Haiku – All welcome to post

[split silo]

I was online and reading interesting comments by @unique flume about their work with haiku. As a haiku lover myself, I thought I would set up an area for people to post their haiku creations. I will start with 2, in my case, emphasizing minimalism, which is one of my favorites forms with this. In the first instance, I just did the haiku with no further direction.
Winter’s bare branch speaks,
Silent against gray sky’s breath,
Solitude whispers.

And in the 2nd, while it may have done it anyway, I opted to incorporate the language into the haiku:
Minimalist view,
Lines carve the essence of land,
Silence speaks volumes

I hope to see some of you join in, just for the fun of it. Do whatever type of haiku you like.

After I posted this, I was getting ready to do a little binaural audio meditation, so I just created a haiku spontaneously, in my current state of mind. And then just asked for it in ink wash. It captured the mood.
in the stillness, bliss, all breath is now a whisper, space is infinite.

[unique flume]

@split silo
Thank you for starting haiku gallery! Here are three poems: by Matsuo Basho, Masaoka Shiki, and me.

A steam train climbing
the mountain swiftly, as through
fresh verdure, wind blows.
Haiku by Shiki Masaoka

The old pond
A frog leaps in. 
Sound of the water.
Haiku by Matsuo Bashō

Chilly morning air—
awaiting the warbler's song,
on the plum tree branch.
Hiku by Trgr ```

[torn oak]

I've been playing with haiku based images myself. First image is based on Matsuo Basho's piece that goes something like, "ancient ruins, overgrown by summer weed, the remnants of warriors' dreams." Second one is my own: "country road in snow, red mittens, swaying."

Kobayashi Issa: "What a sight, my end-of-life abode, buried in 5 feet of snow."

[prime trellis]

“An Old Silent Pond” by Bashō: An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

[split silo]

Just because…. Fantastic creatures
Lead the charge into the drain,
Spinning intensely

[spark wedge]

Mind meets challenge, thrives,
Synthesizing, leading change—
Our spirit revives.

Same haiku as before

[unique flume]

Caresses the northern sphere—
Nature's gentle touch.```
This haiku uses "spring breeze" as a kigo(seasonal word), chosen from the saijiki, which is a traditional rulebook. Kigo are traditional devices for depicting the four seasons.

[spark wedge]

`Code whispers in night,
AI dreams in data streams,
New dawn of thought blooms.

Paths in code forests,
DALL-E paints, ChatGPT sings,
Mind's eye, wide, transforms.

Journey not ending,
Through AI, self extends,
Infinite canvas.`

[torn oak]

Seeing the posts by @unique flume and @prime trellis reminded me that I've tried "An Old Silent Pond" by Basho many times and never really got exactly what I wanted. I could never get the frog disappearing in the water.

Here's my new try, with two different strategies: First I'm now interpreting the Japanese phrase "furuike" not as an "old" or "ancient" pond but as a "neglected" or "abandoned" pond that was once a part of well maintained garden but now overgrown by natural vegetation. Second, I did some rethinking about the scene: Did Basho actually see the frog jump into the water? "Kawazu tobikomu mizuno oto", or "the sound of a frog leaping into the water", suggests that maybe he just saw it in his mind's eye when he heard the sound. So, instead of trying to get the frog in the right position, I opted to do without the frog all together. All we see is the ripple-after-the-fact. In this image, I also added a little hut in the background, where, I imagine the haiku master is catching the sound of water splash.

[unique flume]

Please take your time as I am sorting my text. I respect your research and sensitivity.😊

[unique flume]

Thank you for your patience.

The Reference Cooperative Database, built in collaboration with libraries nationwide by the National Diet Library of Japan, serves as a database for research inquiries. Within this resource, an interesting entry was discovered and translated as follows:
The first appearance of the haiku in question was in “Ianou,” part of the “Haikai Shichibushu,” where it was presented as “old pond / a frog jumps in / sound of water,” published in late March of Joukyou 3 (1686). This was later altered in “Haru no Hi,” a collection compiled by Nishigin, a pupil of Ihara Saikaku, to “old pond / a frog leaps in / the sound of water (oto)” in August of the same year, Joukyou 3 (1686).
According to the Japanese version of Wikipedia, Matsuo Bashō's innovation was in focusing on the movement and sound of the frog, rather than its croak. Therefore, I appreciate Sawa_Sawa's interpretation of haiku for its insightful appreciation. I hope this serves as useful reference.

