WKD - Leap Second - Leap Day - Leap Year

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leap day -
the haiku frogs jump
to new heights





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leap day 閏日 uroobi, junjitsu （うるうび、じゅんじつ）
kigo for early spring

February 29
2012年2月29日

Schalttag, Schaltjahr

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A leap year (or intercalary year)
is a year containing one or more extra days (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, an extra month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical or seasonal year.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar, February would have 29 days in a leap year instead of the usual 28. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat at an exact number of full days, a calendar which had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track.

By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year which is not a leap year is called a common year.

Leap Day
February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365.000 days.

A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or "leaper". In common years they usually celebrate their birthdays on 28 February or 1 March.

Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so a leap year has an extra month, often called an embolismic month after the Greek word for it. In the Chinese calendar the leap month is added according to a complicated rule, which ensures that month 11 is always the month that contains the northern winter solstice. The intercalary month takes the same number as the preceding month; for example, if it follows the second month (二月) then it is simply called "leap second month" (traditional Chinese: 閏二月).

Folk traditions
In the English speaking world, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been argued that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, it is dubious as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century.

Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow. Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, the tradition was in some places tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, 29 February, or to the medieval leap day, 24 February.

According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat -- fair warning, if you will."



In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on leap day 24 February and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves.

In Greece, it is believed that getting married in a leap year is bad luck for the couple[citation needed]. Thus, mainly in the middle of the past century, couples avoided setting a marriage date in a leap year.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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2008 - a LEAP year ...

The 2008 Year of the Frog Global campaign will achieve its goal of helping keep threatened amphibians afloat through the amazing and dedicated efforts of individuals, institutions and regional zoo associations from all around the planet.
http://www.amphibianark.org/YOTFnews.htm



WKD : Basho and his Frog
Hundred Frogs and The Sound of Water
(Mizu no Oto)
.. READ : one hundred frogs


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leap year --
working one day longer
for my pay

Isabelle Prondzynski, 2008


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2012 - a LEAP year ...



. original at illust-library.com


Daruma jumps
to new hights -
this leap day

. Haiku and Daruma san .


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Click on the image to join the fun on facebook !


this leap day -
let's all jump
in the Haiku Pond



source :　webclipart.about.com



leap year
an ol' frog
sleeps in 　

Don Baird





Leap Day... I wonder if Bashou knew?!　

Dennis Chibi




leap year . . .
a last baby step
before march　

Elaine Andre




leap year day . . .
an immigrant asks directions
to his childhood home　

Sandip Sital Chauhan


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a rainbow leaps!
swatting yellow jackets
on Kern River

Jimmy ThePeach


Rainbow Trout - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Kern River - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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leap year ---
a Bronx Zoo tree kangaroo
doesn't know what all the fuss about　


a rain storm---
makes a leap day feel
much longer

Fred Masarani


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Vieillir... mais pas trop vite
son anniversaire
tous les quatre ans.


Aging... but not too fast
her birthday
every four years.

Patrick Fetu


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Uniqlo UK sent out a special advertisement on Leap Day,
with what I take to be a haiku :

take a leap
into our lucky dip --
only today
~Uniqlo ad

And another haiku of mine, same day :

leap day --
walking down the stairs
with an extra bounce

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

May we all have an extra bounce in our step this leap year!



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this leap year -
one day older
than last year　


the end of February
additional day for
salary

Gennady Nov


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I was inspired by the Leap Day Folk Traditions !



iThings -
the world grows
smaller each day


sunlight casts doubt...
will a warm february
leap into a cold march?　

Pat Geyer



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snow dances with limbs
turning fouettes and jétés
this leap year

Kit Nagamura






a cold leap day
it snows in Tokyo
rarely long boots

Hideo Suzuki



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nearly leap day--
the class teacher complains
about salary payment

Eric Mwange




Leap Day --
and where was I now
four years ago?

Catherine Njeri



drunken driver --
a young man was killed
this leap day

Isabelle Prondzynski


MORE

. WKD : Leap Daya in Kenya .



