching with a grain of salt.

                      Comment

                      • Kokuu
                        Dharma Transmitted Priest
                        • Nov 2012
                        • 6849

                        #12
                        Hi Onkai

                        I think that like with any form of poetry or other art form, it is a question of finding material you like as a way in. Richard Wright is a great writer.

                        I don't mind 5-7-5 poetry when it is done well. The reason I steer people away from it at first is that many writers tend to focus more on syllable counting rather than the content of the poem. Once they have learned how haiku are written, they can do as they like!

                        Gassho
                        Kokuu
                        -sattoday-

                        Comment

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