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* Dogwood Blossoms -- Volume 1, Issue 5 -- November '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 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. "Advertising" Policy
III. Original Haiku by our subscribers
IV. The Game of Masezuka
V. Book Review: "The Haiku Hundred"
VI. The Story of Black Bough
VII. "5-7-5: Does English Haiku need it?"
VIII. Assignments for Future Issues . . .
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II. "Advertising" Policy-- Gary Warner
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In the next few issues you will see some things that would appear
to be advertisements. Let me assure you that they are NOT ads
in the sense that someone paid something to have their products
or services described here. The way I see it Haiku and related
publications and organizations are pretty hard to find, even if
you are looking for them. I encourage you to share with all of
our readers any resources that you come across. If you can tell
us where to order a good Haiku book, or how to subscribe to a
Haiku magazine, join a Haiku society, or do any other Haiku-related
thing, we are interested, and space will be given for such here.
I try to make the "advertiser" put a little history with their
products, but it won't always be that way. I hope no one is
bothered by the presence of these "ads" and I hope that some
people find them useful.
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III. Original Haiku by our Subscribers
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From: Michael Dylan Welch
harvest moon--
the white spot
on the black cat
(previously published in "Haiku Moment", edited by Bruce Ross)
(Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo Japan: Charles Tuttle, 1993, p 291)
From: Tadao Takaoka
Kouseki no keshi komen ni natsuno kumo
On the diminishing wake in the lake reappears a summer cloud.
From: Andreas Schoter
(Gar-Note: A response to Ryosuke Suzuki's "Taichi" haiku in issue 4)
A magpie's cry
from its roof-top ariel
stills my sabre.
In the city wood, oaks
Crowded by the dense perfume
Of unnamed blooms.
Sunlit tree
Green against a grey sky.
Brief scent of lemon!
From: Mike Rilee
(Gar-Note: A touching response to the birth announcement
of my daughter. Thanks, Mike!)
on the fence, a cock crows
as autumn's stars gently fade
the little one sleeps
From: Genki
urgency within
frosty dawn barely witnessed
the sound of water
My smile is wider
Greeting a familiar face
Whose name I forgot
From: Terry Ascher
Twilight and time slows.
Gliding boat gets smugly hailed
by bullfrog's croaking.
Coasting, skimming ghosts.
Dense lake mist drifts to reveal
Canadian geese!
From: Bill Blohm
Water gently laps
Quietly canoe carves mist
Dim sunrise arrives
From: Denise Stinemetz (Bill Blohm's sister)
Horses expedite
Open up serenity
Heritage reborn
From: Gary Gach
on my way to work
looking up i see a cloud
shaped like an angel
From: "Tom Frenkel"
Noisy plane again!
But last week one took me to
California sun.
One in the morning
The digital clock has just
Simplified itself
From: Andreas Schoter
(Gar-Note: Not Haiku, but I LIKE it!)
Bird chatter pulses
through leafy branches above:
A canopied sky
bright with light - more green than blue;
soundboard for the morning breeze.
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IV. The Game of Maekuzuke--Andreas Schoter
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Introduction
------------
In William Higginson's "Haiku Handbook" (p.225) he discusses the
`game' of maekuzuke: the term means, literally, "joining to a
previous verse". This became popular in Japan around the end of
the seventeenth century, particulary in teahouses and wineshops.
A poet would leave a number of maeku (or "previous verses") at
the shop and costumers would then add their own tsukeku (or
"joined verse") indicating which of the maeku it followed on
from. Some time later the initiating poet would return and
collect all of the submissions and publish the best in a
mankuawase (or "collection of ten thousand verses"). The maeku
were in the form of 7-7 syllable couplets, whilst the responding
tsukeku were in the traditional haiku/senryu format of 5-7-5.
Throughout the eighteenth century this was a very popular pastime
with new collections of maeku appearing every three weeks or so
from each of a number of collectors (some of Basho's foremost
students were among them).
In the Electronic Age
---------------------
I'd like to see if such a thing can be managed using the
capabilities of international email! To that end I'm proposing a
small number of maeku here in "Dogwood Blossoms". Each of these
maeku come from my work in progress, triggered by some real
event; they all roughly conform to the 7-7 format. I shall not
disregard any submissions that fail to be 5-7-5 and free-form
haiku/senryu are equally welcome. What I shall be looking for is
a poem that expresses a moment or feeling that in some way
complements or contrasts with the original moment that generated
the maeku. Higginson says that "the tsukeku makes active use of
the maeku and without the maeku it would have much less impact".
