Die Hitze und das Ankern zur Nacht bei der Ahornbrücke - With an English translation below

Es war heiß -: heiß, heiß, heiß. Und zwar ging es rauf bis 41° C, jedenfalls auf meinem Thermometer, das im Schatten platziert ist. Und ich habe einen Fächer hervorgesucht. Dann schaute ich auf den Fächer und fand darauf ein Gedicht aus der Tang-Zeit und zwar ein sehr bekanntes, das ich vor etwa fünf Jahren hier auf dem Blog in Übersetzung und im Original vorgestellt hatte [1]. Und dann schaute ich mir noch einen zweiten Fächer an und auch auf dem zweiten Fächer war dieses Gedicht von jemand anderem ebenso mit dem Pinsel geschrieben. Es handelt sich also um zwei Unikate, nicht um Drucke. Auch die Bilder sind Originale. Die Bilder davon stelle ich ebenfalls hier ins Netz. Dazu habe ich das Rollbild in meiner Kölner Wohnung extra noch einmal abfotografiert; das Original von diesem Bild kann man sich auf Wikipedia ansehen [2]. Das hat ein Gelehrter der Qing-Dynastie (清代) mit Namen Yu Yue (俞樾) geschrieben. Die Stele steht im Han Shan Tempel (寒山寺) in Suzhou (蘇州). Dieser Tempel stammt aus der Liang Dynastie, also 502-519 n. Chr. Das wichtigste Merkmal dieses Tempels ist eigentlich das Gedicht von Zhang Ji, das ich jetzt noch einmal zeigen werde. Hanshan (寒山) heißt kalter Berg und Hanshan ist natürlich auch eine Persönlichkeit und zwar der Zenmönch Hanshan [3]. Aber ob es sich wirklich um eine historische Persönlichkeit des 7. oder 8. Jahrhunderts gehandelt hat, bleibt fraglich. Mir ist er als erstmals während meines Studiums in Taiwan begegnet, also in den 1970er Jahren, und zwar in einem Nachdruck der Übersetzung der Hanshan Gedichte von Gary Snyder. Diese Übersetzung war auch ausschlaggebend für die Beat Generation (z.B. Jack Kerouac oder Allen Ginsberg). Dieser Hanshan hat direkt mit dem Tempel nichts zu tun, es handelt sich um eine Namensgleichheit, die aber zu Assoziationen verleitet.

Aber nun zum Gedicht:
楓橋夜泊
張繼
月落烏啼霜滿天
江楓漁火對愁眠
姑蘇城外寒山寺
夜半鐘聲到客船

Ankern zur Nacht bei der Ahornbrücke
von Zhang Ji
Der Mond geht unter, Krähen krächzen und der Himmel ist voll von Frost
Dahindämmernd blicke ich auf Fluss und Ahornbäume im Schein der Angelfeuer
Aus dem Hanshan-Tempel außerhalb von Suzhou
Klingt die Mitternachtsglocke herüber zum Passagierboot 

Nur dieses Gedichte von Zhang Ji wurde in die Anthologie 300 Gedichte der Tang-Zeit (唐詩三百首) aufgenommen. Sun Zhu (孫洙), ein Gelehrter zur Zeit der Qing-Dynastie, hatte diese im Jahr 1763 kompiliert. Insgesamt 48 Gedichte von Zhang Ji finden sich in der riesigen Kompilation Komplette Tang-Gedichte (全唐詩) aus dem Jahr 1705. Diese Kompilation geht wie das bekannte Wörterbuch (康熙字典) auf den Kaiser Kangxi (康熙帝) zurück, der von 1654 bis 1722 lebte. 

Über Zhang Ji (張繼) ist nicht viel bekannt, sein Geburtsjahr ist unklar, vielleicht 712-715, 753 hat er die Prüfung zum Jinshi (進士) bestanden und 779 ist er verstorben [4]. Das Gedicht Ankern zur Nacht bei der Ahornbrücke (楓橋夜泊) ist sein bekanntestes Gedicht.

