Daybreak
from the middle of the rain
a skylark song
Together with Basho, Onitsura (1661–1738) helped redefine the haikai no renga (linked verse) and elevated it into a literary genre in its own right. Around this time, the opening stanza of this collaborative linked poem (hokku) started appearing as an independent poem, which Masaoka Shiki would rename haiku in the 19th century.
“A good poet” is someone who can make a verse interesting.
“A master” is someone whose verse does not sound interesting but has a flavor deep inside.
A still higher stage is when a poet has reached the utmost of the art and his poem presents neither color nor fragrance.
Only at that stage can one be credited as having achieved the quintessence of haikai.
(Uejima Onitsura)
Haiku by Uejima Onitsura
Picture by Aaron Burden
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: 12th December 2018