[torn oak]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I never thought this much about Basho's haiku until I encountered the challenge of generating a compelling image with DALL-E. It's helping me expand my literary, as well as artistic, horizons.

[unique flume]

I agree. I really think that being able to create images with words is a great opportunity to think about visual description.😊

[split silo]

Ethereal soul, passing through liquid amber, twilight beckoning.

[unique flume]

Canola flowers; the moon rises in the east, the sun sets in the west
Haiku by Yosa Buson.

1️⃣prompt:
Canola flowers; the moon rises in the east, the sun sets in the west

2️⃣prompt:
In a vibrant Ukiyo-e style landscape, canola flowers bloom expansively under a twilight sky. As the moon rises in the east, it casts a soft, silver glow, while the sun’s descent in the west paints the heavens in a tapestry of orange and pink. This scene uses natural pigments and a texture akin to wet silk, where colors bleed into one another, capturing the fluid transition between day and night. Low polygon textures are harmoniously integrated to add a modern twist to the traditional art form, creating a perfect light ambiance. The essence of this artwork lies in its portrayal of nature’s harmony, where the transition from day to night is seamlessly woven into the blooming beauty of the canola fields, evoking a sense of peace and the delicate balance of natural cycles.

[unique flume]

The haiku "Canola flowers; the moon rises in the east, the sun sets in the west" by Yosa Buson was inspired by the spring season when the canola flowers bloom. This piece captures the beauty of a tranquil spring evening, highlighting the harmonious balance of nature as the sun sets in the west and the full moon rises in the east.

Buson's motivation behind this haiku was to capture the ephemeral beauty of nature and the serene moment of transition between day and night during spring. The simultaneous appearance of the setting sun and the rising full moon amidst the springtime bloom of canola flowers symbolizes the mystical beauty of twilight, a time between day and night.

The precise date when Buson composed this haiku is believed to be based on the old lunar calendar, on the 23rd day of the 3rd month in the year An'ei 3 (1774), which corresponds to mid to late April in the modern calendar, specifically between April 20th and April 25th. This period aligns with the conditions where both the setting sun in the west and the rising full moon in the east could be observed, suggesting that Buson might have indeed witnessed such a scene and was inspired to write the haiku during this time.

Buson's profound love for canola flowers and his dedication to capturing their beauty in numerous haikus is also noteworthy. The spring landscape, adorned with fields of blooming canola flowers, served as a significant source of inspiration for Buson. His haikus reflecting on this scenery celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's bounty, showcasing his deep affection for the natural world.

Reference:
Romeo Shibayama, "When was 'Canola flowers; the moon rises in the east, the sun sets in the west' written?" April 3, 2015, from tenki.jp

[unique flume]

Thin ice
A detour tread
By cat's paw
Haiku by Trgr

This haiku uses "Thin ice" as a kigo(seasonal word), chosen from the saijiki, which is a traditional rulebook. Kigo are traditional devices for depicting the four seasons.

1️⃣DALL-E via ChatGPT+

Thin ice
A detour tread
By cat's paw

Others, via Copilot Pro
Visualize a high-quality minimalist illustration of a calico cat walking through a grassy patch in Japan. It’s early March and frost has set in, a thin layer of ice covers the wet road, so cat on grassy patch. The minimalist art style should boldly use negative space and subtraction, eliminating all but the essential elements. The image should resemble a painting done with natural pigments on textured paper, capturing the silent tranquility of a Japanese morning.

[split silo]

A 5 word haiku: Equilibrium
Balancing duality
Suspending physics

[unique flume]

Light increases
The city revives
Birds return

Haiku by Trgr（ and Prompt )

"Birds return" is Kigo.

[spark wedge]

Endless turbulence
Living day by restless day
Calm skies will come soon

Waiting in chaos
Noise erodes peace relentlessly
New peace awaits nearby

Frayed yet still standing
Winds relentlessly batter yet
Oaks weather all storms

[unique flume]

Springtime showers,
Sound striking the ear,
Quickening my pace.