Links und Anmerkungen:
[1] FreitagsGedichte / #KurzLyrik 01.01.2021 
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2021/01/freitagsgedichte-kurzlyrik-01012021.html 
[2] Es handelt sich um eine Stele.
寒山寺楓橋夜泊詩碑 
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/File:%E4%BF%9E%E6%A8%BE%E6%A5%93%E6%A9%8B%E5%A4%9C%E6%B3%8A%E8%A9%A9%E7%A2%91.jpg 
[3] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han-Shan  
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AF%92%E5%B1%B1 
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Ji_(poet_from_Hubei) 
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BC%B5%E7%B9%BC_(%E5%94%90%E6%9C%9D) 

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The Heat and A Night Mooring near Maple Bridge

It was hot—hot, hot, hot. Temperatures climbed as high as 41°C—at least on my thermometer, which is placed in the shade. I dug out a fan. Looking at it, I found a poem from the Tang Dynasty—a very famous one, in fact—which I had posted here on the blog about five years ago, featuring both the translation and the original text [1]. Then I examined a second fan, and found the same poem on that one too, written by someone else with a brush; these are unique pieces, not prints. The images on them are originals as well. I am posting photos of them here. For this purpose, I took a new photograph of the hanging scroll in my Cologne apartment; the original of this image can be viewed on Wikipedia [2]. The calligraphy was executed by a Qing Dynasty (清代) scholar named Yu Yue (俞樾). The stele stands in the Hanshan Temple (寒山寺) in Suzhou (蘇州). This temple dates back to the Liang Dynasty—specifically, 502–519 AD. The temple's most significant feature is arguably the poem by Zhang Ji, which I am showing here once again. Hanshan (寒山) means "Cold Mountain," but Hanshan is also the name of a historical figure—the Zen monk Hanshan [3]. However, whether he was truly a historical figure from the 7th or 8th century remains open to discussion. I first encountered him during my studies in Taiwan in the 1970s, specifically in a reprint of Gary Snyder’s translation of the Hanshan poems. That translation was also of pivotal influence on the Beat Generation (e.g., Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg). This Hanshan has no direct connection to the temple; it is merely a case of the same name, though it naturally invites associations. 

But now, to the poem:
楓橋夜泊
張繼
月落烏啼霜滿天
江楓漁火對愁眠
姑蘇城外寒山寺
夜半鐘聲到客船
A Night Mooring at Maple Bridge
Zhang Ji
The moon sets, crows cry, and the sky is filled with frost
Drowsily, I gaze at the river and maple trees in the glow of fishing fires
From the Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou
The sound of the midnight bell drifts over to the passenger boat

This is the only poem by him included in the anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems (唐詩三百首). Sun Zhu (孫洙), a Qing Dynasty scholar, compiled this collection in 1763. A total of 48 poems by Zhang Ji appear in the massive compilation Complete Tang Poems (全唐詩) from 1705. Like the famous Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典), this compilation was commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor (康熙帝), who lived from 1654 to 1722.

Not much is known about Zhang Ji (張繼); his birth year is uncertain—possibly between 712 and 715. He passed the Jinshi (進士) examination in 753 and died in 779 [4]. The poem A Night Mooring at Maple Bridge (楓橋夜泊) is his most famous work.

Links and Annotations:
[1] FreitagsGedichte / #KurzLyrik 01.01.2021
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2021/01/freitagsgedichte-kurzlyrik-01012021.html
[2] It is a stele. 寒山寺楓橋夜泊詩碑
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/File:%E4%BF%9E%E6%A8%BE%E6%A5%93%E6%A9%8B%E5%A4%9C%E6%B3%8A%E8%A9%A9%E7%A2%91.jpg
[3] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han-Shan
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AF%92%E5%B1%B1
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Ji_(poet_from_Hubei)
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BC%B5%E7%B9%BC_(%E5%94%90%E6%9C%9D)

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – September 2025 First Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for September 2025 is Herbert P. Shippey [3], who is doing so for the first time. Thank you very much, Herbert! 

