A summer hokku:
Sunrise;
From near and far,
The sound of crows talking.
Yes, crows talk. They talk in Crow — which can be rather raucous.
And another for summer:
Summer heat;
Suddenly the Poet’s Jasmine
Has blossomed.
Poet’s Jasmine is the common name for Jasminum officinale, which fortunately will grow here in the Pacific Northwest. My vine was covered with its blossoms this morning; they just appeared overnight.
David
A summer verse by Issa:
The summer mountain;
With every step
Seeing more of the sea.
We can understand this in two ways:
First, someone climbing the mountain summer will see a wider expanse of the sea the higher they go.
Second, someone crossing the summer mountain will get different vistas of the sea the farther they go.
My own preference is for the first — seeing more of the sea with each step higher on the mountain.
David
Tomorrow is that ancient holiday the Summer Solstice, Midsummer’s Day.
After weeks of rain and showers, the sun is finally shining and the clouds have thinned where I live — just in time for tomorrow.
Here is a restful old summer hokku by Isshū, appropriate for the warmer weather:
While hearing
The sound of wind in the pines —
A mid-day nap.
Or to make it less literal:
While listening
To the wind in the pines —
A mid-day nap.
I too feel I could fall asleep listening to that gentle sound. It is not a new feeling. Here is a very old Chinese painting by Li Tang (1050-1130) titled Wind in the Pines Amid Myriad Valleys:
David
HOKKU 