The following information about Waka, literally

"Japanese Poem" is taken from the website "2001 Waka

for Japan" at

http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/

introduction.shtml

and is provided as sort of an explanatory preface of

what Waka is and a bit of its history. I compose Waka in

an attempt (for the most part) to join an experience

with its emotion.

Christine Roberton

June 26, 2008

Poetry has its seed in the human heart and blossoms

forth in innumerable leaves of words ... it is poetry

which, with only a part of its power, moves heaven and

earth, pacifies unseen gods and demons, reconciles

men and women and calms the hearts of savage

warriors.'

Ki no Tsurayuki,

Preface to the Kokinshû, Ninth Century

Tsurayuki's words, written over a thousand years ago,

are the first description by a Japanese of waka. The

word is made up of two parts: wa meaning 'Japanese' — —1

and ka meaning 'poem' or 'song'. It was probably coined

at about the time Tsurayuki was writing as a way to

distinguish the poetry written by the Japanese in their

own

language from that they read and wrote in Chinese - the

source of much of Japan's poetic inspiration.

Today, the type of waka best known outside of Japan is

probably the haiku, a sequence of three 'lines' of five,

seven and five syllables and describing an aspect of

nature. Haiku are now written in many languages other

than Japanese, and widely in Japan itself. They are,

however, a relatively late form of waka, beginning to be

written in the seventeenth century, by which time the

Japanese had already been writing poetry for a

thousand years.

Waka were first composed, before the advent of writing

in Japan, to celebrate victories in battle and love, or for

religious reasons, and this tradition of poetry for public

occasions carried through to the first great age of

written waka in the seventh and eighth centuries, with

highly wrought nagauta 'long poems', consisting

of alternating 'lines' of five and seven syllables, being

composed for performance on public occasions at the

imperial court. At the same time, tanka 'short poems',

— —2

consisting of five 'lines' in the pattern of 5-7-5-7-7

syllables, became a useful shorthand for private

communication between friends and lovers, and the

ability to compose a tanka on a given topic became an

essential skill for any gentleman or lady at court. Over

time, the tanka became the premier poetic form for the

Japanese aristocracy and nobles competed to produce

ever better examples of the art in poetry

competitions, while critics formulated elaborate

critiques and definitions of what was 'acceptable'

poetry.

Eventually, the tanka of the court became ossified, and

the vitality of waka was transferred to a new form,

renga 'linked verse' which pairs or groups of poets

would compose jointly, with one poet supplying the

initial 5-7-5 of a verse and another the concluding 7-7,

often building up to hundred verse sequences. Finally,

the initial 5-7-5 of a renga became a poetic form on its

own, the haiku, and great poets came to be found

among the samurai warriors and the townsfolk of early

modern Japan.

— —3

Monday, June 9, 2008

Still sleepy I gaze

Hummingbirds fight for flowers

Flash shiny color.

They take no notice of rain,

A gentle sound on the roof.

— —4

Monday, June 9, 2008

Rainbow above trees

Cleansed leaves glisten and sparkle

Wind brings sunny skies

I remember promises

From a Father who loves me

— —5

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Darkness surrounds me

Like an old woman, I creep

Into the bathroom,

Then return to my warm bed.

Sleep envelopes me again.

— —6

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Old habits striving to win

Cluttering the mind:

I begin to multitask!

Stop! - quieting my mind.

Focus brings me peace.

— —7

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Sleep is beckoning—

Ignoring the clock, I go

To prepare for bed.

The day's labor satisfies

And makes sweeter my repose.

— —8

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Summer sun rises

Alder touched with golden light,

Grateful branches reach.

Mountain peaks softly glow pink

A beautiful day begins.

— —9

Thursday, June 12, 2008

"I don't want to go to work!"

Unchanging mantra:

A desire to be free.

Still he shoulders his burden,

Carried with strength and honor.

— —10

Monday, June 16, 2008

Arrived home at twelve;

Car to unload and to bed.

Slumber past daybreak.

I awaken to chaos,

I don't know where to begin.

— —11

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

He cannot sit still

But writes a silly poem

So Chris will join him

To identify a plant.

She laughs and goes to her bed.

— —12

Friday, June 20, 2008

Gliding in silence,

We watch surprised and amazed,

The owl finds a tree.

It listens and looks for prey.

Plummeting, unerring, kills.

— —13

Saturday, June 21, 2008

I'm filled with pity

For this small, frightened creature

Huddled in the cage.

After the noise and darkness,

Boomer must find a new home.

— —14

Saturday, June 21, 2008

The same old story—

I've lost my glasses again!

Who could have foreseen?

Deposited here and there,

Until finally they're gone!

— —15

Monday, June 23, 2008

Bearing this burden—

Sadness sits on my shoulders.

Suspecting Kindness.

As a tactic for control:

"Get with the Plan or its gone."

— —16

Monday, June 23, 2008

I choose my actions.

To be "other-directed"

Is to be a child.

Tired of jumping through hoops.

I cannot jump high enough.

— —17

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Noise in the bushes!

Is it a mountain lion?

Running deer emerge—

They frolic and circle back,

A relief to see them play.

— —18

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

A haze in the East

Filters the morning sunshine;

Softens the colors.

Nature's chorus surrounds me.

I close my eyes and listen.

— —19

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Woodpecker drumming

As I sip my morning tea.

The rhythm of life.

I am filled with gratitude

For this daily miracle.

— —20

Thursday, July 3, 2008

A toad in the clover

Scrambles from its hiding place

Disturbed by the mist.

I resist the child-like urge

To catch this tiny creature.

— —21

Saturday, July 5, 2008

A day of friendship

An easy exchange of talk

Conversation flows--

Loneliness evaporates

Like the mist on the mountain.

— —22

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Light wind in the trees

Leaves flutter and branches sway;

Tenderly caressed.

Sweeps my hair around my face,

A soothing touch that comforts.

— —23

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The moon has risen;

Campfire dances within

A circle of friends.

Cheerful faces radiant

Reflecting the fire's glow.

— —24

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A flash of yellow,

Diverting my awareness,

Is suddenly still.

Cautious first, then starts to eat:

My thistle-sock discovered!

— —25

Friday, August 15, 2008

Plants are like people,

Responding to gifts they need:

Air, sun, shade, water

As people need nurturing,

Recognition, protection.

— —26

Monday, December 22, 2008

The snow falls gently

The blanketed earth slumbers

Silence surrounds me

As I stand in awed wonder

At a world of sparkling white!

— —27

Saturday, April 17, 2010

I take a deep breath

Expire unconscious stress

Becoming centered

I close my eyes receiving

Nature shares her energy

— —28

Saturday, April 17, 2010

My Cat-person hunts.

Follows a pathway of scents,

Watching for movement,

Thinking of Mice and Murder.

Small creatures cower in fear.

— —29

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Out of reach, she runs…

Cat-person still wild, stays free,

Lightly springs away

Dancing to earth's hunting song.

I stand in the rain and wait.

— —30

Monday, April 19, 2010

Cat-Person trots proudly

Bearing a tiny creature

A short-lived playmate.

Set down, it trembles, frightened

Guiltily, I rescue it.

— —31