Archives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
Blogroll
Blog Stats
- 117,247 hits
Tag Archives: Yin
HOKKU SEASON WORDS: OLD AND NEW
A noteworthy difference between hokku as it was practiced in old Japan and hokku as it is practiced today in English is the method of dealing with season. The seasons are essential to hokku, one of its defining characteristics. Every … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged hokku, kigo, kite, kites, nature, poetry, Season, season words, Shôha, spring, spring wind, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
WOLVES HOWLING: HARMONY OF CONTRAST
Per Jōsō: Lupos ululante Omnes insimul; Le vespere nivee. By Jōsō: Wolves howling All together; The snowy evening. In hokku habemus harmonia de similaritate, ma anque harmonia de contrasto. Iste verso per Jōsō nobis mostra le harmonia de contrasto. Como? In hokku … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged evening, harmony of contrast, harmony of similarity, hokku, Jōsō, Latino Moderne, nature, poetry, snow, winter, wolves, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
LE MATINO NIVEE DE CHIYO-NI / THE SNOWY MORNING OF CHIYO-NI
Un de le hokku hibernales le plus bones es iste, de Chiyo-ni: In campo e monte Nihil mova; Le matino nivee. Iste verso nobis mostra le character Yin del hiberno (movimento es Yang, immobilitate es Yin). Videmus anque le Yin … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Chiyo-ni, hokku, Latino Moderne, nature, poetry, snow, winter, writing, Yin
|
Leave a comment
GATHERED COOLNESS: THE AUTUMN MOON
A very old autumn hokku by Teishitsu (c. 1609-1673): A solid lump Of coolness; The midnight moon. In English today we would likely say, A solid ball Of coolness; The midnight moon. You will recall that the sun is … Continue reading →
HOKKU ROOTS: BAI JUYI’S SIXTY-SIX
Today I will talk briefly about a poem by the Chinese writer Bai Juyi (772 -846, also written as Po Chu-yi). You may recall from previous discussions of Chinese poetry here that most Chinese poems are written in couplets (pairs … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged aging, Bai Juyi, Chinese poetry, five character poems, hokku, nature, Po Chu-Yi, poetry, Tang Dynasty, Tang Dynasty poems, Tang poems, water, writing, Yang, Yin, Yin Yang
|
Leave a comment
MELTING SNOW
As regular readers here know, I treat many of the verses of Shiki as hokku because they are hokku in form and content, in spite of his use of the revisionist term “haiku” for what he wrote. Knowing that, we are … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged hokku, horses, melting snow, nature, Onitsura, poetry, Shiki, spring, writing, Yang, Yin, Yin Yang
|
Leave a comment
LINGERING SNOW: TAIGI’S BAMBOOS
Somewhat unusual in its scope of scale and distance, this verse by Taigi is reminiscent of Chinese poetry in its feeling of vastness: it gives one the sense of hiking up into cold, silent and remote hills: Far from any … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged bamboo, bamboos and snow, hokku, nature, poetry, spring, Taigi, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
THE ESSENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF YIN AND YANG IN HOKKU
I often talk about Yin and Yang in hokku. In fact I talk about them so much that another name for the kind of hokku I teach might be “Yin-Yang” hokku. That is how important it is — so important … Continue reading →
BASIC HOKKU PRINCIPLES: HARMONY OF SIMILARITY
THIS IS A BILINGUAL POSTING IN ENGLISH AND INTERLINGUA ISTE ES UN ARTICULO BILINGUE IN INTERLINGUA E IN ANGLESE Il ha un hokku interessante del comenciamento de autumno: Le autumno comencia; Depost un banio, Le lassitude. Iste nos monstra harmonia … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, autumn begins, bath, fall, harmony of similarity, hokku, hokku principles, Interlingua, nature, poetry, seasons, spirituality, Taigi, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
JOHN KEATS AND HOKKU?