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haiku - leaping begins
first city
to see the light

Benita Kape




the old man takes
his first walk in months -
leap day

Bill Kenney


- Shared at WHC workshop -

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another day
covered in snow -
my leap day


every day
is haiku day -
this leap day



leap day trouble -
my server looses
the connection






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A leap second is a one-second adjustment that is occasionally applied
to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in order to keep its time of day
close to the mean solar time.
The next leap second will be inserted on
June 30, 2012 at 23:59:60 UTC.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


leap second --
my shadow becomes
longer

Chen-ou Liu, Canada

Note:
At the earliest moment in the morning, a team of scientists at the Paris Observatory added a leap second "to make up for a gradual slowdown in the Earth's rotation."


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WKD Reference: Calendar Systems of the World


. ichinichi saijiki 一日歳時記 One Day Saijiki .


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cherry shade

staying in the shade - waiting for a haiku to be born

Photo album
. START the walk from HERE . 　


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2011

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spring sunshine

spring sunshine - the light and shadow of meltdown news

. Japan after the BIG earthquake . 　　


. . . . .


some photos from small blossoms in my neighbourhood


. Photo Album ... Start the Walk 　


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2011

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little crab

morning walk - a little crab stares at me

She was sitting in the middle of the road.
I picked her up
and put her in the shadow of some weeds.



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. Crab (kani 蟹) : KIGO 　



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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shiawase happiness

幸せは足元にあり俳句みち shiawase wa ashimoto ni aru Haiku michi happiness is right at our footsteps - haiku walk ................................................................................. sunshine grows into shadows - symphony in yellow ................................................................................. ................................................................................. 幸せは青空にある俳句みち shiawase wa aozora ni aru haiku michi happiness is right up in the sky - haiku walk

. START the walk from HERE 　



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. happiness, bliss (shiawase) and HAIKU 　　


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writers block

every day she waits patiently - lady in the shadow

This is still early in the morning. Later she gets the full sunshine.


And here is her friend next-door

. LAVENDER
waiting for the morning sun 　


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The last line might also read

lady in shadow
lady in the shadows


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. Sunflower (himawari)
KIGO 　



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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Sakura Hime

princess Sakura in her sunday dress . . . in my valley

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. Hanami in my neighbourhood 　　



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010


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apricot blossoms

daybreak - - light and shadow on the apricot blossoms

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Apricot blossoms (anzu no hana) KIGO


. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010


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our cat is ill

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long cold night . . .
I play some Mozart
for my suffering cat



O-Tsu must have eaten some poison somewhere ... she came home around nine last night and started with terrible cramps and foam around her mouth ...
The cramps got worse, lasting about three minutes, every 30 minutes or so, she would stretch to almost double her length, then fold and bend to a tiny little ball, then tremble all over. Her breathing was fast and forceful, her pupils huge dark black circles ...

After a fit we would place her on the towel in a more comfortable position and watch her hard breath. Then the next fit distorted her small figure again ...

Around eight this morning, after a sleepless night, she had her last fit, then fell into a deep coma and we thought, well, this is it.

But after about one hour later, she opened her eyes again, this time here pupils were focused and she seemed a bit oriented and recognize us ... and then she becan to recover, sleeping most of the day.

Now (it is about six in the evening as I write this) she is still not oriented and whimpers a lot, but at least she has drunk some water and used her in-house toilet.

We hope she will recover more during this night.

Friday evening
Pray with us !


Saturday morning
Another night with watching over O-Tsu.
She is still afraid of all sounds and even her own shadow makes her shriek in fear and jump backwards. Finally she hides in a corner of the room and dozes off.

It was minus five degrees centigrade cold outside at night and we had to keep the house warm as best as we could.

This morning, at least she is oriented in the room and finds her place with the water, even jumps up on the table to drink.
This is going to be a slow process of recovering ...




Yakushi Nyorai Buddha of Healing



Saturday evening
What a day ! Cats are quite amazing.
O-Tsu spend most of the day sleeping (happily) in her bed, even licking her hair for a moment when she woke up.
Haiku-kun also finally relaxed (he had been quite upset with his mother's illness) and started snoring like usual.

We hope for a night to get some sleep!



Sunday morning
Sunshine !
A good night for all of us, and O-Tsu is now eating her food. She is still quite wobbely on her legs, but her sleep seems sound and her eyes are clear.
And her son Haiku kun has "talked" to her again, so it seems the cat family is fine again.



Cats in Paradise ..
O-Tsu and Haiku-Kun お津と俳句くん


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Feburary 24, 2010

This morning, Haiku kun was standing in front of his cat entrance outside, crying with pain and in utter confusion ...