I look forward to reading your submissions. I shall consider all
haiku that arrive between the sending of this issue of "Dogwood
Blossoms" and the next, with my selection appearing in two issues
time.
Maeku
-----
A: Territorial wailing
shatters the afternoon peace.
B: A twist in the path reveals
the clarity of far hills.
C: Rivulets of shadow
snake up the sunlit hill.
D: Earth roots the great trees' fingers
gently stroking the breeze.
(Gar-Note: Please send submissions directly to Andreas . . .
I will, however, forward any that I receive)
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V. Book Review: "The Haiku Hundred" -- Andreas Schoter
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"The Haiku Hundred" was Iron
published in 1992 by Peter Mortimer
IRON Press 5 Marden Terrace
ISBN 0-906228-42-5 Cullercoats
Size: 74*103mm, 64pp. North Shields
British Price 2.75 Sterling Teign and Wear
NE30 4PD
England
I quote from the end notes "The Haiku Hundred represents the outcome
of the largest haiku event ever staged in the UK. IRON Press, in
collaboration with the British Haiku Society, received more than 5,500
submissions when we invited work for this small anthology. The short
verses came winging in from throughout the globe, emphasising the
relevance and vitality to which haiku can now lay claim in the
English-speaking world."
This is an excellent little collection of Haiku, with an interesting
introduction by James Kircup describing, amongst other things, the
birth of the British Haiku Society. As indicted above, the poems come
from a variety of sources, not just BHS folk. Most of the Haiku do
not conform to the standard 5-7-5 format, and many are perhaps more
strictly senryu. I shall quote a couple without comment:
The dancer's gesture A twig of rain drops.
extends Straphangers on a branch line
beyond her fingers getting off shortly.
Eric Speight Geoffry Holloway
Also of interest is the chilrens section at the end - the ones printed
come from folks between 12 and 14. Again, an example:
Cat: He grabbed a poem
out of the air.
His tail waved it in semaphore.
Zoe Redgrove (14)
Given the description of teaching Haiku to children given by Higginson
and Harter in the "The Haiku Handbook" I'm not surprised at the
standard of material in this section.
One of the many good things about this collection is its presentation:
its size makes it easy to carry around and the overall standard of the
haiku, makes this a worthwhile thing to do. In free moments take it
out and open a page at random. This book was a chance find for me,
I'd like to recommend it to everyone.
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VI. The Story of black bough-- Chuck Easter
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black bough was started by Kevin Walker and myself. Both of us
are haiku poets and, at the time, lived a few blocks away from
each other. Kevin had a fair number of haiku publications, and I
had some. We both enjoyed the magazine Wind Chimes, which ceased
publication because (I believe) its editor found himself too busy
with other things to continue it. Figuring there was now room
for one more haiku magazine in the world, we decided to start
one. I had the Macintosh for publishing it and he had the
wherewithal to figure out the rest (advertising, financials,
etc.). In general, we feel our magazine has a slightly different
bent than many other haiku magazines. In my opinion (I don't
like to speak for Kevin in matters of aesthetics), haiku poets
are always stretching the limits of the genre, and contemporary
haiku poetry has quirks in terms of subject matter and form that
differ from what could be considered more purist haiku. I hate
to emphasize this too much, however, because black bough really
isn't radically different; it just pushes in a slightly different
direction. Also, in addition to haiku, tanka, senryu, and
haibun, we publish free verse poetry that seems haiku-influenced.
I'd also like to mention that I believe that good aesthetic
theories are driven by good poetry but good poetry isn't
necessarily driven by good aesthetic theories. Therefore, I'm
ready to abandon all my aesthetic beliefs the first time I
encounter a good poem that doesn't fit them!
black bough is printed chapbook style and includes some graphics
in each issue. If you're interested in buying a copy, they're
$4.00 for a single issue, $11.50 for a three-issue susbscription.
International orders are $5.00 for a single issue, $13.50 for a
single subscription. The checks need to be made out to me (Chuck
Easter) and have to be cashable in the U.S. (an international
postal money order will do the trick). Our address is P.O. Box
465, Somerville, NJ USA.
Also, if you publish a magazine yourself, we're always willing to
make a trade.
If you're interested in submitting haiku to black bough, you can
send the submissions to me via E-mail.
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VII. 5-7-5: Does English Haiku Need it?
