In One Breath the Haiku Exhales a Butterfly

In One Breath the Haiku Exhales a Butterfly
Author: R. D. McManes
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2004-01-06
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 0595755305

"In One Breath the Haiku Exhales a Butterfly, is a book that deviates from the norm, taking the right turn instead of a left turn. Its author, R D McManes, is not your average bear. He is an original. He speaks to his readers in a soft voice that is easy to understand and relate to." -the John Mellencamp of haiku. "In summation, Mr. McManes' book of haiku is a breath of fresh air. I heartily recommend it. It is an enjoyable read, touches the soul and sole, and will leave an indelible imprint on your mind." -Robert D. Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, Simply Haiku and author of Vietnam Ruminations "As the title haiku of his new book implies, R. D. McManes expertly breathes imagery onto the page, generously allowing the reader a peek into the world as he perceives it, a world where something as ordinary as a Kansas sunset or as simple as a cotton field can reveal itself as something more. This is what haiku is all about!" -Erin Harte, Editor, Haikusun, and Haiga Editor, Simply Haiku

A Dictionary of Haiku

A Dictionary of Haiku
Author: Jane Reichhold
Publisher:
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2013-06
Genre: Haiku
ISBN: 9780944676240

Nearly 5000 haiku by Jane Reichhold, written in English between 1993 - 2013 have been arranged according to the five seasons and seven traditional saijiki categories of Japan. However the haiku within the categories are arranged alphabetically - which makes this a dictionary.

Basho

Basho
Author: Bashō Matsuo
Publisher: Kodansha
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2008
Genre: Haiku
ISBN:

Matsuo Basho stands today as Japan's most renowned writer, and one of the most revered. Yet despite his stature, Basho's complete haiku have never been collected under one cover. Until now. To render the writer's full body of work in English, Jane Reichhold, an American haiku poet and translator, dedicated over ten years to the present compilation. In Barbo: The Complete Haiku she accomplishes the feat with distinction. Dividing the poet's creative output into seven periods of development, Reichhold frames each period with a decisive biographical sketch of the poet's travels, creative influences, and personal triumphs and defeats. Supplementary material includes two hundred pages of scrupulously researched notes, which also contain a literal translation of the poem, the original Japanese, and a Romanized reading. A glossary, chronology, index of first lines, and explanation of Basho's haiku techniques provide additional background information. Finally in the spirit of Basho, elegant semi-e ink drawings by well-known Japanese artist Shiro Tsujimura front each chapter.

Japanese Death Poems

Japanese Death Poems
Author:
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 368
Release: 1998-04-15
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 146291649X

"A wonderful introduction the Japanese tradition of jisei, this volume is crammed with exquisite, spontaneous verse and pithy, often hilarious, descriptions of the eccentric and committed monastics who wrote the poems." --Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Although the consciousness of death is, in most cultures, very much a part of life, this is perhaps nowhere more true than in Japan, where the approach of death has given rise to a centuries-old tradition of writing jisei, or the "death poem." Such a poem is often written in the very last moments of the poet's life. Hundreds of Japanese death poems, many with a commentary describing the circumstances of the poet's death, have been translated into English here, the vast majority of them for the first time. Yoel Hoffmann explores the attitudes and customs surrounding death in historical and present-day Japan and gives examples of how these have been reflected in the nation's literature in general. The development of writing jisei is then examined--from the longing poems of the early nobility and the more "masculine" verses of the samurai to the satirical death poems of later centuries. Zen Buddhist ideas about death are also described as a preface to the collection of Chinese death poems by Zen monks that are also included. Finally, the last section contains three hundred twenty haiku, some of which have never been assembled before, in English translation and romanized in Japanese.

Bashō's Journey

Bashō's Journey
Author: Matsuo Bashō
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2010-03-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0791483436

In Bashō's Journey, David Landis Barnhill provides the definitive translation of Matsuo Bashō's literary prose, as well as a companion piece to his previous translation, Bashō's Haiku. One of the world's greatest nature writers, Bashō (1644–1694) is well known for his subtle sensitivity to the natural world, and his writings have influenced contemporary American environmental writers such as Gretel Ehrlich, John Elder, and Gary Snyder. This volume concentrates on Bashō's travel journal, literary diary (Saga Diary), and haibun. The premiere form of literary prose in medieval Japan, the travel journal described the uncertainty and occasional humor of traveling, appreciations of nature, and encounters with areas rich in cultural history. Haiku poetry often accompanied the prose. The literary diary also had a long history, with a format similar to the travel journal but with a focus on the place where the poet was living. Bashō was the first master of haibun, short poetic prose sketches that usually included haiku. As he did in Bashō's Haiku, Barnhill arranges the work chronologically in order to show Bashō's development as a writer. These accessible translations capture the spirit of the original Japanese prose, permitting the nature images to hint at the deeper meaning in the work. Barnhill's introduction presents an overview of Bashō's prose and discusses the significance of nature in this literary form, while also noting Bashō's significance to contemporary American literature and environmental thought. Excellent notes clearly annotate the translations.

Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2014-08-28
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0698195701

A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. A National Book Award Winner A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Winner Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.”—The New York Times Book Review

Space Struck

Space Struck
Author: Paige Lewis
Publisher: Sarabande Books
Total Pages: 71
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1946448451

This astonishing, self-assured debut leads us on an exploration to the stars and back, begging us to reconsider our boundaries of self, time, space, and knowledge. The speaker writes, “...the universe/is an arrow/without end/and it asks only one question;/How dare you?” Zig-zagging through the realms of nature, science, and religion, one finds St. Francis sighing in the corner of a studio apartment, tides that are caused by millions of oysters “gasping in unison,” an ark filled with women in its stables, and prayers that reach God fastest by balloon. There’s pathos: “When my new lover tells me I’m correct to love him, I/realize the sound isn’t metal at all. It’s not the coins rattling/ on concrete, but the fingers scraping to pick them up.” And humor, too: “...even the sun’s been sighing Not you again/when it sees me.” After reading this far-reaching, inventive collection, we too are startled, space struck, our pockets gloriously “filled with space dust.”

Origami and Haiku

Origami and Haiku
Author: Nosy Crow
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Haiku
ISBN: 9781536202731

The perfect combination of origami, haiku, and Japanese art all in one book This stunning book features three beautiful Japanese art forms in one. For each animal or object, children will be able to read the haiku, enjoy a corresponding work from the British Museum collection, and then make the origami figure! With clear, simple directions for thirteen animals or objects and fifty sheets of origami paper, this is the perfect introduction to the art of paper folding.