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* Dogwood Blossoms -- Volume 1, Issue 4 -- October '93 *
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* editor: Gary Warner: (GLWARNER@SAMFORD.BITNET) *
* assistant editors: Matt Burke: (burke@beta.math.wsu.edu) *
* Nori Matsui: (NORIM@EARLHAM.BITNET) *
* special consultant: Gary Gach: (ggach@pandora.sf.ca.us) *
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Dogwood Blossoms, is an at-least-monthly (*laughter*) publication
of the Internet community. The goal of this digest is to be a
place where Haiku can be shared and discussed with other lovers
of the art. Submissions are encouraged, both of original work,
published work by other authors, and comments and critiques of
works in previous issues. Articles of "short essay" length are
also welcome.
When you subscribe, please volunteer any haiku you would like to
see discussed, indicating if it is published or original...
also, if you would like to serve on the "editorial board" please
indicate so, or if you can serve as a translator for non-English
submissions (which are welcome) please indicate so.
If you are a list owner, and feel that this digest would make an
appropriate posting on your list, please send me a note
indicating so. In this issue:
I. Administrivia (you're there now!)
II. "Thanks, Apologies and Promises Unkept"
III. Original Haiku by our subscribers
IV. "Haiku of Akutagawa Ryunosuke" -- Nori Matsui
V. "A request for comment" -- Logos Haiku Circle
VI. "A Brazilian Contest" -- Rodrigo Siqueira
VII. "5-7-5: Does English Haiku need it?"
VIII. Assignments for Future Issues . . .
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II. "Apologies, Excuses, and Promises Unkept"
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From: Gary Warner
This is the place where I would like to thank the persistance of
a few of our subscribers to whom we owe the continued existence
of Dogwood Blossoms. A special thanks to Andreas Schoter, who
has been a real motivator on this project, also thanks to Rodrigo
Siqueira, a haiku advocate worthy of my aspirations, and Bill&
Debbie Blohm, whose kind words are a motivator when I read them.
I would like to sincerely apologize for the fact that we have
missed our stated goal of "at-least-monthly" publication. I hope
that what you eventually receive will make up for what you have
missed. If there is anyone who would like to serve as a backup
editor who would have the authority to release an issue when I am
in "over my head", please step forward now.
As for the promises unkept, if any of you would like a full refund,
please contact our subscription department, and a check will be
immediately issued. For those of you who have been enjoying Dogwood
Blossoms for free, well, I hope in this case you get MORE than what
you pay for!
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III. "Original Haiku from Our Subscribers"
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From: Andreas Schoter
(Gar-Note: This was from the "Out my window" assignment)
Crook-winged cruisers glide,
White against a fading sky,
Sailing coastal winds.
From: NORIM@EARLHAM.BITNET
Japanese and English translations both by Nori...
1. shiba karite By lawn-mowing
aoku somareru dyed in green
kora no ashi children's feet
2. Uroko gumo Cirro-cumulus
kuruma jiko nite a car accident
ita ita shi feel painful
3. kantaroupe Cantalope
tsuyoi kaori ni its strong aroma
suki kirai some likes it, others dislike
From: Doyle Cozadd
Chasing lightning bugs...
OW! SLAP! Mosquito's last meal!
Night meditations!
From: Gary Gach
my dad's 80th
birth date ... he gets up, goes out,
brings back the morning paper .
From: Mykel Board
New York City zen
learning to love
the car alarms
From: Gary Warner
(I couldn't resist inserting this here, sorry Mykel)
Car alarms set off
By each exploding starburst
Independence Day!
From: Genki
Cold morning washroom
Lit up grey around my face
My father's stubble
From: Gary Gach
the rest of the taffy
not to be found until
after the party
From: Rodrigo Siqueira
(Gar-Note: Rodrigo has presented me with many excellent Haiku in
Portuguese. If you could assist with translation, please
send me a note. The below translations are mine, with
help from Rodrigo, but we could use some help....)
Pinheiros cobertos Pine trees covered
por seu manto branco by their cloaks of white
neve na montanha. snow on the mountain
(forwarded from Rodrigo:by Karen Aniz)
O vento leva The rushing wind
as folhas e a poeira carries leaves and dust
voam as lagrimas. flying teardrops
From: Mike Hatz
Chill freezes all memories,
Ten years old again,
Skating with my ghosts.
From: Gary Warner
Parting with her breast
reflection of silvery moon
Evening mallard
(It is a play off the famous Haiku by Issa:
(sorry, I cannot find the Japanese of this, only a translation)
Parting with her breast
floating cherry blossoms
graceful swan
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IV. "Haiku of Akutagawa Ryunosuke" -- Nori Matsui
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B. By Akutagawa Ryunosuke(1892 - 1927) (All English translations are by
Nori Matsui)
1. kogarashi ya In the storm,
mezashi ni mokoru the color of sea
umi no iro remains in dried fish
2. hatsu aki no Early fall,
inago tsukameba grabbing a locust,
yawarakaki It's soft!
3. sazanka no Buds of sasanqua
tsubomi koboruru spilling,
samusa kana Oh, cold.