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(Gar-Note: Begun last month, we continue hearing from our readers
on the subject of strict form and Haiku)
************* Gary Warner **********
Several people have been asking what *I* think on the purist
Haiku vs. more "free" Haiku. I haven't had time to write an
elaborate article, but will go on record briefly here.
To me, there are TWO very important pieces to a haiku. The
first is the capturing of a scene, with almost a photographic
quality, so that someone reading the haiku can know EXACTLY
what the author was seeing. I call this "the Zen moment" of
a haiku. But there is also a literary technique to be
considered. The "form" of a haiku, to me, is as important as
the content. The haiku that I have written which I most enjoy
had the Zen moment come to me in an instant. On a walk, or
sitting on my contemplation table by the lake, I would see
something and KNOW that that was to be the subject of a haiku.
At that point, I often jot down a sketch-poem. Something to
be developed later. But part of being a poet, and not just a
Zen monk, comes from crafting words to meet the required form.
Shakespeare said many beautiful things, but we only consider the
poems that met the correct rules to be sonnets. I *TRY* to do
both in my poems that I consider haiku. Express "the Zen moment",
and follow the form. For now, I use the 17 syllable form, varying
on occassion. But when I vary, I acknowledge it to be my
inexperience and imperfection as a poet that has caused the poem
to be the "wrong" length. It could well be that 17 syllables is
not the right length for English haiku. But then another standard
form needs to come into being. Be it 10, 12, 13 or however many
syllables. Part of the discipline of writing haiku is meeting
the form.
************ Andreas Schoter ************
Syllable Counting in English Haiku: Structure and Concept
=========================================================
This short piece doesn't really answer any questions: it seeks to
raise a few. See it as the current state of my own thoughts on
the issue, I doubt there's anything startling or new here. To
pre-empt my conclusions I'll say that I see this as a question of
imposing a surface structure at the outset verses allowing
structure to emerge from loose conceptual constraints. So what
does that mean?
Linguistic Considerations
-------------------------
The first thing to consider is the relation between Japanese
`onji' and English syllables. Onji are much more uniform than
syllables: they are almost always consonant-verb (CV) or
occationally just V, and always of approximately the same length.
Contrast this with syllables in English: these can be CV like
onji (for example `Ja' in `Ja-pan') - these are called open
syllables, alternatively they can be VC (e.g. `am' in
`ex-am-ples'), or CVC, called closed syllables (e.g. `pat' in
`pat-ern'). In many dialects of English it is also possible to
have syllablic consonants as in the `l' sound in some
pronounciations of `bottle' (i.e. `bot-l'). They can also be
simply V, as in the determiner `a'. Further, English syllables
can differ significantly in their length: compare the single
syllable word `noon' with the two syllable `no-one'. It's also
interesting to note that although there is general agreement on
how many syllables a word has, often people will disagree as to
where the boundaries actually are. What all this means is that
those people who stick determinedly to to 5-7-5 form are not
writing poems that are somehow closer to the Japanese form;
rather they are conforming to an approximate analogue rendered
into English.
Secondly, in English, there can be a major difference between
what is called the `citation' form of a word and its normal
spoken form. For example, consider the word `library': in its
citation form this has 3 syllables `li-bra-ree', but in running
speech it is usually pronounced as having only 2 `li-bree'.
Similar effects occur with dialectical difference. (This is
similar to dialectical differences in rhyme: for people from the
Midlands of England `finger' and `singer' rhyme, but for people
from the South East they do not.) So, should the formalist use
citation form or natural form? The spirit of Haiku might require
the latter, but if you're insisting on formality at one level,
why not at all levels?
Structure
---------
But don't think that I eschew the idea of formal structure.
Poetry in the English language has a strong tradition of working
within rigid structural constraints, the sonnet being the
classical example. We have already seen that onji and syllables
do not coincide: do we want to try and translate a constraint
expressed in terms of the Japanese language into the closest
terms in English, or would it be better to start from scratch and
formulate constraints in English derived from the English
language? Certainly one way to express a constraint would be in
terms of the syllable count, but one could also experiment with,
say a structure derived from morpheme counts, or alternatively
from clausal structure itself: I've not tried either of these but
they seem to offer possible alternatives.
