One traveller
wakes another traveller
at the sight of the sea
The Haiku Foundation is always a rich source of inspiration. I immediately fell in love with this poem by Choshi, included in R.H. Blyth "Japanese Satirical Verses". For those of you who are not familiar with the difference between haiku and senryu: the former tends to be about nature, while the latter refers to some aspect of human nature or emotions. Their structure is similar.
I couldn't find any information on Choshi online, so here's what R.H. Blyth said about our haiku of the week:
"We have here a clear example of the difference between haiku and senryu. The sight of the sea in the early morning makes someone wake up a fellow traveler. But what remains in our minds is not the sea glittering in the morning sunshine, but the shaking and awakening of the traveler by someone who hardly knows him from Adam. We feel the kinship of the men through that one touch of nature."
Haiku by Choshi
Picture by Pawel Nolbert
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 February 2021