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The following information about Waka, literally
"Japanese Poem" is taken from the website "2001 Waka
for Japan" at
http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/
introduction.shtml
and is provided as sort of an explanatory preface of
what Waka is and a bit of its history. I compose Waka in
an attempt (for the most part) to join an experience
with its emotion.
Christine Roberton
June 26, 2008
Poetry has its seed in the human heart and blossoms
forth in innumerable leaves of words ... it is poetry
which, with only a part of its power, moves heaven and
earth, pacifies unseen gods and demons, reconciles
men and women and calms the hearts of savage
warriors.'
Ki no Tsurayuki,
Preface to the Kokinshû, Ninth Century
Tsurayuki's words, written over a thousand years ago,
are the first description by a Japanese of waka. The
word is made up of two parts: wa meaning 'Japanese' — —1
and ka meaning 'poem' or 'song'. It was probably coined
at about the time Tsurayuki was writing as a way to
distinguish the poetry written by the Japanese in their
own
language from that they read and wrote in Chinese - the
source of much of Japan's poetic inspiration.
Today, the type of waka best known outside of Japan is
probably the haiku, a sequence of three 'lines' of five,
seven and five syllables and describing an aspect of
nature. Haiku are now written in many languages other
than Japanese, and widely in Japan itself. They are,
however, a relatively late form of waka, beginning to be
written in the seventeenth century, by which time the
Japanese had already been writing poetry for a
thousand years.
Waka were first composed, before the advent of writing
in Japan, to celebrate victories in battle and love, or for
religious reasons, and this tradition of poetry for public
occasions carried through to the first great age of
written waka in the seventh and eighth centuries, with
highly wrought nagauta 'long poems', consisting
of alternating 'lines' of five and seven syllables, being
composed for performance on public occasions at the
imperial court. At the same time, tanka 'short poems',
— —2
consisting of five 'lines' in the pattern of 5-7-5-7-7
syllables, became a useful shorthand for private
communication between friends and lovers, and the
ability to compose a tanka on a given topic became an
essential skill for any gentleman or lady at court. Over
time, the tanka became the premier poetic form for the
Japanese aristocracy and nobles competed to produce
ever better examples of the art in poetry
competitions, while critics formulated elaborate
critiques and definitions of what was 'acceptable'
poetry.
Eventually, the tanka of the court became ossified, and
the vitality of waka was transferred to a new form,
renga 'linked verse' which pairs or groups of poets
would compose jointly, with one poet supplying the
initial 5-7-5 of a verse and another the concluding 7-7,
often building up to hundred verse sequences. Finally,
the initial 5-7-5 of a renga became a poetic form on its
own, the haiku, and great poets came to be found
among the samurai warriors and the townsfolk of early
modern Japan.
— —3
Monday, June 9, 2008
Still sleepy I gaze
Hummingbirds fight for flowers
Flash shiny color.
They take no notice of rain,
A gentle sound on the roof.
— —4
Monday, June 9, 2008
Rainbow above trees
Cleansed leaves glisten and sparkle
Wind brings sunny skies
I remember promises
From a Father who loves me
— —5
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Darkness surrounds me
Like an old woman, I creep
Into the bathroom,
Then return to my warm bed.
Sleep envelopes me again.
— —6
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Old habits striving to win
Cluttering the mind:
I begin to multitask!
Stop! - quieting my mind.
Focus brings me peace.
— —7
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sleep is beckoning—
Ignoring the clock, I go
To prepare for bed.
The day's labor satisfies
And makes sweeter my repose.
— —8
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Summer sun rises
Alder touched with golden light,
Grateful branches reach.
Mountain peaks softly glow pink
A beautiful day begins.
— —9
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"I don't want to go to work!"
Unchanging mantra:
A desire to be free.
Still he shoulders his burden,
Carried with strength and honor.
— —10
Monday, June 16, 2008
Arrived home at twelve;
Car to unload and to bed.
Slumber past daybreak.
I awaken to chaos,
I don't know where to begin.
— —11
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
He cannot sit still
But writes a silly poem
So Chris will join him
To identify a plant.
She laughs and goes to her bed.
— —12
Friday, June 20, 2008
Gliding in silence,
We watch surprised and amazed,
The owl finds a tree.
It listens and looks for prey.
Plummeting, unerring, kills.
— —13
Saturday, June 21, 2008
I'm filled with pity
For this small, frightened creature
Huddled in the cage.
After the noise and darkness,
Boomer must find a new home.
— —14
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The same old story—
I've lost my glasses again!
Who could have foreseen?
Deposited here and there,
Until finally they're gone!
— —15
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bearing this burden—
Sadness sits on my shoulders.
Suspecting Kindness.
As a tactic for control:
"Get with the Plan or its gone."
— —16
Monday, June 23, 2008
I choose my actions.
To be "other-directed"
Is to be a child.
Tired of jumping through hoops.
I cannot jump high enough.
— —17
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Noise in the bushes!
Is it a mountain lion?
Running deer emerge—
They frolic and circle back,
A relief to see them play.
— —18
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
A haze in the East
Filters the morning sunshine;
Softens the colors.
Nature's chorus surrounds me.
I close my eyes and listen.
— —19
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Woodpecker drumming
As I sip my morning tea.
The rhythm of life.
I am filled with gratitude
For this daily miracle.
— —20
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A toad in the clover
Scrambles from its hiding place
Disturbed by the mist.
I resist the child-like urge
To catch this tiny creature.
— —21
Saturday, July 5, 2008
A day of friendship
An easy exchange of talk
Conversation flows--
Loneliness evaporates
Like the mist on the mountain.
— —22
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Light wind in the trees
Leaves flutter and branches sway;
Tenderly caressed.
Sweeps my hair around my face,
A soothing touch that comforts.
— —23
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The moon has risen;
Campfire dances within
A circle of friends.
Cheerful faces radiant
Reflecting the fire's glow.
— —24
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
A flash of yellow,
Diverting my awareness,
Is suddenly still.
Cautious first, then starts to eat:
My thistle-sock discovered!
— —25
Friday, August 15, 2008
Plants are like people,
Responding to gifts they need:
Air, sun, shade, water
As people need nurturing,
Recognition, protection.
— —26
Monday, December 22, 2008
The snow falls gently
The blanketed earth slumbers
Silence surrounds me
As I stand in awed wonder
At a world of sparkling white!
— —27
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I take a deep breath
Expire unconscious stress
Becoming centered
I close my eyes receiving
Nature shares her energy
— —28
Saturday, April 17, 2010
My Cat-person hunts.
Follows a pathway of scents,
Watching for movement,
Thinking of Mice and Murder.
Small creatures cower in fear.
— —29
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Out of reach, she runs…
Cat-person still wild, stays free,
Lightly springs away
Dancing to earth's hunting song.
I stand in the rain and wait.
— —30
Monday, April 19, 2010
Cat-Person trots proudly
Bearing a tiny creature
A short-lived playmate.
Set down, it trembles, frightened
Guiltily, I rescue it.
— —31