But why bother with structure at all? Well, language itself is a
highly structured object: every phrase has a complex internal
structure. These structures are syntactic in nature (regardless
of any particular theory of syntax that one might subscribe to)
and they govern the way phrases can be composed. Obviously there
is a difference: the innate structure of the language itself is a
given, something that we all grow up with as we become mature
language users, whilst a formal poetic structure is an
intellectual imposition. The trick is to ensure that the poetic
form aids the expression rather than hindering it. For a
structure to aid a poet requires that the poet be deeply invloved
with it, invloved to the point where their natural expression
meshes closely with the form. This clearly requires a very
specific commitment from the poet.
Concept
-------
There is a contrast here. In English, poetry is seen as a part
of literature, a great beast with a life of its own; whereas
Haiku are often seen in terms of experience. The purpose of
composing a Haiku is not to create a piece of literature, but to
capture an instance of experience. This is an interesting shift
of perspective, and one that I believe a lot of poets today
share, whether or not they write Haiku.
Lurking here is the question of how much reworking should go on.
Rarely does a Haiku come complete and crystalline; almost always
there's some crafting to be done on the raw material. Sometimes,
if the original is close to 5-7-5 it can be made to fit, but
obviously this can't be forced: for example, I don't like to see
the syntax of English distorted to fit the form (which is not to
say that breaking rules of grammar cannot be very effective in
the right context), but let the form fit the natural expression.
So, what does Haiku seek to capture? Surely a moment of
experience, an instant, some fleeting insight or feeling, some
perceptual gestalt embodied in an everyday. Such things are
usually conceptual units - a single idea or at most, perhaps, a
small tightly-knit cluster. Perhaps this is where the structure
should come from? Certainly it's not impossible to write a long
piece that does embody a single idea or moment, and perhaps that
should be called a Haiku; but in general the compactness of the
thing seeking expression enforces its own concision on the poet.
Much is left unsaid in Haiku, and that is as it should be "not
explanation, but revelation" might be a good motto!
Conclusions ?
-------------
In my experience it is interesting to try and write 5-7-5 Haiku:
if you're an adherent of the free-form and you've not tried it
then I'd highly recommend it. It might even be possible to train
a portion of the mind to express itself naturally in that form!
Then the apparent tension between natural expression and formal
constraints would be dissolved. However, as mentioned above this
requires a specific commitment, and on balance I believe that
such commitment might be better invested at the conceptual level
- finding the clear eye with which to see...
Some of my Haiku just come out 5-7-5, some don't. I certainly
wouldn't break a 5-7-5 of its form if it arose that way simply to
satisfy a doctrine of free-form, but equally, neither would I try
to force something looser into a 5-7-5 simply to satisfy a
doctrine of formalism. Knowing a form well, and having
experience of working within it seems, in some way, to lend
credence to any claim to need to break away from it. But more
importantly, I believe that each expression has its own optimal
form, 5-7-5 is a good guide to start from, especially if one is
used to more verbose forms, but I don't think it can taken as inviolable.
******************* Gary Gach **********************
(Gar-note: Gary is hard at work marketing his new book, and
would like to know, in our opinion, how many teachers
teach poetry in the schools, and how many use
haiku as part of that. Any ideas? Send to him.)
Esteemed friends, educators, and members of the electronic,
online Dogwood Blossoms Haiku Society
I am in the process of marketing a manuscript for younger readers
of all ages entitled ADVENTURES IN HAIKULAND. Early on, I deal
with the "issue" of 5-7-5. I do not go into the depth that, say,
Bill Higginson goes into, in his HAIKU HANDBOOK, nor beyond that,
as one could. Again, this is for younger readers of all ages.
I submit for your persual, herewith. If anyone wishes, I can upload
othersections, such as about renku, senryu, zen,etc.
-------------------------------
COUNTING RULES : HAIKU RECIPES
The recipe for haiku starts with learning the units of measure &
the ingredients first. Then you can experiment.
Like anything in art & life, haiku have rhythm. You could even
sing them. But they don't have to rhyme.
Traditionally, the measure, or format, was three phrases or
lines: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and 5 syllables.
The lost child cries
May-o-i-go-no 5 syllables
& cries & tries to grab on
nk-u nak-u tsu-kam-u 7 syllables
to the fireflies!
hat-a-ru kan-a 5 syllables
The ideal, traditionally, was 5-syllables, 7-syllables, 5-syllables.
