Monday, April 14, 2014

Carpe Diem Special #87, Soen Nakagawa's "One note of the Shakuhachi"


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I love to share our third haiku written by our featured haiku-poet Soen Nakagawa (1907-1984). He wrote this haiku in the winter of 1938 ... I think it's a great one full of Zen as the most haiku written by him.
In this haiku he mentions the Shakuhachi, a Japanese end-blown flute. The Shakuhachi originated from ancient China and was brought to Japan in the early Edo-period. It was made from bamboo and is used in the Suizen or Zen-Buddhistic blowing meditation.

Shakuhachi-player (woodblock)

The goal of this Special feature is to write a haiku in the same tune, sense and spirit as the one given. For this episode I have chosen the next haiku by Soen Nakagawa for your inspiration.

One note of the shakuhachi
resounds endlessly
piercing the winter clouds

(c) Soen Nakagawa

A wonderful, very meditative haiku, I think and I hope it will inspire you to write your own haiku in the spirit of Soen Nakagawa.

Here is my attempt to write a haiku in the same spirit as the one by Soen:

Krishna's flute
resonates through the mountains -
the cry of an eagle

(c) Chèvrefeuille

On that same weblog as were the picture of Krishna was taken from I found a wonderful poem, written by Shri Ramesh Sadasivam, about Krishna playing the flute. I love to share that with you all.

Hare Krishna...!
Let me be
the flute in your hands
Hollow inside...
Yet complete!
With many holes...
That I need not conceal!
Solid and safe
Peaceful and silent...
Let any sound
that comes from me
be music...!
And
Let that music be
only yours...
Let your divine lips
touch me...
and joyful music flow...!


What a wonderful poem ... may it help you for your inspiration to write a haiku for this Special. Isn't it wonderful ... two religions intwined in the same post?

This Special episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 18th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode later on. That will be, springs, another nice modern kigo for the spring season. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.



3 comments:

  1. Always delightful to learn from your posts.
    We actually did have a threat of snow for today - yes April 15th.

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  2. A serene haiku, Kristjaan. Beautifully penned. :-)

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  3. A song we sang around the camp fire as a child during my Girl Guide days goes like this morning, all things shall perish from under the sun...music alone shall live never shall die...

    Much love...

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