Then he started with the cramps ... now he is in the cat cage in stupor, it is lunchtime by now, and he is very ill, biting his tongue and dripping blood from his moth.
Seems the same poison as O-Tsu.

Evening
Haiku had some bad cramps, then calmed down for the day and had a lick of food in the evening (now), so I hope to see him back on his feet tomorrow.




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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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shadows and silence

a long silence between your words - autumn deepens

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green color code #767c6b "color of mountain doves"
山鳩色 (やまばといろ)




The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence.
The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence.
Silence gives us a new perspective.

Mother Teresa



autumn sunshine -
the sound of this shadow
on the wall


the sound of these
leaves on the temple wall -
autumn solitude






Thanks to Mother Teresa!


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A friend asked:
why not drop 'these' from L1 and move 'leaves" into it's place?

Well, here is my answer:

the sound of leaves
on the temple wall -
autumn solitude


the sound of these
leaves on the temple wall -
autumn solitude


Maybe you feel the difference yourself?

The sound of leaves, the sound of water ... quite a well used phrase in haiku ...
:o) ... maybe overused ...

Since it was not the sound of leaves (or rather maybe branches with leaves, for that matter) hitting the wall, but as is shown in the photo,
it was the sound of shadows, I want the reader to pause
these ... what ? simply leaves? only shadows? anything else ?

these leaves ... I can hear these leaves rustle in the wind, as the tree stands if front of the wall

leaves on the temple wall ... now they are only shadows, not the sound ...


So I choose the version I did.
HH


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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late evening sun

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a butterfly
half in shadow -
late evening sun



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shadow mandala

a star amongst the white and pink - shadow mandala

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MORE
My MANDALA Haiku




PHOTO ALBUM
Spring in my Garden


. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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solstice shadows

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winter solstice -
the dark
growing darker



winter solstice -
dark shadows growing
darker





and a little later, with respect to some haiku friends of America


winter solstice -
a dark shadow grows
darker


HH December 2008


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I Ching
Nr. 24 Fu - Return (The Turning Point)
Wendezeit

24. Fu - Return (The Turning Point)

-- --
-- -- above K'un The Receptive, Earth
-- --
-- --
-- -- below Chên The Arousing, Thunder
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The Judgement

Return. Success.
Going out and coming in without error.
Friends come without blame.
To and fro goes the way.
On the seventh day comes return.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.


The Image

Thunder within the earth:
The image of the Turning Point.
Thus the kings of antiquity closed the passes
At the time of solstice.
Merchants and strangers did not go about,
And the ruler
Did not travel through the provinces.

The winter solstice has always been celebrated in China as the resting time of the year--a custom that survives in the time of rest observed at the new year.
In winter the life energy, symbolized by thunder, the Arousing, is still underground. Movement is just at its beginning; therefore it must be strengthened by rest so that it will not be dissipated by being used prematurely. This principle, i.e., of allowing energy that is renewing itself to be reinforced by rest, applies to all similar situations. The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.
source : 　www.cfcl.com


The idea of a turning point arises from the fact that after the dark lines have pushed all of the light lines upward and out of the hexagram, another light line enters the hexagram from below. The time of darkness is past. The winter solstice brings the victory of light. This hexagram is linked with the eleventh month, the month of the solstice (December-January).

After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that has been banished returns. There is movement, but it is not brought about by force. The upper trigram K'un is characterized by devotion; thus the movement is natural, arising spontaneously. For this reason the transformation of the old becomes easy.
The old is discarded and the new is introduced. Both measures accord with the time; therefore no harm results.
Societies of people sharing the same views are formed. But since these groups come together in full public knowledge and are in harmony with the time, all selfish separatist tendencies are excluded, and no mistake is made.
The idea of RETURN is based on the course of nature. The movement is cyclic, and the course completes itself. Therefore it is not necessary to hasten anything artificially. Everything comes of itself at the appointed time. This is the meaning of heaven and earth.

All movements are accomplished in six stages, and the seventh brings return. Thus the winter solstice, with which the decline of the year begins, comes in the seventh month after the summer solstice; so too sunrise comes in the seventh double hour after sunset. Therefore seven is the number of the young light, and it arises when six, the number of the great darkness, is increased by one. In this way the state of rest gives place to movement.


THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:
Return from a short distance.
No need for remorse.
Great good fortune.

Slight digressions from the good cannot be avoided, but one must turn back in time, before going too far. This is especially important in the development of character; every faintly evil thought must be put aside immediately, before it goes too far and takes root in the mind. Then there is no cause for remorse, and all goes well.


Six in the second place means:
Quiet return. Good fortune.

Return always calls for a decision and is an act of self-mastery. It is made easier if a man is in good company. If he can bring himself to put aside pride and follow the example of good men, good fortune results.


Six in the third place means:
Repeated return. Danger. No blame.

There are people of a certain inner instability who feel a constant urge to reverse themselves. There is danger in continually deserting the good because of uncontrolled desires, then turning back to it again because of a better resolution. However, since this does not lead to habituation in evil, a general inclination to overcome the defect is not wholly excluded/


Six in the fourth place means:
Walking in the midst of others,
One returns alone.

A man is in a society composed of inferior people, but is connected spiritually with a strong and good friend, and this makes him turn back alone. Although nothing is said of reward and punishment, this return is certainly favorable, for such a resolve to choose the good brings its own reward.


Six in the fifth place means:
Noblehearted return. No remorse.

When the time for return has come, a man should not take shelter in trivial excuses, but should look within and examine himself. And if he has done something wrong he should make a noblehearted resolve to confess his fault. No one will regret having taken this road.


Six at the top means:
Missing the return. Misfortune.
Misfortune from within and without.
If armies are set marching in this way,
One will in the end suffer a great defeat,
Disastrous for the ruler of the country.
For ten years
It will not be possible to attack again.

If a man misses the right time for return, he meets with misfortune. The misfortune has its inner cause in a wrong attitude toward the world. The misfortune coming upon him for without results from this wrong attitude.
What is pictured here is blind obstinacy and the judgment that is visited upon it.
source : 　www.akirarabelais.com


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American haiku poets questioning
the use of "simple statement kigo"

so my ansewer


are you happy
with your first line !?
this longest night


and D. replied

solstice night --
the longest line is
in the middle

HH December 2008


Wow, this one is so fresh, and something we can all relate to.
A few words that say a volume.

R.W.


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My shadows from yesterday



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shadows

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winter sunshine -
the shadows on my Buddha
grow older




this was yesterday

winter sunshine -
the slow growth of a stone's
shadow

. . . swinter sunshine -

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I think most of you remember
my old stone Buddha sitting there in meditation





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Discussion

A shadow growing older strikes me as conceptual, rather than perceptual.
B.


As I watch my Buddha I get older
and the shadow shares my fate with me ...
I am one with the shadow
Gabi



shadows change over time, am to noon, shorter and shorter, noon to sunset, longer.
winter to summer ever shorter, summer to winter ever longer
both perceptual as well as conceptual

I.K.


I like your ku as it is now. As you mentioned, a lengthening shadow isn't necessarily a kigo. Heck, my shadow lengthens and shortens all times of the year... though I prefer the taller one! LOL I have three stone monks in my backyard garden.... and I went just now to check their shadows... you indeed have a shasei here and one that is distilled in a wonderful way!
M.


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sea of light

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unkai　雲海 our sea of clouds



winter sunrise ...
the sea of clouds
turns sea of light




winter sunshine -
the crows wings turn
silver



winter sunshine -
the slow growth of a stone's
shadow



この石の陰の長さや冬ひさし


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I have seen quite a few spectacular winter mornings here,
but this one shines above all of them.


And a leisurely day today with more haiku ...



More SHADOWS the next day ... LOOK !



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WKD - Miyazawa Kenji

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暑さにも負けず遍路の道長き


atsusa ni mo
makezu henro no
michi nagaki


not even yielding
to the great heat ...
pilgrim on the road




Today I visited a temple in Yamaguchi ... online of course ...