- = -
One standing by a blackboard in front of a classroom, Scoop
showed how Traditional Haiku Counting Rules can be expressed in a
haiku, like this:
In the first line five, 5 syllables
in the second line seven. 7 syllables
Five in the last line. 5 syllables
When he writes haiku, Scoop, like many others, zeros in on what
he wants to say and lets the syllables fall where they may
Here's another of Scoop's haiku:
In the flower stall, 5
the salesgirl & the blossoms. 7
His friend Paul, however, keeps to the traditional Japanese
rules. Paul went up to the same blackboard and wrote a 5-7-5
haiku, like so:
Tradition is all. 5 syllables
Five syllables, seven, frive. 7 syllables
I'll have Classic Coke. 5 syllables
- = -
Anyway, when you practice counting haiku, pretty soon it'll
become second- nature to you.
Standing & smiling, 5 syllables
fingering out a haiku 7 syllables
hand in backpocket 5 syllables
Some prefer a looser, freer, measure of "beats," or pulses per
line, like this:
The seed of all song - 2 beats
this farmer's busy hum 3 beats
rice-planting. 2 beats.
And we mustn't forget: there's _kereji_, too. (Say key-reh-gee.)
It's a beat that's silent or half-silent. A gap. A pulse in
between beats.
In the haiku above, it's the comma after "haiku," the dash after
"song." See if you can guess where it is in this famous line of
Hamlet's:
To be or not to be: that is the question.
In the following, it's after the first word:
Alone even when I coughed.
Whether or not you can see it, you can hear it in the way it
takes a little breath. Like spice, it's there, whether you know
it or not.
Some of the punctuation marks - (spices) - that make for kereji
in the recipe are: semi-colon (as in the Hamlet line, above),
dash, comma, or ellipsis dots.
However it's written down, it invites consideration of the
relation of the two word phrases on either side of it. A pause
that refreshes.
- = -
QUESTION: How many syllables
in the sound of wind ...
a waterfall ... thunder ...
a rooster at sunrise ???????
Traditionally, haiku can also be a two- liner, (traditionally 5-5
syllables), like this:
An intense chess match :
fingers are thinking.
Actually, haiku is a variation on tanka. (say tahn-kah.) Tanka
is a combination three/two-liner.
Purple my sahdow
on the grass
walking the fields
this morning
my hair combed by spring breeze.
So. Basic units are patterns like 5-7-5 syllables. Or 2-3-2
beats. And divided with a pause.
(Later, we'll see how haiku can link together, making macro-haiku
out of micro-haiku.)
Next, will come the recipe ingredients. They're easy.
Abounding. All around. Life. Nature. ...
==================================
SAMPLES
free
form
Writing? Across the skies stretch a line of
wild geese.
JAZZ
fingers
in unison
sounds
overlapping.
Spot-
ted Saigon
butterflies
on steel cams.
The wedding was enchanted everyone was
glad to be in it.
5-7-5
let me wear the day
well so when it reaches you
you will enjoy it
A leaf chases wind
across an autumn river
& shakes a pine tree
Making jazz swing in
Seventeen syllables AIN'T
No square poet's job.
With a twitching nose
a dog reads a telegram
on a wet tree trunk.
***************************
(Gar-Note: two subscribers sent in the following in response
to 1-B. Write a haiku "by the rules" and "shorter"...
Tell us what you think!)
***************Tom Frenkel ******
Hi ... here's a haiku I wrote, in 2 versions, first with strict
syllable count, then in brief form.
At dentist's office
In hot seat I face window --
Pigeon does wheelies!
In dentist's chair
I face window --
Pigeon doing wheelies!
I know which one *I* like better, but I'll keep mum on that and see
what the critique-ers say! --Tom
*************** (name-withheld-by-request)*******************
5-7-5
thunder and flash flood
instead of calm gentle snow.
spring storm in winter.
1
crash!
***************************************************************
VIII. Assignments for Future Issues
***************************************************************
Thanks to all who submitted things for this issue! In the next
issue, which will be due late November or early December, we
will try and have more "classical" haiku, plus information on
ordering haiku books. (I know I said it would be this issue,
but we got pretty long, so I'm saving it). Thanks for all your
work on this issue Andreas! I'm in need of articles as well
as original poetry for next issue. Please consider submitting.
Assignments:
1. 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!!!!!
2. Articles on classical Haiku. I'm especially interested in
any observations you have comparing classical haiku with
modern English haiku.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. Play the game of Maekuzukeby sending your follow-up verses
on any of Andreas' seed poems to he or I.
6. Send us a short note, telling what you thought of issue 5, 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).
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