4. usagi mo Rabbit, too
katamimi taruru drooping one ear,
taisho kana very hot
#1 is very famous. Mezashi( small dried fish) usually
is hung under the eaves, with groups. In a storm of
rain and wind in a autumn, Akutagawa saw the color of
the sea from which the fish have come in the dried fish.
Many of Akutagawa's haiku are very sensitive with
season, weather, and his senseof desperation.
Nori Matsui
Dewa mata.
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V. "A Request for Comment" -- Logos Haiku Circle
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From: Ryosuke Suzuki <74570.2160@CompuServe.COM>
(Gar-Note: Ryo represents the Logos Haiku Circle in Japan,
We should support these young poets in whatever way we
can. Please address your correspondence to them to Ryo's
address above...comments to me will either be printed in
a future issue, or forwarded to Ryo at my discretion.)
Thank you for Dogwood Blossoms Issue 3. I'll be pleased if you
and other members can write your opinions about the following
haiku written by Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, a Japanese high school
student. He is one of the Logos Haiku Circle members:
moon
swallowing
our sight
After the club activities, I was talking with my friends about
the full moon on our way. One of them told a stupid but inter-
esting story. He said, "The moon is the hole of this space. It
is like a black hole but not black. It swallows everything,
especially our sight." Another said, "People have been watching
it from generation to generation, so your story is right." Girls
were only smiling. I thought my friends really like jokes and
they have very interesting ways of thinking, too.
( Yoshihiro Yamaguchi )
* * *
I'll be very pleased if someone, especially young people, wants
to exchange haiku letters with him.
Love, Ryo
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VI. "A Brazilian contest" by Rodrigo de Almeida Siqueira
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(Gar-Note: Rodrigo has promised to share the results of this
year's annual meeting as well...If you have contest news you
would like to share with us, please let me know)
Here in Brazil (Sao Paulo city) we have a contest that happens
every year (usually in Spring) gathering more than 150 haiku
enthusiasts every time. We had some explanations about the
philosophy and history of haiku and we had 20 minutes to compose
a haiku after they give two themes. To give inspiration in the
quest of the most perfect poem we had live music with typical
oriental instruments like the zither, the "koto" (a kind of harp)
and the "shakuhati" (bamboo flute). The themes in that contest
were THUNDER and ROSE. We also had SWALLOW as the theme in the
childish category (Yes! Children wrote good haikus there!). I
chose thunder. Here is my entry:
Solidao no ninho Alone in the nest
o passaro se assusta the bird gets frightened
no eco do trovao in the thunder's echo
Each thunder, loneliness and any other challenge that appears to
the bird or to the human being is always in fact an oportunity to
self growth and development of self-knowledge. Knowing our own
weakness we'll be able to win any enemy. The challenges are part
of the path and those who face them will be strong.
The haiku above won the 2nd price in the 6th National Haiku
Contest (1992). The prize was many little haiku books, the
"Haiku Mcl!e Children 90" book and a trophy. My parents were
amazed when they asked what was the trophy about and I said:
"Well, I won a JAPANESE poetry contest!". (I don't have any
japanese background)
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VII. "5-7-5: Does English Haiku need it?
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(Gar-note: Thanks for the many responses to our question above.
I am posting part of the responses in this issue, and
saving part for the next...All are the original
postings of the authors...I think this is a significant
issue in English Haiku, and would like to see responses
to any of the ideas presented below.)
********Debbie Blohm ********
I would add my voice on the side of those who would insist on the
exact count given in the definition: that of 5-7-5 syllables in
three lines. After all, if the original haiku poetry was written
to that restriction, then by simple definition that is how it is
to be. However, I would say that the 5-7-5 restriction is in
the language it was originally written in. Thus, though I write
haiku in English, and in doing so it conforms to the 5-7-5
format, in translation it may not so conform. Just as the
Japanese does not translate into the 5-7-5 format in English
every time. Haiku is to me a specific form. In whatever
language it is written in originally, a poem is written in that
language to hopefully provide a specific result in the reader. I
tend to assume that the author is aware, at least in the dim
recesses of his or her mind, that in translation to another
language it may loose its intended impact. Yet, it is the form
that is defined by the term "haiku" and not the contents of the
haiku. Just as one has to work within certain specifics in
building a boat or writing a program, still it is a boat or
program.
****************
Regarding Haiku form (5-7-5) in non-Nihongo verses:
It seems to me that the form is above all a discipline for the
writer (this goes for sonnets as well as haiku). The act of
choosing words to fit the form is part of the compositional
process, just as much as the narrative or descriptive content of
the poem. Therefore, the original language version of the poem
(whether it be Japanese, English, or any other language) should
conform to the 5-7-5 form as well as other stylistic attributes
(season words, surprize, etc.). But, when the original poem is
translated, it is not necessary to impose the strict 5-7-5 form
on the translation. The translation should above all reflect the
original spirit and mood. If the translator attempts to conform
to a rigid format, the effect will be a re-writing of the poem
which may not reflect the original language intention.
