setting sun

 

setting sun

a child learns to say

“imaginary”

– Isabella Kramer (Germany)

Previously published in Poetry Pea – Haiku Pea Podcast Series 2 Episode 2

The way I see the setting sun in this haiku is more about the transformation from day to night, which also means the transformation of one’s focus from the outer world to the inner one. I loved the way the writer cleverly used the word ‘sunset’ positively, where all energies converge into darkness, but also enlightens the mind.

The second part of this haiku is about the transformation of learning, where a child learns in the daylight, most probably from nature, and dreams, or creates through imagination based on that learning. The word ‘imaginary’ here means the abstract thinking of a child which is chiseled by the daily life experiences before that reaches the stage where they start uniquely perceiving the world. It’s about the transformation from one stage of life to another, from light to darkness, or vice-a-versa. I liked the quotation marks around ‘imaginary’ which make it more significant and unique.

by Hifsa Ashraf Haiku Commentary - My Inner Voice

photo copyright: Isabella Kramer

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sleeping crows

sleeping crows

under the milky way

nightingale's echo

veredit©isabella.kramer16

"I enjoy the subtlety and epicness of this one. The crows are sleeping, and their various calls cannot be heard any longer, but the nightingale's echo (not song, but echo of it, which is important to note) still resounds. The nightingale exhibits many sounds while singing, like whistles, trills, and gurgles. And this echo of its song is underneath the expanse of the milky way.

Firstly, as a reader, I can say it is simply an exquisite image. But beyond that, we have a continuation of sound in the nightingale--and at night, when dangerous things are supposed to happen. The nightingale's song is loud and immensely beautiful and is a common subject for poetry because of its enamoring song.

Why is it important that it is an echo of the song rather than the song itself? I think because when we look up at the milky way, its distance is clear, but its beauty is still mesmerizing. The same could be said about the echo of a nightingale's song.

The nightingale as a kigo or seasonal reference is for all seasons. Comparing that reference with the seeming eternity of the Milky Way is poignant.

The colors are also important to mention. The milky way could be said to be white and the crows are black. Though we would associate the night with darkness, the bright milky way and the bright song of the nightingale fill it with a brilliant atmosphere. Readers might ask the question, "Is night really night?" And for that matter, "Is anything really as it is?"

I think Isabella used the "o" sound effectively with the ends of line 1 and line 3 being "crows" and "echo." Also notice the use of "l" with "sleeping" "milky" and "nightingale" which makes the haiku more musical.

A succinct but grand haiku by +Isabella Kramer."


by Nicholas Klacsanzky


Painting: Woodblock print by Ohara Koson (1887-1945) of a crow and blossom - created ca. 1910 




further publication THE HAIKU FOUNDATION: EARTHRISE 2017 
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