Haiku: The Poetry of Nature

by David Cobb

"the dawn of New Year's Day–
yesterday
how far off!"

The Poetry of Nature showcases 60 classic haiku by such writers as Basho and Kyoshi, poets who mastered the art of this quiet yet evocative poetry form.

Haiku's simple poetry form and focus on nature have inspired and captivated people the world over. This collection of classic Japanese examples effectively displays the beauty, serenity, and simplicity of haiku. The rich illustrations that accompany the poetry reveal the talents of both the artists and poets for their ability to make the obvious seem remarkable, and the everyday extraordinary. Haiku expert David Cobb's fascinating and informative introduction describe the history and development of haiku from earliest to contemporary times; he also provides biographic information about the various featured poets. The Poetry of Nature is a celebration of the simplicity of the natural world as told through this compelling art form, and is the perfect haiku reader for the meditative soul.

Genres: Poetry, Japan, Art, Japanese Literature, Nature, Classics

90 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to the book description, this work is a celebration of the simplicity of the natural world as told through this compelling art form. It summarizes perfectly the strengths of this book and the essence of haiku itself. The soothing simplicity and the countless meanings one may find behind every line, even when, perhaps, all they did was contemplate nature. A contemplation devoid of any philosophical lament. If only!

kyō nite mo kyō natsukashi ya hototogisu

even in Kyoto
when I hear the cuckoo
I long for Kyoto
–Bashō

*

minasoko no kusa ni kogaruru hotaru kana

longing for the grass
at the bottom of the pool
those fireflies
–Buson

*

yagate kuru mono ni banshu no isu hitotsu

late autumn –
a single chair waiting
for someone yet to come
–Arima Akito

*

no ni yama ni ugoku mono nashi yuki no asa

on moor and mountain
nothing stirs
this morn of snow
–Chiyo-ni

*

hana no kage aka no tanin wa nakari keri

in the shadow of the cherry blossom
complete strangers
there are none . . .
–Issa




June 7, 2020

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haiku in the original Japanese with English translations are matched with Japanese art from the British Museum collection to celebrate the seasonal nature are beautifully presented in this charming edition. If the strictest rules are followed, a haiku is to be brief and compressed (composed of approximately 17 Japanese syllables), to feel seasonal (Japan has five seasons with the New Year and the moon evokes autumn unless specified otherwise), and to include a “cutting word” (for reflection or a creation of emotion). “The half-said thing” invites the reader to appreciate the poet’s subtle awareness.

Here are my favorite seasonal pairings:

Spring:
snow melts
and the village floods
with children
- Issa
Woodblock of Katsushika Hokusai’s Snowy Morning at Koishikawa from Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, 1830-33.

Summer:
on the water
the reflection
of a wanderer
-Santōka
Ink and color silk on a hanging scroll of Rice-Planting and Mt. Fuji by Kō Sūkei, late 18th to early 19th century.

Autumn (although paired separately, I thought these made a better match):
the moon:
I wandered around the pond
all night long
-Bashō
Woodblock of Seba by Utagawa Hiroshige, c. 1840.

Winter:
a sudden squall
and the bird by the water
is turning white
-Buson
Hanging scroll painting of Oda Kaisen’s Egret on a Willow, 19th century.

New Year:
the dawn of New Year’s Day –
yesterday
how far off!
-Ichiku
Woodblock of New Year Sunrise by Eishōsai Chōki, c. 1795.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely, sometimes breathtakingly so. The text bilingual with the Japanese version beside the translation. The calligraphy is as pretty as the art. And the poetry, of course, is also beautiful. Issa, Bushon, Basho, plus many I don't know.

I haven't read haiku in a while so I'd forgotten how much is captured in a few lines. Sometimes poignant, sometimes even amusing, the poems are like small sketches or watercolors completed with the minimum of strokes needed to create a beautiful picture.

Implied in these nature pictures is both an observer and the one to whom the observer is communicating so that I felt pulled into the poems, a part of the picture.

The poems of Issa, Basho, and Buson are, as always, my favorites but I discovered many other poets as well including Chiyo-Ni, Japan's most famous woman haiku poet. The time frames move from the 17th century to the 20th. Reading these poems, made me curious about contemporary haiku which I will be following up on.