Do you remember the key to writing and understanding hokku? THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING HOKKU IS TO REALIZE THAT WHATEVER MANIFESTS THE NATURE OF THE SEASON IS APPROPRIATE TO THAT SEASON, AND WHAT DOES NOT MANIFEST THE NATURE OF THE … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, hokku, La Belle Dame sans Merci, lake, nature, poetry, sedge, writing, Yang, Yin, Yin Yang
|
Leave a comment
THROUGH THE BARLEY
Mokudō wrote a very simple yet very effective spring hokku: Harukaze ya mugi no naka yuku mizu no oto Spring wind ya barley ‘s center goes water ‘s sound I give the Japanese transliteration only to show how … Continue reading →
GROWING YANG IN ONITSURA
I have discussed this early spring hokku by Onitsura previously, but I would like to deepen what was already said a bit: Dawn;On the tip of the barley leaf,Spring frost. It is obvious that this is an early spring hokku … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged barley, frost, haikai, hokku, I Ching, Modern Haiku, nature, Onitsura, poetry, seasons, spring, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
SPRING BEGINS
It may seem odd to some readers that I have begun to write of Spring, but where I live that is what is happening. Spring begins with the very weakest of Yang energies that melt snow and ice and sprout … Continue reading →
CONTEMPLATIVE HOKKU IN WINTER
Contemplative hokku are those which best exemplify the poverty, simplicity, and selflessness that are the chief virtues of hokku. And these, along with the appreciation of the inherent poetry in a simple thing-event, set in the context of the seasons … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged cold, contemplative hokku, hail, Hokushi, poverty, selflessness, Shiki, simplicity, snow, winter, Yaha, Yin
|
Leave a comment
SNOW AND THE POETRY OF NO POETRY
One of the most beautiful Christmas carols is “In the Bleak Midwinter,” with words by Christina Rossetti, set to wonderfully appropriate music by Gustav Holst. Most of the words have specific religious content and are of little interest to me … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Chiyo-ni, Chora, Christina Rossetti, cold, frost, Gustav Holst, Hashin, poetry, snow, Snowbound, Whittier, winter, Yin, Yule, Yuletide
|
Leave a comment
COLD RAIN
I hope many of you paid close attention to the recent articles here about the hokku calendar. Here is where we are now as we move toward autumn’s end: Autumn: Begins with Lammas (Harvest Home — Lughnasa), August 1. 1st … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, Bonfire Day, cold rain, Halloween, rain, Rōka, Samhain, winter, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEASON IN HOKKU
Here I have strung together some information on season in hokku, as well as a bit on the role of Yin and Yang: The outer form of hokku is quickly described; the content of hokku takes more time, because it … Continue reading →
FALLING WILLOW LEAVES
People seem to prefer reading this site, so I am shelving the alternate Hokku Inn site for now, and will move the postings from that site here, so they will still be accessible. Here is the first of those: In … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, dog, hokku, internal reflection, poetry, Shiki, willows, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
A BIT ABOUT MOONS
I recently posted information about the hokku calendar. If nothing else from it sticks in your mind, remember these two things: 1. Autumn /fall and winter are the two yin seasons; spring and summer are the two yang seasons. In … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, Chora, Corn Moon, Equinox, fall, Falling Leaves Moon, Frost Moon, Full moon, harvest moon, Long Night Moon, maize, moon, New Corn Moon, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
AUTUMN SCARECROWS
Autumn has begun. Autumn is the declining of the life energies in Nature. We see it in the withering of grasses and plants, in the yellowing and coloring and, eventually, the falling of the leaves. In America our “native” name … Continue reading →
SEEN IN THE SHALLOWS
Onitsura wrote this summer hokku: Evening; The bellies of trout seen In the shallows. This is a “standard” hokku, meaning it has setting, subject, and action. The setting is the evening; the subject is the bellies of the trout; the … Continue reading →
THE CLEAR WATER
The stonemason Cools his chisel in it – The clear water. Buson While working stone, the metal chisel of the stonemason becomes too hot to hold — from the heat of the day and from the friction of repeated blows … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged Buson, haikai, harmony of opposites, hokku, poetry, stone mason, summer, water, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