北風捲地白草折，
胡天八月即飛雪。
白雪歌送武判官歸京。
岑參。 
The north wind rolls over the land and breaks the fountain grass.
Snow is already drifting across the barbarian sky in the eighth month.
The Ode of White Snow for Farewell
by Magistrate Wu, who returns to the capital
Cen Can [4]

looking up 
from the tea cup's steam 
to the valley's mists 
~ Mist

bright lichen 
on the ruins of an old tree 
some green, at least 
~ Lichen

ivy vines 
clinging to red brickstones 
we, too 
~ Vines

all the raccoons 
roaming the forests 
good in hiding, too 
~ Raccoon 

green moss 
around the grey old pond 
we're rolling stones 
~ Moss

trees and bushes 
all dressed in hoarfrost 
no wedding, though 
~ Frost Moss

the lotus flower 
emerges from the sauna pond 
as we submerge 
~ Lotus

westerly gale 
howling in the trees 
the hawk still circles, though 
~ Hawk

releasing blueberries 
from their jammed confinement 
good girl! 
~ Berry

no vanilla sauce 
on my strawberry icecream 
already perfect 
~ Berry

picking up 
trilobites from the field 
I walk under water 
~ Fossil

weeds 
still penetrating 
the pine straw 
~ Pine Straw

neither deer nor 
the deer hunter at deer lake 
just caribou 
~ Deer

under the stars 
the road winds on and on 
but we keep sitting  
~ Stars

pine cones 
picked by the squirrels 
like corn on the cob 
~ Pine Cones

still summer? 
the wind asks the birch trees
turning golden 
~ Birch Trees

hiking through 
the boreal wilderness 
leaving a path 
~ Path

 

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist. I also recommend to read: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5. 
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/herbert-p-shippey
[4] Cen Can (岑參), also pronounced Cen Shen, lived from 715 to 770. He spent about 10 years on the northwest frontier, about 749-759. Later, he was appointed governor of Jiazhou Prefecture (嘉州) by Emperor Suzong (肅宗). Seven of his poems have been included in the anthology 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首). Here are the first two lines of a longer poem. I found a total of four books of his poems in the collection Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty (全唐詩) from 1705.

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – August 2025 First Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for August 2025 is Gillena Cox [3], who has been doing so in July 2013, August 2016, December 2021, and August 2023. Thank you very much, Gillena! 

相見時難別亦難，
東風無力百花殘。
無題。
李商隱。
Hard to see each other and just as hard to part,
The east wind is too weak and the flowers wither.
For an unnamed Person / Untitled 
Li Shangyin [4]

bending leaves 
rain flooding the garden 
the chairs are still out 
~ Chair

the table cloth 
falling down table mountain 
romantic ... yes 
~ Table

a kitchen table 
a sink, a trash can 
just watching 
~ Kitchen [5]

lazy afternoon 
soft music and fragrances - 
and no one watching 
~ Music

calypso, steeldrums 
and “Bond, James Bond” 
still happy  
~ Steelpan

homo sapiens 
500.000 years 
not much to celebrate 
~ Celebration

thyme tea 
and cardamom coffee 
in the wadi rum 
~ Thyme

fronds bowing 
the smell of cloves 
don't sit under the coconut tree 
~ Cloves [6]

the vampires don't mind 
the garlic in my garden / 
but the moles do 
~ Garlic

still in the nose 
the scent of frangipani 
and the south seas 
~ Plumeria

don't get me wrong 
i talk about the flowing 
bougainvillea 
~ Bougainvillea 

still dreaming 
of red hibiscus blossoms 
and the surf 
~ Hibisbus

listening to 
taiko and wadaiko drummers 
the pulse of life 
~ Drums

beneath the men 
wearing a tenugui 
only for yourself 
~ Headties [7]

