Friday, September 5, 2014

Carpe Diem's "Sparkling Stars" #4, Basho's "the autumn full moon"


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Sometimes I am an a melancholic mood, mostly after a busy day at work, than I have to go outside in the late evening to smell the perfume of the coming night, to look at the stars and if she, the moon, is there I look at her in pure adoration. I love her. Sometimes she stands there high in the sky in full regalia, sharing her sun-reflected light with me. Sometimes she looks a bit sad and ashamed than she hides her beautiful face behind a veil of clouds. She doesn't know that I love her and that I adore her beauty. Her beauty is the best as she hides behind a thin veil of clouds. Than she is surrounded with a beautiful halo which is so colorful and bright ... than she looks like a queen, a goddess ...
Not so long ago I had such a melancholic mood. I went outside and looked up to the dark sky ... there she was, my love, almost full and clothed with a gorgeous light orange gown ... "Wow", I thought. "You're looking great my love!"

the night deepens
darker and darker the sky
without the streetlights
the night sky looks like a light show
the full moon and thousands of stars

© Chèvrefeuille

Isn't it a wonderful tribute to her, the moon, whom I love so much? As I look at my loving wife ... than I see her everlasting beauty, than she, is my full moon.


Why such a long introduction? Well ... I will explain that. To the Japanese, ancient and modern, the moon of autumn is the most beautiful gift of Mother Nature. There are countless haiku written inspired on the beauty of the autumn moon.
As I look at my own haiku (thousands and more) I can almost say that at least one third of them is about the moon in all her occurring images.

Basho also has written a lot of haiku about the moon and for sure the most 'moon'-haiku are about the moon of autumn. The haiku which I have chosen for this episode of "Sparkling Stars" isn't the bast haiku by Basho, but it needed this long introduction, because it tells you more about my love for the moon and the love for the moon by Basho.

The Way of Haiku requires not only a Franciscan poverty, but the concentration of all the energies of mind and body, a perpetual sinking of oneself into things. Basho tells us, and it is to be noted, we believe him:

meigetsu ya ike o megurite yo mo sugara

the autumn full moon:
all night long
I paced round the lake.

© Basho

All night gazing at the moon, and only this poor verse to show for it? But it must be remembered that Basho was a teacher. And thus we too, when we look at the moon, look at it with the eyes of Basho, those eyes that gazed at that moon and its reflection in the placid water of the lake.


Call me a nutcase, a dreamer or a fool, but I think that I am like Basho, that we all are like Basho, because we all are gazing at the beauty of our planet. We all are in love with the beauty of Mother Nature ... and that makes us all moon-lovers.

tears of joy
spilled into the old pond -
the moon's reflection

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like the read and that it will inspire you to write an all new haiku about the moon maybe or about the beauty of Mother Nature. Have fun, be inspired and share your "sparkling star" with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

This episode of "Sparkling Stars" will be open for your submissions on Saturday September 6th at noon (CET) and will remain open until next Saturday September 13th at noon (CET). I will (try to) post our next episode of "Sparkling Stars" on that same date.


5 comments:

  1. A gorgeous post. I love moon 'ku the most of all. When I have nothing to write about I can always rely on the moon.

    Two phrases really jumped out at me:
    1. "late evening to smell the perfume of the coming night" This is a haiku in and of itself!

    2. "a perpetual sinking of oneself into things."

    Two lovely phrases just ripe for the writing.

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  2. This post is so well-written! Great pathos, style and wit. Enjoyed reading it very much.

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  3. What a great post...makes me want to read and reread it and merge in the warmth of Basho and your beautiful verses, Kristjaan.

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  4. Yes the moon is a dear friend.. You write wonderful prose in this post

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  5. The moon is a font of inspiration :)

    Have you heard the sailor's rhyme:
    Red sky's at night a sailor's delight
    Red sky's in the morning, sailors take warning...

    Not sure if there is something for a red moon. Probably :)
    Ah one of them is Red Moon - danger is coming.

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