YIN-YANG HOKKU
In our practice of hokku, we must beware of using the entire body of existing old hokku and its related literature as a fundamentalist uses the Bible. By this I mean that we should not say, for example, “Jōsō did … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged haikai, hokku, nature, poetry, spirituality, writing, Yang, Yin, Yin-Yang hokku
|
Leave a comment
WHITE RAIN
Jōsō wrote a summer hokku: In the white rain, Ants are running Down the bamboos That is a very literal translation. In English we would not be likely to say “white rain.” Instead we would probably say, In the clear … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged ants, bamboos, haikai, harmony of similarity, hokku, Jōsō, nature, poetry, R. H. Blyth, summer, white rain, writing, Yang, Yin, zen
|
Leave a comment
THE SEASONS OF HOKKU
When we talk about season in hokku, what do we mean exactly? Well, everyone knows that in temperate climates we traditionally have four seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Every hokku we write belongs to one of these seasons, … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged fall, haikai, hokku, season in hokku, seasons, spring, summer, winter, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
THE INTERACTIONS OF YIN AND YANG
Kitō wrote: A summer shower; The exhausted horse Comes back to life. I always see the muscles of the fatigued horse begin twitching with life shortly after the first drops of cool rain strike it. We feel the sudden energy … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged haiku, hokku, horse, nature, poetry, rain, summer, summer shower, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
THE RAIN IS RAINING ALL AROUND
The fundamental principle of hokku is that it is about Nature and the place of humans as a part of, not apart from, Nature — set in the context of the seasons. Here is a hokku by Shōha emphasizing the … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged boy, frogs, haikai, hokku, kite, rain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Shôha, summer, water, Yin
|
Leave a comment
HOKKU AND THE “TEN THOUSAND THINGS”
In the last posting we reviewed Yin and Yang in hokku, and introduced the two kinds of contrast. This latter is important in itself, so I shall say more about it. Hokku may exhibit either: 1. Harmony of contrast or … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged contrast, haikai, hokku, hole, internal reflection, poetry, sea, Shiki, similarity, simile, stone lantern, summer, verse, writing, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
THE HOKKU OF SUMMER
All hokku are seasonal hokku, being written and marked (as practiced today) with one of the four seasons. That comes from hokku having originated in a temperate climate. In other climates this may vary to a summer season, a rainy … Continue reading →
ON THE OLD DOOR
I repeatedly remind readers that hokku is very simple. Here is a good example — a verse by Shōha: Furuki to ni kage utsuriyuku tsubame kana Old door on shadow changing swallow kana In essence, this is … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged haikai, haiku, hokku, Shôha, spring, swallows, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
METAPHOR AND INTERNAL REFLECTION
It is interesting to see how modern haiku enthusiasts wiggle and squirm to try to evade the simple fact that metaphor is not a part of good hokku, but instead is a concept borrowed by haiku commentators from Western poetry … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, autumn evening, Bashô, haikai, haiku, hokku, metaphor, Modern Haiku, summer, Summer grasses, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
FLICKERING SHADOWS
Buson, who wrote some rather artifical and contrived hokku, also managed to write one of the simplest and most effective of spring hokku: Shoku no hi wo shoku ni utsusu ya haru no yū light ‘s flame … Continue reading →
SPRING AND NEW BEGINNINGS
In old hokku, spring began with the Lunar New Year, which came on varying dates between the end of January and the middle of February. This year, for example, the Lunar New Year will happen on February 14th. In modern … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged haikai, haiku, hokku, R. H. Blyth, Shiki, spring, Yang, Yin
|
Leave a comment
WINTER LIGHT