stringing together 
beads, words, kigo and a plum 
no haiku yet 
~ Beads 

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist. I also recommend to read: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5 
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/gillena-cox  
[4] Li Shangyin (李商隱) lived from about 813 to 858 and has been the last great poet of the Tang Dynasty. 24 of his poems were included in the anthology 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首). About 550 of his poems are preserved in the collection Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty (全唐詩) from 1705. Martin Gimm, my old professor at the East Asian Department of the University of Cologne, once published something about him: "Li Shangyin (812-858): Miscellaneous Epigrams. A Selection from the Zazuan." [In: Wolf Baus, Volker Klöpsch, Otto Putz, Peter Pörtner (eds.): Hefte für ostasiatische Literatur, No. 24/May 1998, pp. 13-21.] Interesting as Gimm had been doing most of his research on topics concerning the Qing Dynasty as he also had been professor for manchu, an endangered language. 
[5] A reference to Andy Wahol's underground film “Kitchen” from 1966. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_(1966_film) 
[6] ... also not "with anyone else but me".  
[7] In kendo (剣道) you wear a protective helmet/mask called men (面) and beneath a headtie or tenugui (手ぬぐい) to soak up the sweat. Often the tenugui has a printed character in Japanese. 

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – July 2025 First Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for July 2025 is Dorna Hainds, who is doing so for the first time. Welcome, Dorna! 

江靜潮初落，林昏瘴不開。
明朝望鄉處，應見隴頭梅。
題大庾嶺北驛。
宋之問。
The river flows calmly and the flood recedes.
At dusk, the forest lies hidden in mist.
Tomorrow, when I cross the mountains early in the morning,
I hope to see the plum blossoms of my homeland.
An Inscription for the Northern Rest House of the Dayu Mountains
Song Zhiwen [3]

white noise 
white mellow walls 
waning madness 
~ Color of Madness 

looking for 
forgotten dream colors 
making progress 
~ Forgotten Dream Color 

no grey or black 
no shadow at all 
in the black hole 
~ Shades of Shadows 

windy days 
gold on the poplars 
and auburn hair 
~ Forest that Bleeds Gold in Autumn 

the Brontë sisters 
all gray of pigeon 
but such imagination 
~ Gray of Pigeon

the grey of the pigeons 
blends with the cathedral 
as we do 
~ Gray of Pigeon 

sinking 
the rainbow warrior 
is lifting the colors 
~ Warzone Colors Seen 

good notes 
and car washing 
into the piggybank 
~ Colors of First Money Made

the rainbow 
and mum's hair colors 
then a cloud of tears 
~ Color of Mum’s Hair Throughout the Ages 

furry creases 
and yellow faded paper 
a never ending love 
~ Yellow Faded Love Letter 

the forest 
painted with a red crayon 
just like in black 
~ First Red Crayon

out of the blue 
diving into the pool 
then a blue margarita 
~ Blue of Swimming Pools 

grieving 
our shadows 
wear black, too 
~ Shades of Grief 

what remains 
of the wishing well - 
murky shadows 
~ Shades of Lies Told 

forbidden desires 
the red rose 
blushes 
~ Color of Forbidden Desires

the rainbow wears 
the color of loneliness 
and silence 
~ Color of Loneliness 

 

 

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist. I also recommend to read: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5 
[3] Song Zhiwen (宋之問) was born around 660, which is uncertain, and died in 712, which is certain, because he was sentenced to commit suicide. Only one poem was included in the anthology 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首); I translated the second half of the poem. I found a total of three books of his poems in the collection Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty (全唐詩) from 1705.

 

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – June 2025 Second Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for June 2025 has been Judith Gorgone, who already had been providing prompts for March 2012, October 2016, and October 2022 [3]. Thank you very much, Judith! 

朝聞遊子唱驪歌，
昨夜微霜初度河。
鴻雁不堪愁裡聽，
雲山況是客中過。
送魏萬之京。
李頎。
In the morning, the travelers' farewell song could be heard.
Last night, the first frost came over the river.
The cries of the wild geese sounded sad.
The clouded mountains stood on the way home.
Farewell to Wei Wan on the way to the capital
Li Qi [4]

all these wonderful 
meteor showers 
the moon watches, too 
~ Meteor Trails

ascending through mist 
then the sun's halo 
and the peak 
~ Halo 

across the salt flats 
oh island in the sun 
water, water, what 
~ Mirage

across the salt flats 
oh island in the sun 
the lake, the lake, the ... 
~ Mirage