********Ryosuke Suzuki <74570.2160@CompuServe.COM>********
As for assignments (1a -- 1c ), first I'd like to show what I once
got from Mrs L.E. Harr (TOMBO):
"As I see it , the textbooks all too often give teachers the wrong
information as to what haiku is. They describe it as a little
poem and then are off on the wrong track from the beginning. They
stress the 5-7-5 count rather than the special content that makes
haiku unique. For haiku, indication of emotion felt is more impor-
tant than the telling of the event. (Show, don't tell) is the goal."
Secondly, I'd like to show some haiku written about plum blossoms.
First two verses are mine,one is in the syllabic style(5-7-5) [ I
started writing haiku in this style, but a few years later I changed
mine into the free style.]
Smell of plum blossoms
old teacher's start for new life
as a lodge keeper
(published by the Mainichi Daily News)
Taichi practice
closer and closer
to plum blossoms
(published by MODERN HAIKU)
In the following, Kenneth Yasuda's is a syllabic style haiku and
TOMBO's is a free style haiku.
Night begins to come,
And the darkness falls at once
In the grove of plum.
( Kenneth Yasuda )
Moon comes out
plum petals fall - heavy
with raindrops
( TOMBO )
I'll continue writing about this. Love, Ryo
********Ryosuke Suzuki <74570.2160@CompuServe.COM>********
My opinion is that a 17 syllable verse in English is too long for
the idea of haiku; it is rather waka. It is true that waka is
only 14 syllables longer than haiku, but it makes a big
difference between haiku and waka: a lot of Japanese people say
that waka is an epic poem while haiku is a lylic poem. Probably
all of you may know that.
A feature of haiku which I'm most interested in is its symbolism.
As well as its simplicity and juxtaposition, the feature makes me
think that haiku is similar to "sumie" (Japanese black-and- white
ink painting) or some other abstract paintings, whlie waka is
similar to ordinary oil paintings or representational paintings.
Another haiku feature I'm attracted to is that haiku should be
short enough you can read it in one breath. You may find some
good examples of that point in Santoka's haiku,(my translations):
hail into the bowl too
( teppatsu no naka emo arare )
entering deeper and deeper
still green mountains
( wake ittemo wake ittemo aoi yama )
Further, I'll show you some more haiku of that kind (some of them
are very experimental though ) written by my haiku friends and
myself:
beyond
stars beyond
star L.A. Davidson
cloudsoftension Alexis Rotella
butterflyields to the breeze Anthony Cetera
flightrail eveninglow Ryo Suzuki
Love, Ryo
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VIII. Assignments for Future Issues
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Thanks to all who submitted things for this issue! In the next
issue, which will be due out the first of November, we will
continue to concentrate on the idea of 17 syllable vs. "short"
haiku. I will continue to accept submissions on that topic.
I have quite a bit of material for next issue already, but I
NEED ORIGINAL HAIKU! Please make this your priority if you
are considering submission.
In next issue:
Haiku Books . . . a review, and some ordering info
More on 17 syllable vs. "short" haiku
Your poetry (if I get some!)
Introductions to some other Haiku publications.
Assignments:
1a. Should English Haiku have 17 syllables? Much debate has passed
on this issue. Some authors use significantly less, others
"around" 17, and others always 17. What do you think, and why?
Well-thought essays will be printed intact, thoughts and comments
of our subscribers will be combined in a special section.
1b. Write an original haiku, following a strict syllable count,
rewrite on the same topic, using the most brief form that you
feel captures the same thoughts with pleasing sound. We will
have the two forms critiqued and compared. (If you would like
to volunteer to work on this, let me know!)
1c. Published examples of "shorter" haiku are welcome. If you can
find published 17-syllable haiku on the same topics these pairs
would be of even greater interest.
2. Original work. All submissions are welcome, to be included in
a future issue. Haiku, or articles about haiku are always
welcome. WE ARE DESPERATE FOR ORIGINAL HAIKU!!!!!
3. Published work. Find a Haiku collection at your library, and
share with us some particularly striking works you find. If
you would like, find several by a single author, or several
on a single theme and send them together for a special section.
4. Book reviews and recommendations are desired. If you submit,
please include the ISBN of the book, and ordering information
if known. Catalogue information from Haiku presses is also
desired.
5. Contest news. We would like to let our readers know about
upcoming contests, as well as hear about contests in which
you have participated. Send us entry information, or tell
us about the turn out of the contest, and perhaps your entry
or the winning entries (if allowed). Thanks for the idea
Rodrigo!
6. If you own, work for, represent, or participate in any Haiku
organization, we will gladly advertise for you for a reciprocal
ad. Mention us in your publication or newsletter and we will
happily do the same for you. To make this seem a LITTLE less
than blatant advertising, please write a short article about
some event your organization has sponsored, or include sample
poetry from your organization's publication in your article.
(Dogwood Blossoms is Free to all...my note in section II about
refunds was a joke).
7. Send us a short note, telling what you thought of issue 4, or
responding to any of the Haiku that were included in this issue.
Encourage our contributors! (That's why we include their e-mail
addresses!) Let them know what you thought of their submissions
(and cc: me, I'm dying for feedback to share with my editorial
staff...by the way staff, we are back in business...please report
in.)
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