fandomhigh | The Art of Haiku; Tuesday, Third Period [06/15].

The class was back in the park again, back with the offering of tea in a nice little set to settle between their small little circle. "Konnichiwa, ducklings ♥," Shunsui said, with his sleepy smile that seemed to indicate that he'd pretty much just rolled out of bed and rolled down to the park. "This week, we're going to be looking at another well-known Japanese haikuist, this one by the name of Yosa Buson. Buson was not only a poet, but also a painter ♥," with a nod and a smile toward Astrid-chan, "from the Edo Period, and he is considered to be one of the best poets of that era. Because of his artistic side, his haiku tend to focus on a stark visual component, as doing with his words what he might do with his paintbrush ♥. Influenced by Bashō, he traveled often through the wilderness of Japan for inspiration and experience, until finally settling in Kyoto in his forties. His artwork can be found in many museums across the world, and, of course, his poetry will live on long in our hearts ♥.

"So let's take a little gander at that poetry, shall we ♥?"

With that, Shunsui reached for his little boards with all his poetry scrawled on it:

不二ひとつ　うづみのこして　若葉かな
"Fuji hitotsu," he read,
"Uzumi nokoshite
Wakaba kana.

Only Mount Fuji
Is left unburied
By young leaves.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Hi no hikari
kesa ya iwashi no
kashirayori

This morning
the bright sun shines off
sardine heads

♥ ♥ ♥

Hana ibara
kokyau no michi ni
nitaru kana

These flowering briars
reminds me of the path
in my hometown

♥ ♥ ♥

Kogarashi ni
agito fukaruru ya
kaki no uo

In wintery wind
gills puffing —
a hooked fish

"So," Shunsui concluded, "as you can see by this very small sampling of examples, Buson tended to take a single image, a single moment in time, a mental painting, if you will, and transform it into the simple effectiveness of a haiku poem. And that is where I would like our focus to be in our poems today, ducklings ♥. Consider a vivid picture in your mind, and paint it with your words ♥. I look forward to hearing what you come up with ♥."

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Like a painting.

Between Shunsui's slow and deliberate reading and his rumbling, sleepy voice, you'd think the whole point of these poems were to be entirely soporific. But if everyone did just nod off, then the rest of class would be a breeze!

Because it was so demanding as it was already...

Be like Buson and paint a stark picture with your simple words!

Or just write whatever you'd like.

Or don't write anything and just watch the ducks or the clouds in the sky or take a nap.

There are probably very few ways in which the class could even be more laid back.