A slim but altogether captivating book.

[فؤاد · Rating 3 out of 5]

من هیچ وقت با هایکو میانه ی خوبی نداشتم. "طرح" رو خیلی دوست دارم، ولی هایکو رو نه چندان. فکر کنم به خاطر این که تمام کاری که می کنه، تصویر سازیه. البته اگه این تصویرها واقعاً ناب باشن، خب لذت می برم، ولی اکثر موارد تصویرها این قدرها ناب نیستن.
این کتاب رو به خاطر نقاشی های زیبای قدیمی ژاپنیش دوست داشتم. مخصوصاً بعضی هاش، مثل طوفان و باران تابستانی، یا گربه ای که پنجه ش رو می لیسید، خیلی عالی بودن.

[Jolanta (knygupė) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastiška nedidukė knygelė Haiku ir japonų klasikinės dailės mėgėjams.

Tekstas angliškai ir japoniškai su puikiai parinktomis japonų klasikinės tapybos pavyzdžių iliustracijomis.


''on the water
the reflection
of a wanderer''

Sentoka

[Andisheh Mofidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

او چیزی می گوید
من چیزی می گویم
پاییز عمیق می شود
کیوشی

[Zohreh Hanifeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی عالی بودند. غیر از هایکوهای زیبا که منتخب بودند و توضیحی که در مقدمه درباره ی هایکو داده بود و همین طور توضیح کوتاهی که در مورد هر کدام از هایکونویس ها در انتها آورده بود، نقاشی هایی که در هر صفحه گذاشته بودند هم بی نظیر بود!
نقاشی هایی که مرتبط با موضوع هایکو بودند و ژاپنی و قدیمی، با توضیح مختصری از نقاش و اسم اثر. و واقعا دلچسب می کردند هایکوها را.
پر از لبخند و حس خوب شدم از خواندن و تماشای این کتاب خوب :)

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Show case's traditional and modern haiku poets. Illustrations are wonderful of an art form no longer in use. The poetry is a captivating read. I think haiku should be brought back into popular use. So much can be said in few words. The sound if spoken aloud is lovely. I found some haiku ports unknown to me, Altho' goodreads doesn't have some of the poets on here. We'll worth a read!

[Jamshid saeedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجموعه خیلی خوبیه. هایکوهای خیلی خوبی از بهترین هایکو سراهای ژاپن انتخاب شده ترجمه خوبی هم داره و متن انگلیسی هم برای مقایسه با فارسی اش وجود داره. با وجود اینکه زیاد از فیلنسازهای ژاپنی فیلم دیده بودم و درباره ژاپن خونده بودم ولی تاثیر این هایکوها برای فهم روح و جوهره فرهنگ ژاپنی از هر چیزی بیشتر بود

[Harry Dichmont · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Lovely

[Sinai C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love having the original Japanese next to the English translation. It was a little jarring for me to read the Japanese and then see the translation be very different in the literal sense (e.g. rearranging the word order or being flexible with a translation) in order to get it to be a haiku in English as well. But the metaphorical and emotional meaning of the haiku shines through, which is the whole point of a translation.

The paintings go splendidly with the one or two haikus they are paired with and add great atmosphere.

I think my only gripe is that at the end when they have the biographical notes of the poets, I would have loved to have the page reference for their haikus so I can flip back to them and really analyze it from the perspective they were writing from.

[Sebastian Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for both Haiku fans, and those who are just starting to get into them. There are enough explanations about the context in which they were created, and why they are like they are, so that one doesn't feel lost. Haikus are about the feelings they convey, and must be structured in very specific ways, trying to transmit very vivid images, even suggesting the seasons in which they were composed (hence the structure of the book).

That, along with the different painting (from the British Museum, logically) turn this book into quite the visual (and of course, poetic) experience. I wanna read more Haikus now!

[Dorothy Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book of haiku matched with works from the British Museum, under the headings of the four seasons. In his introduction, David Cobb stresses the collaboration between poet and reader
and the importance of "the half-said thing." Haiku is both 'half-stated' and 'under-stated.'
A few favourites: "the sea darkens- /the voices of the wild ducks/ are faintly white" (Basho);
"late autumn-/ a single chair waiting/ for someone yet to come "(Arima Akito); and, "the
dawn of New Year's Day-/ yesterday/ how far off!" (Ichiku).