Michihiko, who lived in the time of Issa, wrote: Kare-ashi ya yuki no chirakutsuku kaze no ato Withered-reeds ya snow’s flitting wind ‘s after Withered reeds; The … Continue reading →
PEOPLE’S VOICES
Here is my periodic disclaimer: I do not teach modern haiku, which, as it exists today, has virtually nothing to do with the old hokku written by Bashō, Onitsura, Gyōdai, Taigi, and all the others who wrote up until the … Continue reading →
SADNESS, OBJECTIVELY
Yesterday we discussed emotion in hokku, and how it is better not to present it openly but rather indirectly, through the objective elements of a hokku. There are certain old hokku, however, where direct mention of an emotion is found, … Continue reading →
DECEMBER AND YULETIDE
December will soon begin, and with it comes the holiday season. How does one deal with holidays in hokku? The same way one deals with a season. A holiday verse is like a miniature seasonal verse — in other words, … Continue reading →
THE HOKKU OF WINTER
Winter is at the door. In some places it has already come. So it is time to begin considering what a winter hokku should be. Remember the Yin and Yang of the seasons, the interplay of the two universal forces. … Continue reading →
WHAT COMES FROM THE READER
There are some hokku difficult for young people to understand — difficult not because of complexity, but because one must go through certain experiences to fully appreciate them. One of the most obvious of these is Buson’s verse: Chichi haha … Continue reading →
WHITE DEW
Having spent enough time talking about why hokku is not the same as haiku (and why haiku is not hokku), let’s move back to the real subject — old hokku. Buson wrote this autumn hokku: White dew – A drop … Continue reading →
HARMONY OF SIMILARITY, HARMONY OF DIFFERENCE
Yesterday I discussed the importance of season in hokku — how hokku is the poetry of the seasons, and how the subjects we choose for our verses should reflect the character of the season in which we are writing in … Continue reading →
THE SEASONAL KEY TO HOKKU
It is very easy to superficially notice, or to unthinkingly gloss over, the critical importance of season in hokku. It is not going too far to say that hokku is the verse of the seasons — that the REAL subject … Continue reading →
HOKKU IN AUTUMN
In hokku it is essential to write in harmony with the season. The most important quality of autumn is transience — the fact that everything changes, all is impermanent, nothing stays. Autumn is transience. In autumn hokku, we experience and … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, Gerard Manley Hopkins, haikai, harmony, hokku, Hōjōki, impermanence, Kamo no Chōmei, nature, poetry, poverty, seasons, solitude, spirituality, transience, writing, Yang, Yin, zen
|
Leave a comment
PREPARING TO LEARN HOKKU
Only a single day remains before August ends and September begins. The Summer months — June, July and August — give way to the Autumn months — September, October and November. Through hokku we are taken away from the excessive … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, Buddhism, Daoism, haikai, hokku, hokku lessons, nature, poetry, seasons, spirituality, writing, Yang, Yin, zen
|
Leave a comment
AUTUMN BEGINS
In some parts of the country summer lingers. In others autumn has already come. Here is a hokku by Taigi, which expresses the transition from one to the other: Autumn begins: The summer shower becomes A night of rain. Taigi … Continue reading →
ENTERING AUTUMN
Summer is ending, autumn is beginning. I have already mentioned the transitional verse by Kyoroku that leads us into the season: August;First on the ears of millet –The autumn wind. There is a related hokku by Chora: It blew first … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, Bashô, Buson, cherry blossoms, Chora, fishing line, haikai, hokku, Issa, Kyoroku, morning glories, mosquitoes, nature, poetry, transience, wind, writing, Yang, Yin, zen
|
Leave a comment
BEGINNING TO LEARN CONTENT IN HOKKU
The outer form of hokku is quickly described; the content of hokku takes more time, because it has so many aspects. First, the basics. The content of hokku is always Nature and the place of humans within and as a … Continue reading →
THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
In her bittersweet children’s book Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt writes: “The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Tagged autumn, haikai, hokku, Kyoroku, Loren Eiseley, Marcel Pagnol, millet, My Mother's Castle, Natalie Babbitt, nature, poetry, summer, The Immense Journey, transience, Tuck Everlasting, wind, writing, Yang, Yin, zen
|
Leave a comment
