#japanese haiku

[niddy-writes-randomly]

Just me and the moon, We spend our time in silence, Alone, growing cold.

— Haiku by Nidhish Shirur

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

"All in calmness -- the earth with half-opened eyes moves into winter..."

~ Dakotsu Iida, from Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems (tr. Stephen Addiss, Fumiko Yamamoto, and Akira Yamamoto)

[godzilla-reads]

Best Haiku by Bashō

Original:

Furu ike ya

kawazu tobikomu

mizu no oto

Translation by Lafcadio Hearn:

Old pond — frogs jumped in — sound of water.

Check out this site for some different translations 🐸 (art below by Matsumoto Hoji)

[zeraphimtwins]

The temple bell stops -

but the sound keeps coming

out of the flowers.

- Bashō (1644-94)

[philgennuso]

Haiku by Issa (#Nature #Haiku)

Photo by Phil Gennuso Arts engulfedin sunsetred leaves *********************************** Iconic haiku master Kobayashi Issa, 1765 – 1828

[fungitopia]

I watched a talk about Fungi in Japanese culture and really enjoyed the haiku!

[metamorphesque]

Blossoms at night, and the faces of people moved by music.

Blossoms at Night, Kobayashi Issa ("The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku by Kobayashi Issa")

[0nelinerwordplay]

https://kimonocatsoncups.etsy.com

[ariadnethedragon]

The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu

[the-cricket-chirps]

Cat with a Cricket with a Haiku (Poem by Nikkan Ehagaki)

[itsmarjudgelove]

Haiku

Dreams of autumn

Colorful leaves in the streets

crowded thoughts

Ikki 2024

[niddy-writes-randomly]

Gazing at flowers, The colours fading away, Deep in the mountains.

— Haiku by Nidhish Shirur

[natsoumi]

Dream of Haiku, Obara, Miyagi, Japan (2025)

[blissfullyunawares]

write your very own:

sea shanty, a formula

This is my very own post! I did research to compile a guide for this purpose. ✏️

Before we get started, I post content like daily writing prompts, vocabulary word of the day, and fun content like this!

It would make me happy if you’d follow my blog, as I’ll be building a newsletter for writers like you very soon!

Now, as promised, a formula for creating your very own sea shanty 🫶🏻

-

Step 1:

Decide on a purpose for the shanty.

Is this going to be a working, adventuring, drinking, or mourning song?

Step 2:

Create a syllabic pattern for your verse and your chorus to help you make it have the iconic sound of a sea shanty.

8-6-8-6 is a popular choice for the verse. The numbers here are referring to the number of syllables in one line.

You may also use the same number of syllables or a pattern of your choosing. You could do 8-8-8-8 or even 6-6-8-8 if you like.

Here is one example:

(8) there once was a lady pirate queen

(6) her name Grace O’Malley

To understand more about syllabic writing, I would suggest learning about the Japanese Haiku (an easy place to begin).

Music Notes (Advanced):

You might also decide in this stage if you’re going to use a 4/4 beat or more of a 3/4 (like a waltz).

This would be relevant to the number of beats.

For example: a syllabic pattern of 8 might be more fitting to a 4/4 beat. A syllabic pattern of 6 or 9 to a 3/4.

If you’re using 8 and 6, then a 4/4 beat works well. At the end of the 6 lines you can add stomps or claps to complete the pattern.

Step 3:

We’re going to treat the next step like poetry class. Choose a pattern for your rhyme.

Commonly, you’ll find the pattern ABAB or AABB. You can choose whatever pattern you like. Some of them are more complex like ABCB. It’s your shanty, so write it how you like!

Here’s what that looks like:

(A) (8) there once was a lady pirate queen

(A) (6) her name Grace O’Malley

(B) (8) her heritage was Ireland

(B) (6) and she was a wild’n

Your pattern will depend on what feels right as you’re writing your verse.

Step 4:

Create a chorus that’s easy to remember, relevant to the story, and focuses on repetition.

“Lady of the sea

Lady pirate queen

Oh how I fancy me

A lady of the sea”

Step 5:

Put it together to tell a story! Here’s an example I wrote just for funsies:

(Grace O’Malley is a real historic figure who became a pirate and fought for Ireland!)

(A) (8) there once was a lady pirate queen

(A) (6) her name Grace O’Malley

(B) (8) her heritage was Ireland

(B) (6) and she was a wild’n

Chorus:

(A) (8) Lady of the sea (clap x4)

(A) (6) Lady pirate queen (stomp x3)

(A) (8) Oh how I fancy me (clap x2)

(A) (6) A lady of the sea

Step 6: Have Fun!

If you liked this post, comment below with a fun pirate GIF!

Ahoy!!

[yoga-onion]

The sigh becomes a butterfly  in the flower field

This is a haiku poetry written by a 17-year-old Japanese schoolgirl.

I've introduced it here because the sensibility of "a sigh becomes a butterfly" is so wonderful.

On the back of the Oi, Ocha tea bags, haiku by boys and girls from all over the country are introduced, and I look forward to reading them every time I make tea.

Green tea is one of the oldest Japanese zen traditions, originating from Eisai, a Zen monk around the 12th century. The supposedly bitter matcha green tea flavour is now mixed with sugar and milk and is popular all over the world. I regularly use "Oi, Ocha" tea bags for this time-honoured green tea, which is super easy and tasty.

"ため息は、蝶になりけり、花畑"

これは日本の17歳の女子高生が作った俳句。「ため息が蝶になる」という感性がとても素晴らしいので、ご紹介した。

「お〜い、お茶」のティーバッグの裏には、全国の少年少女たちの俳句が紹介されている（以前は大人バージョンだったような）毎回、お茶を入れる度に楽しみに読んでいる。

緑茶は、12世紀ごろの禅僧、栄西由来の日本古来の伝統の一つ。苦ーいはずの抹茶味は、砂糖とミルクを混ぜ��現在では世界中で人気の味となっている。その由緒正しい緑茶を、私は超簡単で美味な「お〜い、お茶」のティーバッグを常用して飲んでいる。

絵画で言えば、気の遠くなるようなルネサンスのテンペラ技法から、油で描けるが乾くのに時間がかかり面倒な油絵具へ、そして乾きが早く水で洗えるアクリル絵具に進化し、今やAIアプリを使えば、手を汚す必要すらない…みたいなものだ。