heaven and earth
still not rent asunder -
morning mist
by: Genkaibō
Genkaibō was a Japanese poet and monk from the Edo period.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find more information about him. I came across this poem in The Penguin Book of Haiku, but there's no mention of Genkaibō's life or other works. I also found one of his poems in a 1991 edition of the Frogpond haiku journal. If anyone else has more information on this mysterious haiku poet, please get in touch and I'll update the description.
Haiku by Genkaibō
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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.
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‘rent asunder’ – Quite a brutal way of describing a quietly dissolving misty dawn. I wonder what words were used in the original Japanese version?
Unfortunately I don’t know where to find the original version. I quite like the juxtaposition ‘rent asunder’ creates though. As if the early morning mist blending earth and sky was the natural order of things.
Yes, that is true. Maybe it is…?