Moments of Lightness: Haiku & Tanka (Japanese Poetry Book 2)

A brief introduction to tanka and haiku poetry

Tanka poetry was born in Japan about 1400 years ago, as a form of ‘waka’ poetry —term meaning “poetry in Japanese”, to distinguish it from ‘kanshi’, that was poetry composed in Chinese by Japanese poets. The term waka originally comprised a number of different forms, most notably tanka, or “short poems”, and ‘chōka’, “long poems”. The first, the most widely composed type of waka, made of five ‘ku’ —phrase(s)— of 5–7–5–7–7 ‘on’

(syllabic units), while chōka encompassed a repetition of 5 and 7 ‘on’

phrases, with the last ‘ku’ containing 7 ‘on’. Although in the Nara period (710–794) and in the very first part of the early Heian period (794–1185), the court favored Chinese-style poetry (the oldest collection of kanshi, the ‘Kaifūsō’, “Fond Recollections of Poetry’, is dated 751; while the ‘Man’yōshū’, “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves” — the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled in the Nara period, sometime after the year 759— contains 4,207 tanka, 265 chōka, but only 4 kanshi), shortly afterwards waka poetry definitely superseded kanshi, so much so that Emperor Daigo ordered that the waka of ancient poets and their contemporaries were collected in the first imperial waka anthology, in twenty books, with the first six given to seasonal poems (the ‘Kokin Wakashū’ —”Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poems”— usually abbreviated in ‘Kokinshū’, AD 905). Inasmuch as at that time, only two forms of waka were in use, tanka and chōka (with this second hugely diminished in prominence), the term waka became synonymous with tanka; for such a reason this word fell into disuse until Masaoka Shiki, at the end of the 19th century, revived it (along with the haiku form).

‘Utakotoba’, the standard poetic diction established in the Kokinshū, was considered as the very essence of creating a perfect waka, through a sound unit counts of 31 ‘on’, following the pattern 5–7–5 plus 7–7. Although tanka has evolved over the centuries, its ancient form hasn’t changed and remains the original five units of 5–7–5–7–7 ‘on’/syllables.

Through the centuries, the waka/tanka form has been particularly used for poems between lovers and in diaries; more generally, exchanging waka instead of letters in prose has been a widespread custom, since it is a lyric poem that, through its own flow and rhythm, can express the deepest feelings, emotions and thoughts —it is a kind of ‘painting with words’, that uses references to the natural world as well as to the inner feelings of our everyday life.

From waka, over time, a number of poetry genres developed, such as ‘renga’ (collaborative linked verse). As momentum and popular interest shifted to the renga form —in the Muromachi period (1336–1573)— waka was left to the Imperial court, and all commoners were excluded from the highest levels of waka training. Then, during the Edo period (1603–1868), renga poets were able to express broader humor and wit, through a simplified form of renga, where the use of commonly spoken words was allowed: the new style was called ‘haikai no renga’*, or just ‘haikai’ (*comical linked verse, also called ‘renku’). What was traditionally referred to as ‘hokku’, later called haiku, is the opening stanza, 5–7–5 ‘on’, of a renga/haikai —indeed, the first document to record the word ‘haiku’ is thought to be Hattori Sadakiyo’s ‘Obaeshu’, (1663): it was used as an abbreviated form of “haikai-no-ku” (a verse of haikai).

In the second half of 1600, Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), firmly committed to the cause of making haikai the equal of waka and renga, elevated this genre and gave it a new popularity. While waka and renga had belonged to the aristocratic world of court poetry and samurai culture, haikai became the genre of choice for commoners. All of the best haikai masters, used mainly the genre to describe nature and human events directly related to it, and stressed on the great significance of the opening stanza —hokku—, to give poetic relevance to such versification.

Hokku, removed from the context of renga and haikai, eventually became the stand-alone 17 ‘on’ (5–7–5) haiku poetry form; Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902), then gave the term ‘haiku’ a special role, so to make it a genre of modern literature in its own right.