constant drizzle 
on the thirsty plants 
and the waterspout 
~ Waterspout

above a waterspout 
below a tsunami 
life's cruise 
~ Waterspout

red tide 
defcon red for the ocean 
red flags on the beach 
~ Tide or Tidal Flow

wind and water 
eroding the soil matrix 
the green matrix
~ Erosion




tiny waves 
rolling out on the beach 
some memories 
~ Wave

strawberries, cherries 
and all the summer rain 
as time goes by 
~ Petrichor 

blinded by the light 
a supernova I guess 
or headlights 
~ Supernova

rain and debris 
in the wake of the hurricane 
... and tears 
~ Hurricane

the wind 
harvests green cherries 
that's spring, too 
~ Wind

rolling clouds 
roaring thunder 
ready for rain 
~ Thunder 

falling 
blossoms and unripe fruits 
falling wind 
~ Microburst

wiping off 
the colors of the rainbow 
grey fear 
~ Rainbow

warm afterglow 
the day is ready to rest 
but you ask for more 
~ Afterglow 

our footsteps 
glow on the night beach 
for a while 
~ Bioluminescence

this evening 
no glow worms fly 
we're distracted anyway 
~ Bioluminescence

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist. I also recommend to read: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5 
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/judith-gorgone 
[4] Li Qi (李頎) lived from 690 to 751. Seven of his poems were included in the compilation 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首). Sun Zhu (孫洙), a scholar during the Qing Dynasty, compiled it in 1763. However, 124 of his poems are included in the compilation Complete Tang Poems (全唐詩) from 1705. This compilation, like the well-known dictionary (康熙字典), dates back to Emperor Kangxi (康熙帝), who lived from 1654 to 1722.

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – June 2025 First Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for June 2025 is Judith Gorgone, who already had been providing prompts for March 2012, October 2016, and October 2022 [3]. Thank you very much, Judith! 

終南陰嶺秀，積雪浮雲端：
林表明霽色，城中增暮寒。
終南望餘雪。
祖詠。
Before us rises the gloomy silhouette of the Zhongnan Mountains,
With its snow-capped peaks rising into the floating clouds.
The forests glitter brightly in the last rays of sunlight,
While the city in the valley is already getting colder.
Snow on the Zhongnan Mountains
Zu Yong [4]

no northern lights 
but light, light, light 
northern summer 
~ Northern Lights

all this 
turmoil of the cumuli 
just for a rainbow 
~ Rainbow

quick steps 
after the eruption 
etna tourism 
~ Eruption 

the mountain range 
reflected in the clear lake 
crystals both 
~ Crystals 

in the arctic 
watching polar lights 
solar flares 
~ Solar Flare 

looking 
into your pale face 
eclipse of love 
~ Eclipse

after 
the landslide victory 
nothing to govern 
~ Landslide

grab a book 
from the public bookcase 
an avalanche of books 
~ Avalanche

falling 
the train of the wedding dress 
and avalanche roses 
~ Avalanche

rumbling & tumbling 
the dust devil is busy 
still rehearsing 
~ Dust Devil

i'm a cyclone 
in the making 
brags the dust devil 
~ Dust Devil

spring breeze 
and the ashen light of the moon 
the colors are in the kiss 
~ Earthshine 

cyclone 
the spin doctors call it 
more a dust devil 
~ Cyclone

the cyclone sweeps 
the garbage dump and shares 
with generosity 
~ Cyclone

after the drought 
nature wakes up 
the rainmaker sleeps again 
~ Drought

fog wafting 
across the graveyard 
can't hide silent tears 
~ Fog

fishmarket 
the dead fish still swim 
after the tsunami 
~ Tsunami

Georges Danton 
beheaded by the guillotine 
during germinal 
~ Germination

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist. I also recommend to read: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5 
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/judith-gorgone 
[4] Zu Yong (祖詠) was a poet of the middle Tang period. He lived from 699 until 746. He obtained the title of Jinshi (進士) in the imperial examination in 724, but then preferred a simple life as a fisherman and lumberjack. He was a very close friend of Wang Wei (王維). Two of his poems were included in the anthology 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首). Thirty-six of his poems are preserved in the 1705 collection Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty (全唐詩), volume 131.
The Zhongnan Mountains (终南山) are located near Xi'an (西安), which had been the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and later had been renamed Chang'an (長安) and retained this name until the end of the Ming Dynasty. The Zhongnan Mountains were the religious center of Daoism.