. . . 龍蔵寺 . . . Ryuzo-Ji



My daily duty walk along our rural memorial pilgrimage of Shikoku was really HOT, 36 degrees in the shadow ... atsusa ni mo makezu ... kept ringing in my mind all the way ... :o)


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source :　Tomikichiro Tokuriki 1902-1999


Miyazawa Kenji wrote this famous poem ...

ame ni mo makezu

ame ni mo makezu
kaze ni mo makezu
yuki ni mo natsu no atsusa ni mo makenu

jōbu na karada wo mochi
yoku wa naku
kesshite ikarazu
itsu mo shizuka ni waratte iru
ichi nichi ni genmai yon gō to
miso to sukoshi no yasai wo tabe
arayuru koto wo
jibun wo kanjō ni irezu ni
yoku mikiki shi wakari
soshite wasurezu
nohara no matsu no hayashi no kage no
chiisa na kayabuki no koya ni ite
higashi ni byōki no kodomo areba
itte kanbyō shite yari
nishi ni tsukareta haha areba
itte sono ine no taba wo oi
minami ni shinisō na hito areba
itte kowagaranakute mo ii to ii
kita ni kenka ya soshō ga areba
tsumaranai kara yamero to ii
hidori no toki wa namida wo nagashi
samusa no natsu wa oro-oro aruki

minna ni deku-no-bō to yobare
homerare mo sezu
ku ni mo sarezu
sō iu mono ni
watashi wa naritai


not losing to the rain
not losing to the wind
not losing to the snow or to the heat of the summer
with a strong body
unfettered by desire
never losing temper
cultivating a quiet joy
every day four bowls of brown rice
miso and some vegetables to eat
in everything
count yourself last and put others before you
watching and listening, and understanding
and never forgetting
in the shade of the woods of the pines of the fields
being in a little thatched hut
if there is a sick child to the east
going and nursing over them
if there is a tired mother to the west
going and shouldering her sheaf of rice
if there is someone near death to the south
going and saying there's no need to be afraid
if there is a quarrel or a suit to the north
telling them to leave off with such waste
when there's drought, shedding tears of sympathy
when the summer's cold, walk in concern and empathy
called a blockhead by everyone
without being praised
without being blamed
such a person
I want to become

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !




kokeshi with this poem

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Bending neither to the rain
Nor to the wind
Nor to snow nor to summer heat,
Firm in body, yet
Geoffrey Bownas and Anthony Thwaite,
The Penguin Book of Japanese Verse, 1964


Neither rain
nor wind
nor snow nor summer’s heat
will affect his robust body. . . .
Makoto Ueda,
Modern Japanese Writers and the Nature of Literature, 1982


Undaunted by the rain,
Undaunted by the wind,
Undaunted by the snow or the summer heat,
With a strong body
Donald Keene,
Dawn to the West, 1984


Strong in the rain
Strong in the wind
Strong against the summer heat and snow
He is healthy and robust
Roger Pulvers,
Kenji Miyazawa: Poems, 1997

source : 　japanfocus.org

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Kenji Miyazawa 宮沢 賢治, Miyazawa Kenji

27 August 1896 - 21 September 1933,
Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan
was a poet and author of children's literature in early Shōwa period Japan. He was also known as a devout Buddhist, vegetarian and social activist.

Miyazawa was born in what is now Hanamaki city, Iwate Prefecture as the eldest son of a wealthy pawnbroker. From an early age, he was disturbed by what he perceived to be the social inequity between his well-to-do family, who lived by lending money to the impoverished farmers in the area. In 1918, he graduated from Morioka Agriculture and Forestry College. He was a bright student, so his academic advisor wanted him as an assistant professor. However, differences with his father over religion (he converted to the more activist Nichiren sect), and his repugnance for the family pawnshop business (he yielded his inheritance to his younger brother), created much unhappiness in his early life, and in 1921, he departed Hanamaki for Tokyo.

In Tokyo, while staying with a friend, he was introduced to the works of poet Sakutarō Hagiwara, and was encouraged to start writing. After eight months in Tokyo, during which time he began to write children's stories, he returned to Hanamaki due to the illness and subsequent death of his younger sister.

He found employment as a teacher in agricultural science at Hanamaki Agricultural High School (花巻農学校). Saving his meagre salary, he was able to finance the publication of his first collection of children's stories and fairy tales (Chūmon no Ōi Ryōriten - 注文の多い料理店 - The Restaurant of Many Orders) and a portion of a collection of free-verse poems (Haru to Shura - 春と修羅 - Spring and Asura) in 1924. Although neither work was a commercial success, his writings came to the attention of poets Kotaro Takamura and Shimpei Kusano, who admired his writing greatly and introduced it to the literary world.

...