[Taija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haiku-runot ovat aivan ihania, lyhyitä huomioita, useimmiten luonnosta. Kirjan aluksi kerrottiin vähän haiku-runojen historiasta ja rakenteesta. Itse runot oli kauniisti aseteltu sivulle upeiden, usein aiheeseen liittyvien kuvien kanssa, järjesteltynä vuodenaikojen mukaan. Kaunis kirja. Ja vaikka se oli nopeasti läpi luettu, kunkin runon pureksimiseen piti käyttää pieni tovi.

[Emu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of Haikus assorted by the seasons of the year, and paired with beautiful antique Japanese illustrations from The British Museum's own collection.
Haikus in this edition are an ode to the everyday nature that invites to a calmly and warm introspectiveness. They are brought in English, rōmaji transcription and Japanese Kanji, so it might even be useful for Japanese learners.

[Siri Wohrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

These haikupoems are SO beautiful, I am in love haha!😍👌 Basically so me!!❤️💖

[Andrei Nemes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of work, grouped by seasons, with beautiful associated ukiyo-e art.

[Cem Yüksel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good start to a new year with the serenity of Japanese haiku. The combinations of the illustrations chosen from British Museum Collections make it a pleasure to read .

[Karim Alaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful selection of poetry combined with some insightful history & basic background on haiku as an art form.

[Karen Houlding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read seasonal haiku poems.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisitely illustrated.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The British Museum has compiled a selection of haiku by renowned Japanese poets both ancient and modern, organized them by their seasonal setting (which is traditional for haiku according to the intro), and paired them with Japanese artwork. The result was a very artistically pleasing little book. Whoever paired the poems and artwork did a fantastic job; they complemented each other exceptionally well. I loved being introduced to several pieces of Japanese art I'd never seen before and really like. Two of my new favorites are "Frog" by Hoji, which is humorous, and "Mountain River on the Kiso Road" by Utagawa Hiroshige, which is gorgeous. Of course, the haikus were fantastic. They are presented in calligraphy, the Japanese transliterations and an English translation. I definitely recommend reading the intro (though it turns out it takes 2x as long to do that as to read the rest of the book). I also liked the short bios of all the poets in the back. In fact, I found myself wishing I had read them first so I could actually make connections as I read between the author and haiku. So here's my suggestion: read the intro, read the bios in the back, and then enjoy the rest of the book. You can easily do all that in under an hour.

No content issues.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in the British Museum the first time I was in London, which was back when I was 15. I looked into it, but didn't quite get the hang of the haiku back then. Result: this book ended up on my shelf and was forgotten about.
Recently however, I found it back and this time - maybe it's because I'm now old and wise... - I really liked it. The haiku (both old and new) and the traditional Japanese art are a lovely combination.

[C.B. Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of traditional Japanese haiku from the masters along with a few lesser known poets. Haikus are paired with beautiful works of art ranging from woodblock prints, calligraphy, and silk paintings from the British Museum collection. The combination of words and art creates a multifaceted experience that invites contemplation and appreciation. My only complaint is this little book is much too short!

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little book filled with not only haiku but also some very beautiful reproductions of Japanese art. I enjoy the haiku form, but I'll readily admit that I did not get most of the haiku. Perhaps it is because I am a Westerner; understanding foreign literature is difficult. But some of the poems in the book were very poignant.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The works of art woven with a collection of haiku in original and translation. Absolutely enthralling and gives the reader pause for thought of the depth a few words can express! This little book is ideal for a quiet moment in the day to meditate. We pause and appreciate our world near and far and see how the eastern ideas fit our days as well.

[Kerfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Cobb has chosen artwork from the British Museum to complement haiku from a variety of poets that reach beyond the trio of Issa, Basho, and Buson. The poems are presented in English, English-formatted Japanese, and using the Japanese alphabet, which also adds delicacy and beauty to the words.

[Brian Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haiku is the sort of thing you either get or don't get, so it's tough to 'rate' the content of this collection in an accessible way - but I will say the book itself is gorgeous!

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated collection of Haiku.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kombinerat med bilderna är denna bok en pärla!