By Fabrizio Frosini

For more to learn about poetry Haiku and Tanka and to read  amazing images of poetry, you may guide to download the new release of the poets unite worldwide 

The Masks of Democracy by Anna Banasiak

In fear

they hear their steps

see the faces

in the trains

of thoughts

nationalists

they’re knocking at their door

in the streets of the democratic country

in a world

full of falsehood

words overwhelm

today democracy is a mask

of hypocrisy

power is aggression

in a world

full of populism

stairs without exit

everywhere

they’re hiding

before themselves

fearing of

The Masks

~*~

Anna Banasiak, Poland

— Born in Poland in 1984, I live in Łódź, in the central part of the Country. I’m a poet and

literary critic. You can find me on poemhunter.com, but a number of my poems can be read

also on different websites. I’m interested in Art and psychology.

(This poem is abstracted from the Book of Time To Show Up: Poets For Democracy Poets Unite Worldwide. For more poetry on democracy, you may go to the link here

Image (c) Flicker- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Time To Show Up: Poets For Democracy Poets Unite Worldwide (Poetry of Witness Book 6)

 

“Time To Show Up” is an evocative title for an anthology on democracy: it suggests answering a call to duty or to defense; there is the awareness that “Now My Country Needs Me,” and it comes from that same source as true patriotism does –If your country is right, celebrate it. If it’s wrong, reform it!
*
As Alexandra Alter wrote: “Like virtually everything else in the Trump era, poetry has gotten sharply political these days.”
*
Indeed, as a matter of fact, the idea of a collection of poems about democracy came to me just because of Trump. The United States of America represent the most important democracy in the world. Yet, with the election of Donald Trump as its 45th President, America’s Democratic Values as well as America’s international leadership are at risk —and this means that international stability and global security are at risk.
*
‘United We Stand’ – Poets Unite Wordlwide.

A Note, A Word, A Brush: Ode To The Arts

Picasso once said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” In this work, a collection of short poems in a variety of forms that celebrate the arts are presented: poetry, dance, painting, music, sculpture, theatre, among others. Feel the dust lift and wings sprout as you read. Dehavni’s poem, ‘An Ode To Poetry,’ uses classical forms to describe the effect of poetry on a normal human—we grow wings, we learn to turn copper into gold. Similarly, Sinicrope’s poem, ‘Musicians pass the art of precise execution that springs wings,’ shows how music teachers teach their art so their students can “slip wings on listeners’ backs.”

As if wings weren’t enough—Tatiana Berdennikova shows how an artist turns a blank canvas into a beautiful painting with her poem, ‘The Artist’s Brush.’ Then Negar Gorji weaves a magic spell with her pen in her poem, ‘The Painter.’ She reveals the inner passion, turmoil and loneliness of the painter’s life. She writes, “Sitting in front of an easel like she’s gonna hug it/ Staring long hours at a picture/ That nobody can see…Still, she keeps painting…” Larry Beck reveals the life of a not unhappy poet…a poet that struggles to write. If only Beck had been able to consult with poet Frosini, who explains the true essence of poetry and the role of darkness in bringing this art form to light. Kuncheria shares a poem which describes an ancient Middle Eastern Dance that came to India by way of the silk route, titled, ‘Margamkali Dance’. A poem by Billsborough shows us how the classics intersect, how art is really one form branching out. He writes, “Which medium we use is interwoven/ With strands of other Arts we know/ We cannot stop the inter-flow/ Of memories and of our learning./ Our path is coloured by our aptitude/ Only varied by the outer form permitted by its latitude.” This collection of 48 poems from poets all over the world is a joy to experience. And be sure to read the elegant and engaging Introduction contributed by Daniel Brick. You will not be disappointed.

For Reading and downloading

Fabrizio Frosini

Our Chain, Our Dream part two

As I did for ‘Part One’, I prefer to skip a formal introduction. In its place, I’ve chosen a poem written (again) by Daniel J. Brick —you can read it just below this note—. It is a poem that speaks volumes about the feelings that constitute the basis of this book, too. I also have to mention that the arrangement of the poems in this collection does not follow the usual alphabetical order (according to the poets’ names): in effect I’ve been delighted to accept Pamela Sinicrope’s proposal for a different order. Her words give the right guidance: «I ordered the poems in our collection according to the following loose guidelines: 1. Start and end with a short strong poem; 2. Mix poems by short and long; 3. Link the poems to each other by a word or a theme. This was a challenge, but fun. I enjoyed seeing where poems linked to one another. Some of the links were truly surprising.» Have a nice reading!  Our Chain Our Dream part Two
Fabrizio Frosini
Firenze, March 2017

Our Chain Our Dream (part one)

Through Poetry, as in Daniel Brick’s verse, “… we are together at the edge * / of the Universe, beyond the bend of time,/ at the crystalline source of the Imagination.” [* reference to Fabrizio Frosini’s verse from ‘The Chinese Gardens’]. Yes, it’s true, through Poetry we can experience the sheer “crystalline source of the Imagination.”

