Lonely stillness
a single cicada's cry
sinking into stone
The haiku of the week is from The Narrow Road to the Interior, a collection of haibun ( prose + haiku ) written by Matsuo Basho.
In Yamagata Province, the ancient temple founded by Jikaku Daishi in 86o, Ryushaku Temple is stone quiet, and perfectly tidy. Everyone told us to see it. It meant a few miles extra, doubling back toward Obanazawa to find shelter. Monks at the foot of the mountain offered rooms, and then we climbed the ridge to the temple, scrambling up through ancient gnarled pine and oak, gray smooth stones, and moss. The temple doors, built on rocks, were bolted. I crawled among boulders to make my bows at shrines. The silence was profound. I sat, feeling my heart begin to open.
Poem by Matsuo Bashō
Picture by Parker Gibbs
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 24th May 2017