Miyazawa's works were influenced by contemporary trends of romanticism and the proletarian literature movement, but above all were influenced by his devotion to the Lotus Sutra in particular.
Miyazawa struggled with pleurisy for many years, and was often incapacitated for months at a time. He died in 1933 of pneumonia.

It may also be noted that Miyazawa had at least a passing interest in Esperanto. He loved his native province, and Ihatov (or Ihatovo), the name of the fictional location that appeared in his works, was constructed from the name Iwate (Ihate in the older spelling) in a manner similar to Esperanto.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Gingatetsudō no Yoru
Night on the Galactic Railroad

1996 marked the 100th anniversary year of the birth of Kenji Miyazawa.



Miyazawa's mix of East and West begins with the names of the two young characters of the story: Jovanni (Giovanni) and Kanpanera (Campanella). The story takes place during the imaginary "Centaurus" Festival, a time when lanterns are lit to show deceased ancestors the way home. This imaginary festival occurs in August, and in the story, Miyazawa images children running and scampering, yelling that Centaurus is "dropping dew" [no doubt, a somewhat misplaced reference to the Perseids].

The Milky Way Train: Celebrating Kenji Miyazawa
By: Steve Renshaw and Saori Ihara, 1999


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Miyazawa Kenji wrote a famous book about a bear hunter

なめとこ山の熊 Nametoko yama no kuma
The bears of Nametoko Mountain



It's interesting, that business of the bears on Mt. Nametoko. Nametoko is a large mountain, and the Fuchizawa River starts somewhere inside it. On most days of the year, the mountain breathes in and breathes out cold mists and clouds. The peaks all around it, too, are like blackish green slugs or bald sea goblins..........

Read more here:
WKD : Bears as Kigo


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落し文宛名は風の又三郎
otoshibumi atena wa Kaze no Matasaburoo

a lost letter -
the address is
Kaze no Matasaburo

Satoo Hirokazu 佐藤博一

This needs some explanation.
otoshibumi is the name of the leaf-cut weevil. The pun in Japanese does not go well if I use the name of the animal for the first line.



quote
Kaze no Matasaburô - A Wind Boy
Miyazawa's collection of stories for children, published after his death in 1933, Kaze no Matasaburô contains six stories. This book is in fine binding with illustrations by Koana Ryûichi, and an introduction by Tsubota Jôji, who had already established his position in the world of children's literature. This book was recommended by the Ministry of Education and well read. With Kaze no Matasaburô, Miyazawa became famous as an author for children.

"Kaze no Matasaburô" is about a strange boy named Takada Saburô. On a windy day, he appears in an elementary school at a mountainside. He says he has come from Hokkaido with his father. His new classmates think he might be Matasaburô, a wind boy. He spent twelve days there, studying and playing with the village children. As wind blows when he does something, the boys come to believe he is really Matasaburô. Then, on a windy day, he is gone. Although it is an unfinished work, it is regarded as the best work of Miyazawa, as well as one of the masterpieces in the history of Japanese children's literature. It is widely read today.

Kaze no Matasaburô was dramatized by Gekidan Tôdô, and made into a movie in 1940. The song at the beginning of this story became very popular. A reprint of the original edition was published by Holp Shuppan in 1971.
source : www.iiclo.or.jp


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. Hagiwara Sakutaro 萩原朔太郎 .


I wrote the above haiku whilst researching for this

Shikoku Fudo Pilgrimage

Shikoku Henro Pilgrimage to 88 Temples


. . . Read my Haiku Archives

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #miyazawakenji -
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orange mist

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early morning -
the shadow of pines
behind orange mist



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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2008


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diamond morning

morning meditation - the short lifespan of snow patterns day moon light and shadow and here is ME taking photos

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. . . Check my PHOTO ALBUM from here to nr. 22



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2008


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winter storm

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winter storm -
the shadow of my windwheel
turns faster




We are in the warm kitchen, with a spotlight outside to brighten our dinner table vista!
And tonight it was spectacular.
First the old badger waggled his way along his footpath on the hill.
Then gusts of wind worked their miracle on the shadows.



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Read my Haiku Archives 2007


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winter shadows

winter shadows - my glass is still half full

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After writing this haiku I checked a bit about Issa and his "lot in life"

My Life, my fate (mi no ue)

Take your time to explore Issa !



Read my SHADOW Haiku from 2007



Read my Haiku Archives 2007


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