To use Daniel Brick’s question: “What difference does it make that we have one more Anthology of Poetry”? Poetry –all kind– is not the best selling subject, is it?

Yet, poetry means a lot to many of us: through poetry we can:

– find “The intricate path for your soul to flow” (Tatiana Berdennikova);

– or even “The buried pieces of our history” (Tom Billsborough);

– “Fly to the moon once monthly” (Judith Blatherwick);

– “Imagine the future, imagine the place” (Galina Italyanskaya);

– “.. tell you a story in paper and paint” (Marianne Larsen Reninger);

– “.. fly together to illuminate this empty sky” (Fethi Sassi);

– “Cleansing and purifying, redeeming all sins” (Neethu Tessa);

– “Dance like a lemur on the island of Madagascar” (Ition -Tze Min- Tsai);

Through Poetry, as in Daniel Brick’s verse, “… we are together at the edge * / of the Universe, beyond the bend of time,/ at the crystalline source of the Imagination.” [* reference to Fabrizio Frosini’s lines: “At the edge of the Universe I live / Beyond the bend of Time.”, ‘The Chinese Gardens’].

Yes, it’s true, through Poetry we can experience the sheer “crystalline source of the Imagination.”

This is a book to try. Our Chain Our Dream part one

Fabrizio Frosini

We All Are Persons: Why Gender Discrimination? Fresh Release

 

One thing that makes ‘gender discrimination’ such an important issue is that it is a worldwide problem – there’s no discrimination on how women are treated as ‘second class citizens’ in almost all cultures. Every day you would come across stories about atrocities committed against women. Some of such injustices are very overt, like physical and sexual abuse; while others are more ‘subtle’, like telling women that they are ‘ goddesses’ and ‘ princesses’, and thus, they must not pursue careers in, say armed forces. Misogyny comes in many “flavors”, each of them unacceptable.
However, as a society, we tend to have a very thick skin when it comes to noticing the injustices women suffer. Unless and until it is some really horrible crime like rape and/or murder, we tend to ignore the plight of women. Thus, there is almost no outrage about “small” acts of misogyny – someone is cat calling a woman on the streets? “Honey, take it as a compliment”. Women being forced to wear (or not to wear) certain types of clothes? “My dear, that’s just a part of a culture”. Unfortunately, this attitude, which we often describe as “normal”, later on takes the shape of victim blaming, and a general form of incredulity towards the claims of women about injustices – “Well, she must have provoked him: good girls don’t get raped”.
But, I ask you, do you ever hear someone blaming the victim for other crimes? Do you ever hear a pedestrian getting blamed for being hit by a car? I mean, after all, they were walking on the streets, sort of ‘asking’ to be hit by a car (?!). Nope, it’s only with women that the victims are blamed for the crime.
At the root of this prejudice is a culture that essentially belittles and subjugate women through various “norms” that are born out of obsolete ideals, moralities, and at times even the “Law of the land”. A woman’s “femininity” is determined by a patriarchal society, that bullies, torments, at times “destroy” women who do not fall into the “normal” criterion of femininity defined by them. You can look at how women who are not straight are treated in almost all cultures, as such women no longer remain a ‘commodity’ to be owned by men, but independent identities, with their own “desire”.
Any discussion on gender discrimination is incomplete without having a few words on how religions across the globe generally are misogynistic. A point previously made in this ‘note’ about victim blaming has a lot to do with religions and religious morality. The idea that injustices against women happen only when they ‘transgress’ certain ‘boundaries’ set for them, comes heavily from religious scriptures. Even today, in the 21st century, we can easily find a consensus on the religious fundamentalists that women should be blamed and punished for crimes committed against them.
Finally, the representation of women, in media and popular culture too, is at best “problematic”. Rampant sexual objectification, and representation of the “ideal” female body (slim, perfect, flawless) have been argued to have been behind from anorexia to psychological disorders in women.
This gripping compilation of poems by 90 poets from 45 countries, worldwide, is a praiseworthy “collective tale” on gender discrimination. While many readers may well be aware of these issues, for those who might not, I hope this collection will be a starting point, from where they will educate themselves further and contribute to eradicate these injustices. Women are said to be “half of the sky”, but it is high time for them to properly own their part.