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – April 2025 Second Half

 

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for April 2025 has been Shannon M. Blood, who already had been providing prompts for December 2022, August 2024 [3]. Thank you very much, Shannon!

倚杖柴門外，
臨風聽暮蟬。
輞川閒居贈裴秀才迪。
王維。
Leaning on my staff, I stand at the firewood gate.
With the wind in my face, I listen to the cicadas.
Message to the scholar Pei Di during his stay at Wangchuan Villa
Wang Wei [4]

like it or not
moving round & round
I would have
~ National Bubble Tea Day and/or
National Military Brats Day

enough room
for any poem
in my pocket universe
~ Poem In Your Pocket Day
and/or World Wish Day

more red roses
much more kisses
where's the ring?
~ KISS YOUR MATE DAY
and/or PAY IT FORWARD DAY


- .-. -.-- / - --- / ..-. .. --. ..- .-. . /
--- ..- - / -- -.-- / .... .- .. -.- ..- / .. -. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . /
.. - .----. ... / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . /
try to figure out
my haiku in morse code
it's Morse Code Day
~ Morse Code Day and/or
Woody Woodpecker Day [5]

the universe
is a folded pretzel
enjoy
~ International Sculpture Day
and/or National Pretzel Day

if we would be
as valiant as little penguins
this world had a chance
~ World Penguin Day 2025 [6]

rotary dial telephones
and telephone booths
the art of the dial
~ National Telephone Day and/or
Parental Alienation Awareness Day (PAAD)

jog around
or eat hot dogs
perfect day for both  
~ National Pig In A Blanket Day
and/or Love Your Thighs Day

don't put this
haiku to a test
take a chance
~ National Talk Like Shakespeare Day and/or
National Take A Chance Day [7]

look before you leap
or better not
just take a chance
~ National Talk Like Shakespeare Day and/or
National Take A Chance Day [8]

joining
the ban sugar movement
with a stash of jelly bens
~ National Jelly Bean Day
and/or School Bus Drivers’ Day

not trespassing
across nature's grasslands
no keep off
~ Keep Off The Grass Day and/or
Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day

smelling weed
in the smoke
memories
~ Go Fly A Kite Day
and/or National Weed Day

go fly your kite
Charlie Brown
says the tree
~ Go Fly A Kite Day
and/or National Weed Day

World Circus Day
no invitation yet
to the White House
~ Take Your Parents To The Playground Day
and/or World Circus Day

no championship
not even for crackers
just playing marbles
~ Animal Crackers Birthday
and/or World Marbles Day

blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah
debatable
~ Blah Blah Blah Day and/or
International Haiku Poetry Day

blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah
it's a haiku!
~ Blah Blah Blah Day and/or
International Haiku Poetry Day

rain is the voice
of the corrugated iron roof
and its damnation
~ Emancipation Day
and/or World Voice Day

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. And please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist.
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/shannon-m-blood
[4] Wang Wei (王維) is a poet, painter, musician, and politician of the Tang Dynasty. According to Wikipedia, he lived from 699 to 759, which corresponds to my old textbook, which I used for a Tang poetry course a long time ago. He is one of the most important poets of the Tang Dynasty, and therefore we find 29 of his poems in the anthology 300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty (唐詩三百首). I found a total of four books of his poems and several more in the collection Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty (全唐詩) from 1705.
[5] BTW: I like Snoopy's friend Woody better than Woody Woodpecker. Woody talks a bit like morse code: https://x.com/Snoopy/status/462947750381125632
[6] Hasn't been a prompt.
[7] ABBA
[8] Wystan Hugh Auden

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Haiku for National Haiku Writing Month – March 2025 Second Half

National Haiku Writing Month has been founded by the well known haiku poet Michael Dylan Welch. The goal is to write at least one haiku a day. National Haiku Writing Month is in its 14th year. [1] I enjoy writing to the prompts on Facebook. Here are some interesting links: [2]. Our daily writing prompter for April 2025 is Shannon M. Blood, who already has been providing prompts for December 2022, August 2024 [3]. Thank you very much, Shannon!

