Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Carpe Diem #1267 millionaire


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our festive CDHK luster month October 2017. As I started CDHK back in 2012 I also had the so called "Carpe Diem Specials", as we have had almost every month during these five years. At the start of CDHK those specials were haiku by classical poets like Basho (1644-1694), but the prompt for today points to a wonderful haiku by Yosa Buson (1716-1784):

enjoying three bowls of Zoni *
at the New Year's breakfast
millionaire as he is!

(c) Yosa Buson

* 'Zoni' is a soup containing mochi (rice cakes), vegetables and other ingredients. To cook zoni was very expensive for the common people in the Edo period (1603-1868). To eat three bowls of 'zoni' at a time for breakfast was beyond all imagination of theirs.

Zoni
If Buson was a millionaire in his days I don't know, but he could afford to eat zoni. Buson is not only renown for his haiku, but also for his haiga (image + haiku). He illustrated a first edition of Basho's "Narrow Road Into The Deep North", that renown haibun (prose + haiku) which we have read together last year (2016).

millionaire
without the beauty of nature
just poor


(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not as strong as I had hoped, but I think what this haiku says is true. What would I do with millions of money if there was no nature's beauty to become inspired by? Nothing ... my life would mean nothing.

By the way, if you would like to read the post of 2012 than find it through clicking HERE.

As a haiku poet, living with nature, I don't need lots of money. I am grateful for all I can do, but especially finding my inspiration in nature ... is all I need.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until October 10th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, shuntoo (spring lantern), later on. For now .... have fun!

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