Coolness
a mountain stream splashes out
between houses
Initially a prose writer, Masaoka Shiki dedicated most of his life to haiku and is usually credited with reviving this Japanese poetic form.
He advocated realistic observation by "sketching" (shasei) poems and going out into nature with notebooks, thus abandoning the traditional subjects of haiku of the time. His advice for an aspiring poet was, "Use both imaginary pictures and real ones, but prefer the real ones."
Haiku by Masaoka Shiki (Translated by Janine Beichman)
Picture by Bulb Creative
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: 8th May 2019