{"id":5987,"date":"2018-01-26T09:08:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T16:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=5987"},"modified":"2018-01-26T09:11:24","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T16:11:24","slug":"buson-miles-of-frost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/26\/buson-miles-of-frost\/","title":{"rendered":"Buson – Miles of frost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miles of frost
\nby Buson<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto<\/font><\/p>\n

Miles of frost \u2014
\non the lake
\nthe moon\u2019s my own.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter<\/a>, Translated by Lucien Stryk \/ Translated by Takashi Ikemoto<\/font><\/p>\n


\/ Image by 4k1<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

This haiku doesn\u2019t emphasize that pivot that startles the awareness into new insight. Instead, it offers us a pure moment of winter solitude at dusk.<\/p>\n

Miles of frost \u2014<\/i><\/p>\n

This phrasing suggests not only a chilly evening, but a landscape of silence. No activity. No carts on the road. No animals scurrying in the underbrush. Nothing but untouched frost upon the land.<\/p>\n

In the midst of this scene of chill stillness stands the implied observer \u2014 us. We stand there alone in the quiet scene, elevated as the solitary presence, wrapped in curling mist of our own breath.<\/p>\n

And then we see the moon reflected upon the lake\u2019s surface at twilight. <\/p>\n

on the lake
\nthe moon\u2019s my own.<\/i><\/p>\n

With no one else to witness it, the moon becomes a private gift. The moon and the observer share this moment of intimacy in the silent company of the lake.<\/p>\n

We can, if we choose, read this in a more consciously spiritual light: The full moon is often used to suggest enlightened awareness. The lake is mind. When the surface is still, the mind has grown quiet and it reflects the serene light of the moon. The miles of frost can suggest the wider world as perceived by the senses has also been quieted through spiritual practice. In this unified state of stillness, the moon, enlightenment, becomes one\u2019s own.<\/p>\n

Or perhaps it is only a lake and the moon on a quiet night. Then again, perhaps the moon\u2019s reflection whispers to us of enlightenment, whether we recognize it or not.<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Buson<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Poetry of Zen: (Shambhala Library)<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Moon Over Tagoto: Selected Haiku of Buson<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n
\n\"Buson,<\/a>\n<\/td>\n\nBuson<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Japan (1716 \u2013 1784) Timeline<\/a>
\nBuddhist<\/a> : Zen \/ Chan<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em>\n<\/td>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Taniguchi Buson (or Yosa Buson) was known in his day primarily as an excellent painter, but today he is often grouped with Basho and Issa as among the finest writers of haiku poetry.<\/p>\n

He was born outside of Osaka, Japan, but lost both parents while still young. He moved to Edo (Tokyo) to study painting and haiku. He later settled in Kyoto, making a name for himself as a painter.<\/p>\n

When we compare Buson with Basho, Buson\u2019s haiku are more crafted than Basho\u2019s, showing the precision of a painter\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Buson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miles of frost by Buson English version by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto Miles of frost \u2014 on the lake the moon\u2019s my own. \u2014 from Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Translated by Lucien Stryk \/ Translated by Takashi Ikemoto \/ Image by 4k1 \/ This haiku doesn\u2019t emphasize that pivot that startles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[650,276,1255,419],"class_list":["post-5987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-buson","tag-japanese-haiku","tag-lake","tag-moon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5987"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5991,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987\/revisions\/5991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}