Souren Mondal, India

For more and to read online

Poets Against Inequality – Extended Edition: Poets Unite Worldwide

by Fabrizio Frosini (Author), Pamela Sinicrope (Author), Kelly Kurt (Author), Galina Italyanskaya(Author), Souren Mondal (Author), Udaya Tennakoon (Author), Kenneth Maswabi (Author), Petra Soliman (Author), Marianne Larsen Reninger (Author), Daniel Brick (Introduction)

This is the extended edition of the book ‘Poets Against Inequality’, with an introduction by Daniel J. Brick and commentaries on all the 73 poems.
~*~
I doubt there is any concept more frequently affirmed in principle and more frequently violated in practice than ‘Equality’.
This is exactly what Oxfam, in its report ”An Economy for the 1%”, shows us. And although world leaders have increasingly talked about the need to tackle inequality, the gap between the richest and the rest of mankind has widened dramatically in 2015. Such an ‘explosion’ in the wealth of the super-rich has come at the expense of the majority and particularly the poorest people.
Today, just 62 ultra-rich people have as much wealth as the bottom 50% of humanity.
”Instead of an economy that works for the prosperity of all, for future generations, and for the planet, we have instead created an economy for the 1%,” (from Oxfam report).
What we want to get, through this poetry compilation, is to add our voice to those other unequivocal voices that denounce such an absolute lack of equality in our society, and make all such voices resonate in the conscience of all people of goodwill.
The poems collected in this book belong in what is called “Poetry of Witness”, and we believe that this is a task that all of us, as poets, have a moral obligation to pursue, because we can’t accept to live in a world where extreme poverty is so widespread and sheer inequality is the norm.

By Fabrizio Frosini

To download :https://www.amazon.com/Poets-Against-Inequality-Extended-Worldwide-ebook/dp/B01FRAHVVI

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Pamela Sinicrope
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOTOS AVAILABLE

POETRY AGAINST TERROR eBOOK: POETS UNITE WORLDWIDE

Rochester, MN, January 10, 2016. In response to the bloody Paris events of November 13, 2015, Italian poet, Fabrizio Frosini, began work on a new ebook, POETRY AGAINST TERROR, and he enlisted his community of poets worldwide to help: “I wanted it to become a large collective work: the voice of poets from many different countries, worldwide, who stand up and speak aloud but without hatred against the bloody madness of terror.”

Astonishingly, 64 Poets from 43 countries lent their pens in the effort. Frosini says, “we—poets of the world—wish to make our voices resonate in the minds and hearts of all women and men who refuse to be silenced by hate and violence.” Pamela Sinicrope of Rochester, MN and Daniel Brick of St. Paul, MN, USA, along with Richard Thézé, England, co-edited the collection of diverse poems about terrorism in Paris and around the world. Cover art is by Galina Italianskaya, Russia.

The project came together quickly, as Frosini was able to identify writers through the poetry website, PoemHunter.com. Poets come from all continents, including Arab/Islamic countries:

Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, UAE, Uganda, UK, USA, Zimbabwe.

Poem topics range from a focus on the liberty of France, to the musings of a mother who does not want her child suffering from terrorism, to a young woman who incessantly searches google for the answers to the terrorism problem, to the story of African villagers who drink from a cow’s horn under a peaceful moon until terrorism takes over.

Many of the poets have experienced terrorism first-hand, and this witness is expressed in their writings and their biographies. “We’ve all been touched by terrorism. For some, the topic hit home after the events in Paris, but for others, terrorism has been a disturbing part of everyday life —these facts are borne out in the poems. The poems speak for themselves,” says Sinicrope.

The ebook, POETRY AGAINST TERROR, is available as a download onAmazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019M1J0DU. They also have a Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/PoetryAgainstTerror . From January 11 to January 15, the ebook will be available FREE on Amazon.