昨夜裙帶解，
今朝蟢子飛。
鉛華不可棄，
莫是藁砧歸。
玉臺體。
權德輿。
Last night my belt came loose.
In the morning a lucky spider flew over my bed.
I won't neglect my makeup,
For my husband might return.
The Jade Dressing Table
Quan Deyu [4]

april fresh detergent
the spring breeze is drying
the happy laundry
~ Tax Day and/or National Laundry Day

c'mon
tariff on laughter?
laugh it off
~ International Moment Of Laughter Day and/or
National Ex-Spouse Day

playing scrabble
with dominos
check mate
~ NationalScrabbleDay and/or
International Creativity And Innovation Day

my walkabout
along my songlines
welcome to join
~ National Licorice Day and/or
Walk On Your Wild Side Day

my walkabout
along my songlines
please join
~ National Licorice Day and/or
Walk On Your Wild Side Day

time passing
in silence
too loudly
~ Day Of Silence and/or Barbershop Quartet Day

without safety pin
through the eyebrow
trying to remember her
~ National Siblings Day and/or
International Safety Pin Day

before the flood
they missed the last ark
the unicorns
~ National Unicorn Day and/or
National Dive Bar Day

next to the zoo
and the retirement home
no honking  
~ National Zoo Lovers Day and/or
International Pageant Day

no housework
– yes, captain obvious –
on national beer day
~ National No Housework Day and/or
National Beer Day [5]

no epitaph
besides name and dates
what a sad tombstone
~ National Tartan Day and/or
National Plan Your Epitaph Day [6]

firewalking
or walking the line
don't stop
~ no prompt

spring breeze
daisies and dandelions
and we of course
~ International Pillow Fight Day and/or
National Dandelion Day

awareness days
often remind us of old stars
rat pack
~ World Rat Day and/or
National Hug A Newsman Day

to the rain
I bow and look up
to the rainbow
~ Find A Rainbow Day and/or
Don’t Go To Work Unless It’s Fun Day

not liking
ferret branca, until:
fact checking
~ Fact Checking Day and/or
National Ferret Day [7]

about fossil fuels
even boomers get fooled
but not today
~ Fact Boomer Bonus Day and/or
Fossil Fools Day

Links and Annotations:
[1] National Haiku Writing Month https://www.facebook.com/NaHaiWriMo  
[2] „To help with haiku fundamentals, please have a look at "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. And please review the "Haiku Checklist" at https://www.graceguts.com/essays/haiku-checklist.
[3] https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/meet-the-prompters/shannon-m-blood
[4] Quan Deyu (權德輿) lived from 759 to 818 and was chancellor under Emperor Xianzong (唐憲宗). He is said to have been writing poetry at the age of three, and at the age of 14, essays were published in a 10-volume collection known as the "Collection of a Learned Child" (童蒙集). More than 200 of his poems can be found in the compilation "Complete Tang Poems" (全唐詩) from 1705. This compilation, like the well-known dictionary (康熙字典), dates back to Emperor Kangxi (康熙帝), who lived from 1654 to 1722. I am surprised that only one of his poems has made it into the compilation "300 Poems of the Tang Dynasty" (唐詩三百首).
[5] Here in Germany I've once read about public order officers being alerted because of a strange odour coming from an appartement - a guy lived there alone and tossed the empty beer cans into one of the rooms and they found thousands of cans.
[6] I have been looking at tombstones in Cologne and most of them only had names and dates; few of the old ones had quotes from the bible.
[7] Look here, if you want to fact check: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernet-Branca

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