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Monthly Archives: October 2009
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND PERSIMMONS
Several times a week, I pass a public stairwell with a big flower arrangement on the landing. This week the arrangement consists mostly of white, pink-tipped roses and pinkish gladioli. The arranger obviously does not share the aesthetic that tells … Continue reading
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Tagged autumn, Bashô, chrysanthemums, haikai, haiku, hokku, persimmons, seasons, transience, writing, zen
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FALLING LEAVES
In old hokku, falling and fallen leaves are generally a winter subject. But where I live, as well as in many other parts of North America, they are generally more appropriate to deep autumn. Ryōkan wrote: The wind Brings enough … Continue reading
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Tagged autumn, Buson, falling leaves, Gyôdai, haikai, haiku, hokku, nature, poetry, Ryōkan, Ryūshi, Taigi, transience, writing, zen
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LEARNING FROM SCARECROWS
What is most important in hokku is understanding its aesthetics, which are generally quite different from those of English-language poetry. If one understands the aesthetics and knows the basics of form and punctuation in English, a really perceptive reader could … Continue reading
WINDBLOWN BANANAS
One big difference between hokku and modern haiku is that in hokku, we learn the aesthetics and principles and techniques of the verse form before exploring on our own to see what best fits our individual natures. In haiku, on … Continue reading
¿HOKKU EN ESPAÑOL?
Parece que algunos habladores de Español leen mi sitio. ¡Bienvenidos! Si Uds. tienen preguntas o comentarios, hagan «clic» en “Leave a Comment” al fin del artículo, y así pueden mandarme un mensaje. No puedo prometir que voy a responder en … Continue reading
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WHY I LINK HOKKU AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICE
Readers of the previous posting about Zen and hokku, on reading my emphasis on some kind of meditative spiritual practice, may justifiably think, “Well, hokku may have an historical connection with Zen aesthetics, but why does this fellow recommend some … Continue reading
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Tagged Bashô, haikai, hokku, poetry, spirituality, writing, zen
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ZEN AND HOKKU
Hokku is often described as “Zen” verse. Actually it is the most “Zen” of all verse forms, but what does that mean? “Zen” has several meanings. Originally it was just the Japanese pronunciation of a word borrowed from China — … Continue reading
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Tagged Buddhism, haikai, hokku, nature, poetry, poverty, simplicity, Transcendentalism, transience, writing, zen
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THE RAW MATERIAL OF HOKKU
Hokku is verse composed from the raw material of Nature and the seasons. It may begin with an experience or a memory, but ultimately it all comes from Nature and time. So writing a hokku is simply a matter of … Continue reading
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Tagged George Willard Schultz, haikai, hokku, nature, poetry, seasons, winter, wolves, writing, zen
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WHAT IS IN A NAME?
Continuing the thought of the previous posting, what does it matter whether we call the verse we write hokku, or haiku, or even something else, if it is good, passionate verse? It matters very much indeed. Aside from the simple … Continue reading
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Tagged Bashô, haikai, haiku, hokku, Modern Haiku, nature, poetry, writing, zen
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HOKKU IS NOT HAIKU, AND VICE-VERSA
Many are still confused by careless and indiscriminate use and mixing of the terms hokku and haiku in print and on the Internet. Are they the same? Are they different? It is important to know, because the survival of hokku … Continue reading
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Tagged Bashô, haiku, hokku, nature, Onitsura, poetry, writing, zen
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THE NATURAL APPROACH TO SEASONAL SUBJECTS
In previous postings I have talked about how hokku intimately relates to Nature and the seasons, and I have said that the key to hokku is understanding that it expresses the seasons in its subject matter. Merely setting a hokku … Continue reading
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Tagged autumn, harmony, Henry David Thoreau, hokku, nature, poetry, seasons, selflessness, spring, summer, writing, zen
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WRITING BY SEASON
In hokku old and new, there are two ways of relating to the seasons. One is fixed and somewhat artificial (old hokku), the other natural (new hokku). The “fixed” way is the compiling of season words and season dictionaries, and … Continue reading
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Tagged autumn, harmony, hokku lessons, nature, poetry, season words, seasons, spring, summer, writing, zen
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ROBERT HARRY HOVER
Yesterday I learned, quite by chance, that a person very significant for me died in December of the last year. That person was Robert Harry Hover — “Mr. Hover” — who was my direct teacher in a meditation course that … Continue reading
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