Ten Renga – Winter Chrysanthemum
Category: Carpe Diem – Tan Renga Challenge
First Day of Spring
Carpe Diem #1605 Tan Renga Challenge Month 2019 (9) first day of spring
First day of spring–
I keep thinking about
the end of autumn. © Matsuo Basho (Tr Robert Hass)
leaves painting the sky line
with a garden of color
Morning Tea
Carpe Diem #1597 Tan Renga Challenge Month February 2019 (1) morning tea
for his morning tea
a monk sits down in utter silence-
confronted by chrysanthemums © Matsuo Basho (Tr. unknown)
buzzing bees and warm sun
lull him in peaceful slumber
A Red Sinking Sun
Carpe Diem #1532 Richard Wright’s “A Red Sinking Autumn Sun”
Make up you mind, Snail!
You are half inside your house,
And halfway out!
You are blocking my doorstep;
I am ready to leave.
Keep straight down this block,
Then turn right where you will find
A peach tree blooming.
This is where you’ll find me,
a picnic waiting.
One magnolia
Landed upon another
In the dew-wet grass.
One petal kisses your check.
I brush your hair from your face.
I am nobody:
A red sinking autumn sun
Took my name away.
Left in silence and darkness
To find my way home without stars
All right, You Sparrows;
The sun has set and you can now
Stop your chattering!
My tea has long since grown cold,
The weather ha caught a chill.
You moths must leave now;
I am turning out the light
And going to sleep.
I still hear your beating wings
And an annoying cricket.
© Richard Wright
Summer Nights
Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #53 Renga With Basho #10 “summer’s night”
summer’s night
the tree spirit follows in
the sound of wooden shoes
moonlight travels across the pond
softly kissing the ripples
a bamboo shoot
when I was a child it was
fun to sketch
words mingling with ink
with time journal growing fat
rice paddy sparrows
shelter in the tea plants
when chased away
hiding briefly like my muse
only coaxed with silent wait
clapping my hands
the echo as it dawns
of a summer moon
brightness of the distant stars
becoming a bold chorus
day after day
barley ripens
a singing skylark
lying in the tall grass
lazily watching the clouds
begonia flowers
blooming in the colors
of a watermelon
caressed with summers warmth
hard to capture on my page
© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold, taken from “Basho, the complete haiku”)
Last Curtain
Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #52 Tagore’s “Last Curtain”
the end of my days
consumed by earthly treasures
truth found to late
hours speed by, silence falls
the sun and moon still rise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last Curtain
I know that the day will come
when my sight of this earth shall be lost,
and life will take its leave in silence,
drawing the last curtain over my eyes.
Yet stars will watch at night,
and morning rise as before,
and hours heave like sea waves casting up pleasures and pains.
When I think of this end of my moments,
the barrier of the moments breaks
and I see by the light of death
thy world with its careless treasures.
Rare is its lowliest seat,
rare is its meanest of lives.
Things that I longed for in vain
and things that I got
—let them pass.
Let me but truly possess
the things that I ever spurned
and overlooked.
© Rabindranath Tagore
Withered Pampas Leaves
Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge September 2018 Chained Together III (13) Withered Pampas Leaves
A hat to cover
The body of our master,
Withered pampas leaves.
© Shinshi (haigo of Takarai Kikaku)
cold winds no longer to blow
poems left to comfort mourners
An Apple, Alone
(I am attempting to write this with my limited high school French from 40 years ago – any of you who speak French feel free to correct me.)
Une pomme, seul
dans le verger abandonné
rougissent pour l’hiver Ⓒ Patrick Blanche
souffle un vent froid à travers champs
gelée plumes des “guili” à nos
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One apple, alone
in the abandoned orchard
reddens for winter Ⓒ Patrick Blanche (Tr. Michael R. Burch)
cold winds blow across the fields
frost feathers tickle the leaves
A Soothing Breeze
Carpe Diem’s Tan Renga Challenge September 2018 Chained Together III (3) a soothing breeze
a soothing breeze
cicadas sing their song
sound of water © Chèvrefeuille (2015)
a dragonfly visits my garden
wing shadows encomasing
Winds Howl in Rage
Carpe Diem’s Tan Renga Challenge September 2018 Chained Together III (2) winds howl in rage
over the wintry forest
winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow ©️ Natsume Soseki
vulture perches
on a ancient oak
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
over the wintry forest
winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow ©️ Natsume Soseki
a pinecone plumets
squirrel chatters overhead
over the wintry forest
winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow ©️ Natsume Soseki
one over the wintry forest
snowdrops dare to bloom
Ada's Poetry Alcove (2) 