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The Blossoms Remain ~ Haiku of Japan by dbooster

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· @dbooster · (edited)
$9.55
The Blossoms Remain ~ Haiku of Japan
On a peaceful evening, one spring day over 300 years ago. 

<center>鐘消えて花の香は撞く夕べ哉
*kane kiete hana no ka wa tsuku yūbe kana*</center>

<center>the temple bell dies away
the blossoms' fragrance echos the sound
this evening
—Bashō</center>

<center>(trans. David LaSpina[^1])</center>

[^1]: That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can.

<center>![](https://images.ecency.com/DQma4s71YpGcy95L2SF5wfnopfTWjsKzGtUddSpNL9JZqP3/koho_shoda_no_series_temple_bell_00042771_101214_f12.jpg)</center>
<center><sup>Temple Bell by Koho</sup></center>

<br>
<center>![][divider]</center>

The temple bell of Japan makes a deep gong sound that echos on long after it's made. Back in the day this sound could travel miles. It still can travel quite a ways. Imagine if you will a quiet evening of flower watching. Suddenly the temple bell rings out. It reverberates and echos and then eventually fades, like the sound of a singing meditation bowl, or like the sound of an AUM, ॐ, the sacred syllable of many eastern religions, which starts strong but fades with the breath down to nothing when chanted.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZJmuzqFAOA8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

When the sound like that ends and the surrounding returns to silence, the sound usually echos on in our mind for some time yet. When it then finally also fades from our mind, the silence rushes in and seems louder than before, as we are hyperaware of everything: the rustle of the tree branches in the wind, some birds flying by, a dog barking, hushed conversation a ways off. That hyperawareness extends to our other senses as well, including smell: we smell much more keenly than moments before. 

I think that's what old Bashō was trying to capture here. It's an experience all of us have had at some point and know, but one that is nearly impossible to capture in words and explained. Experience is often impossible to explain and any words we do put to it are a poor substitute for the real thing and don't give even a fraction of the experience. 

*The tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao*, as another classic text puts this idea. 

Poetry may be the best way to do it: hinting at the experience itself instead of trying to describe it, reminding us of our memory of having had a similar experience. Memory also is a poor substitute for the real thing, but it is better than words at least, as we can usually remember (or imagine) enough of it to reëxperience it in our heads. This is the power of poetry.

The kigo (season word) here is *hana no ka*, "blossom's fragrance". In haiku parlance, blossom is always a shortcut for "cherry blossom". It is a kigo for late spring. According to the traditional Japanese way of tracking the seasons we are only in mid Spring right now, but these days the blossoms bloom a bit earlier than they used to, probably due to climate change, so the kigo fits with this time right now. 

Most types of cherry blossoms don't have much of a fragrance. It is there but not strong enough to notice unless your sinuses are clear and you get close and really focus. However, this also lends itself to what Bashō was suggesting in his haiku. 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZJmuzqFAOA8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[divider]: https://images.hive.blog/0x0/https://images.ecency.com/DQmR3iwCn9yvwXDXfuNjmMX6FrjAvFfYQWgA4QRckpens1j/external_content.duckduckgo.png

<center><h1>❦</h1></center>

<table><tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="http://68.media.tumblr.com/9ed59bcbc3d0c81b382b0df883f91773/tumblr_inline_ni2uuza1ku1qz4uph.jpg" alt="Hi there!"></td>
<td><a href="https://hive.blog/about/@dbooster/about-david-laspina-v1-2">David LaSpina</a> is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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@emmaba1 ·
This is a really nice poem, but I thought a haiku is supposed to be 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and 5 syllables on the three consecutive lines of the piece. It doesn't look like this followed that pattern.
That aside, I like the concept.
I also wrote a haiku about a month ago in a poetry club meeting. They provided us an audio prompt and we were asked to speed-write. I wrote about a samurai and his hungry to perfection. That was my first haiku so it was a bit of a challenge being so strict with the syllables I use, but I enjoyed the experience.
Thanks for sharing.
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@dbooster ·
That's the stereotype, in in truth there are multiple haiku schools which we might group into "modern" and "traditional". One follows a strict syllable count and the other doesn't. 

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@emmaba1 ·
Okay. This is interesting. 
I'll definitely go back and do some more research into the structure of haikus.
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@grindan ·
This was a really nice vacation from daily worries, I found myself lost in your words here...  I've been considering re-reading the Te Ching, this must be my nudge :)

The way you described this indescribable feeling was perfect. I could feel the tenderness of your hands as you held the concept, careful not to smoosh it or drop it. Masterful 😁
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@dbooster ·
Thanks 😃

The Tao te Ching is always worth rereading.

!LUV
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@luvshares ·
@grindan, @dbooster<sub>(1/1)</sub> sent you LUV. | <a
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@ifarmgirl-leo ·
Truly fascinating how poem can say a lot even with a few words or verses. It takes a creative mind to do such :)
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@dbooster ·
Absolutely why I love haiku so much 😃
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@litguru ·
The blossoms have begun appearing on this part of the world. Sadly, we don't have cool temples to hear the sound of a bell like that. It's a cultural experience that is missing from us. Thanks for sharing.
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@dbooster ·
You're welcome!
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@kaixin ·
$0.09
It is absolutely true that only people based on the Buddhism cultural background can understand this Haiku well.  And we can even say that it should be a religious experience rather than a cultural experience for most of western readers from the Christian world.    Yeah, it is said that such kind of temple bell sound can travel far away.  The truth is there is   a famous ancient Chinese poem which also describes the temple bell sound. 

>MOORING BY MAPLE BRIDGE AT NIGHT
枫桥夜泊
At moonset cry the crows, streaking the frosty sky,
月落乌啼霜满天,
Dimly lit fishing boats ‘neath maples sadly lie.
江枫渔火对愁眠。
Beyond the city walls, from Temple of Cold Hill,
姑苏城外寒山寺,
Bells break the ship-borne roamer’s dream and midnight still.
夜半钟声到客船。
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@dbooster ·
Great poem there! Who wrote that?
👍  
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@litguru ·
That's a beautiful poem with vivid imagery. It nicely captures the city at that moment in time. Christian churches have bells, but they sound different because we bang them multiple times. The sound has different meaning for us (such as a signal for danger, time, wedding ceremony, church attendance, and death). While some places still ring them, the practice is not allowed in most large cities of North America. Thank you for your thorough explanation of the context behind the poems. Fun to read.
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@restcity ·
In so little words, this Haiku made me feel like I was really listening to the echo of an old bell while smelling some flowers. I'm glad you gave context to the bell and the poem.
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@dbooster ·
Glad you enjoyed it 😃
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