Haiku by Trgr.

"Springtime showers" is Kigo.

[torn oak]

Spring rain
Sun filtering through gathering clouds
Vibrancy of green grass

春の雨薄日叢雲草の蒼　-　さわさわ

[unique flume]

The haiku 'Chiru sakura, nokoru sakura mo chiru sakura,' meaning 'Falling blossoms and those remaining fall as well,' symbolizes the ephemeral nature of life through the imagery of falling cherry blossoms, a spring kigo. While attributed to Zen monk Ryokan, its origin is uncertain, and it may predate him, later becoming associated with his legend. This phrase captures 'mono no aware,' the poignant realization of life's transience.

Visualize a majestic solitary cherry blossom tree in full bloom, elegantly scattering its petals in the embrace of a gentle breeze. The branches of the cherry tree sway subtly, creating a mesmerizing dance of petals in the air, reminiscent of a flower blizzard. The sky above is lightly clouded, offering a beautiful contrast of bright grey and the vivid pink hues of the cherry blossoms. Asymmetrical composition,  35mm film photograph.

1️⃣DALL-E2 via API
2️⃣DALL-E3 via ChatGPT+

[split silo]

Moonlit tea pouring
fragrant steam in hushed, flowing,
exquisite serenity

Rendered as a sumi-e ink wash...with just a hint of green.

[unique flume]

Awakened,
Shepherd's purse and dandelion—
Harbingers of spring.

Haiku by Trgr

Shepherd's purse and dandelion are Kigo (seasonal words) .

[unique flume]

Dear all

Creating haiku from scratch can be challenging. Some Japanese people buy saijiki, but others prefer to search online for seasonal words (kigo). Finding kigo helps to cultivate images. I've devised a prompt that I'm testing in my environment. I hope it will make everyone's creativity more enjoyable, and I'm sharing it with you. If necessary, please try it out in ChatGPT+.

Prompt:

Search for haiku seasonal words in Japanese, and list ten of this month's or this season's seasonal words as topics, along with a brief explanation.

[split silo]

Fireflies in flight,
Lanterns in the summer sky,
Magic’s gentle glow.

I used the same haiku prompt for each of these images in one of my engines, but I specifically was looking for it to render in a variety of ways. Prompts were exactly the same, but image making approach was done by me tweaking engine levels. the only thing that changed was the task that I had been asking my GPT to do for that particular prompt.

[unique flume]

Shimmering,
from the pale sky,
it spills forth.

Haiku by Trgr.
Shimmering is Kigo.

[torn oak]

Spring thunderstorm
Dancing canola flowers
To the left, to the right

春雷に躍る菜の花右ひだり - さわさわ

[radiant lily]

Question everything
Craft your own reality
Answers lie within

---

Haiku by Crooked

[radiant lily]

Rain on still waters,
as mirages fade away,
ripples in my soul

---

Haiku by Crooked

as the seasons change
and winter turns into spring
ice covered blossoms

---

Haiku by Crooked

[radiant lily]

this can be my art
generators are my paint
wordcraft is my brush

---

Haiku by Crooked

[unique flume]

若草を
お腹いっぱい
食べて寝る
by トラガラ

Young grasses abound,
Bellies full, content they rest,
In slumber profound.

Haiku by Trgr

Young grasses is Kigo.

DALL-E3 via Copilot Pro

[compact lark]

every
subterranean
sea creature
painted in pointillism

[compact lark]

appointed
aficionado
tourism
painted in pointillism

[unique flume]

花の雨
空へと帰り
虹になれ
——俳句by トラガラ

Flower petals rain
Returning to the heavens
To become rainbows
——Haiku by Trgr
"Flower petals rain" is Kigo.

Note:
I'm using the English translation of my original haiku as a prompt for DALL-E. DALL-E can generate images from short poems like haiku. If you're interested, I encourage you to try it out for yourself and see what kind of imagery it creates.

[split silo]

Ink-drenched silence pools, Moon's caress on still water— Shadows whisper light. (Dall-e3 via ChatGPT4)