Haiku

You might appreciate knowing the contents: Foreward.......... 7 JAPANESE HAIKU Buddha Nature.......... 11 Happiness.......... 23 Phases of the Moon.......... 29 Birds.......... 41 Creatures.......... 63 Spring.......... 77 Summer.......... 113 Autumn.......... 159 Winter.......... 181 New Year.......... 207 WESTERN HAIKU Traditional.......... 217 Modern.......... 231 Acknowledgments.......... 253 *** For most of my life I did not know that the haiku art form existed. When I discovered it I was instantly smitten and developed an intense desire to know everything about it including how to compose it. This book does not teach you how to compose haiku, and yet indirectly it does because the poems within serve as the best examples of successful haiku. I mean after all, these originally came from the likes of Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki and Chiyo-ni (as well as some lesser known but no less skilled classical-era haiku poets). If one would want to learn from the best, then study the haiku from this book. Read them very slowly both out loud and to yourself many times; concentrate on one and discover what it has to offer in terms of meaning as well as imagery; search out the subtleties in tone, mood, etc. *** There's a section containing some very good modern english haiku toward the back of the book. Admittedly, (for right now anyway) I favor reading and studying the classical Japanese haiku from the masters preceding the twentieth century. That isn't to say that I ignore or don't appreciate modern haiku (or modern Western haiku). Indeed, I certainly 'can' and 'do' appreciate great haiku created by anyone in the world today. I think it's only that I instinctively understand in my spirit that the "fundamentals" for learning and developing haiku-composition skills are to be found in the classical-era haiku of the recognized masters... and one should always start with the fundamentals. *** The english translations by R. H. Blyth are excellent; they are very satisfying. The book itself is a relatively small, sturdy hardcover; it is well-made; it has a permanent bookmark ribbon to keep your place with. *** I often found myself reading each poem as slowly as possible, not wanting to reach the end of the book. I was enjoying these haiku too much -- savoring each one. That's when it is best; that's when you are more likely to be rewarded with an insight -- when you spend significant time on just one before moving on. *** I recommend this haiku collection to you if you are at all interested in reading (as well as studying) some of the haiku from the great masters.

This is simply a wonderful anthology. It is designed to be read whenever and fits in one's pocket or purse. The first section of the book comprises of R.H. Blyth's translations of the Japanese masters. This section is devided into themes such as; Buddha nature, phases of the moon, birds, creatures, and the five seasons--New Year's--is considered a short season in Japan. The second half of the book moves to the other side of the Pacific and is title "Western Haiku". This half of the book is then broken down into two remaining chapters "Traditional" & "Modern". The one issue that some practicing haiku poets have concerns about is the "Traditional" chapter where haiku-like poems by Wordsworth, Scott, Keats, Shelley, Thoreau, Whitman and many more apprear. However, these critics somehow did not read carefully Peter Washington's introduction. He writes:"In an appendix to his magisterial work, Blyth makes the controversial suggestion that the spirit of haiku is present in all great poetry, claiming that there are many haiku 'buried' in familiar English poems. In part two, bearing a universality in mind. I take up this idea, offering some of his examples and more of my own." Therefore the examples in the section are NOT haiku, but have present some components of the haiku spirit. So this is important to note. The last section titled "Modern" finds haiku on the shore of an English language literary world. We see how haiku develops through time and understanding starting with Pound and ending with several contemporary poets. There is a slight feeling that the last chapter of the book could continue, and that is true. However, this simple could reflect the editor's feeling that haiku continues to thrive that the ending should be left open. This book does not pretend at be all inclusive, quite the opposite. I feel the intention is to offer the reader a beautifully bound book of classic haiku and small poems that can be taken anywhere to be enjoyed. It does that. I highly recommend this book.

Well I was shocked when I heard Tony & Justin had written a book. When I found out it was a book on Haiku I was even more shocked. I haven't read or wrote many haiku but I do care for them. I remind me of early Atari games. At first you don't quite get what is going on. Then after a few times it gets easier and fun. The style is simple yet the games can be challenging. In a day when the world has HDTV, PS2, X-Box and other forms of electronic gaming it is nice to never forget Atari. The roots of video gaming, the forefather of video gaming. I think the Handsome Brothers new book is the best think to come along since the joystick.