02 Meditations
Buson haiku…
… several poems land in this morning’s set…
… one about old man ears and the sound of rain falling down the rain pipe… my old man ears are listening to the rain hitting the pavement outside…
… another one talks about hearing the moon and seeing the frogs croak… what an odd displacement…
… several flowers are mentioned…
… white chrysanthemum…
Chrysanthemums have noble connotations, appearing on the Japanese Imperial Family’s crest for generations. But white chrysanthemums indicate purity, grief, and truth, and are used for funerals.1
… the peony…
The Japanese peony, considered the “King of Flowers,” has a symbolic meaning that includes wealth, good fortune, honor, daring and masculine bravery. The peony originated in China; around the eighth century, the Chinese introduced the peony to Japan.2
… the iris…
from dark purplish variants to their more pale, pastel violet hues, these are used to represent loyalty, having a noble heart, and good news.3
… i have plunged down a rabbit hole on haiku, reading more and more about what makes haiku, haiku… a lengthy article on the rules developed in North America for haiku content and structure and how those rules are contrary to the classic haiku traditions exemplified by Basho and Buson…
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Hanakotoba: The Secret Meanings Behind 9 Flowers in Japan: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/hanakotoba-the-secret-meanings-behind-9-flowers-in-japan/ ↩︎
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Japanese Peony Flower’s Meaning: http://peonypaintings.blogspot.com/2013/07/japanese-peony-flowers-meaning.html ↩︎
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Say it with a Japanese flower: http://yabai.com/p/2105 ↩︎