Friday, February 01, 2008

the music you can still hear when the musicians leave the room...

1880's albumen photo of japanese teahouse with music instruments

the sound of water. the cry of cicadas. a cuckoo cries. heard, not seen, the camellia poured rainwater. the cuckoo sings . the tides slosh. a cricket singing . the mosquito hums . the warbler sings the wild duck's plaintive cry grows faintly white . icy sound of monks' getas echo long and cold . the sound of the water jar cracking from the ice . temple bell. skylarks to sing. singing, planting rice, village songs more lovely. lonely silence. a single cicada's cry. a woodpecker tapping at a post. no sound at all. a cricket sings. your song caresses, o high mountain bird.

every sound from 73 haikus by matsuo basho.
image: detail from an 1880's albumen print of a japanese tea house with musical instruments.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Matterhorn1959 said...

Great evocative image and the perfect poetry to go along with it. Thanks for the morning meditation.

5:26 AM  
Blogger Moon River said...

Inspiring!
Thank for this. the immediate impression of a Zen poem is like the most magnificent simple or elaborate drawing, that capture the moment the essence, i often feel this when i come to visit your blog

11:46 PM  
Blogger sroden said...

thanks, glad you like this. i was looking at haikus with sound in them for a museum workshop related to sound and drawing, and i was surprised how many of basho's do have sounds in them. they do make a perfect soundscape for the photo!

7:19 AM  

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