haikaiTALKS: Karumi | a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
host: Srinivasa Sambangi
18th January 2025
haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
Your host for haikaiTALKS: Srinivas Sambangi
Karumi
Matsuo Bashō (1644-94) advocated for karumi towards the end of his
career. His work is considered to be the pinnacle of the haiku genre,
and he is said to have mastered the art of combining karumi with
oneness with nature.
The concept that’s opposite to karumi is omomi or heaviness. As a
verse becomes heavier, it falls into the trap of logic and reason which
makes it overly intricate.
After a long literary journey of using several aesthetics in his verses
Basho realised the importance of karumi. Karumi can best be
described as “lightness,” or a sensation of spontaneity. Bashô taught
his students to think of karumi as “looking at the bottom of a shallow
stream”. When karumi is incorporated into haiku, there is often a
sense of light humor or child-like wonderment at the cycles of the
natural world. The karumi in haiku handles a serious subject in a
delightfully unserious way
Example:
probably it was alive
when it left Kamakura
the first tuna
- Basho
The katsuo (skipjack tuna), was highly prized as a summer delicacy.
The people in Tokyo were eager to taste the first batch of the season.
Kamakura is a city about fifty miles south of Tokyo. In 1192, the first
government, not under the emperor, was formed by the military. The
image of the fighting tuna and the rebellious samurai warriors had
traditional literary connections. This verse was written by Basho in
1692 (source: Basho, The Complete Haiku)
Please explore various sources and post the haiku which you feel has
karumi in it. You can also write your own and post here.
References:
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KIGO WORDS
Shall we please try to include a kigo word in all the poems we share here?
Give the season and the word—under your poem.
I'm quoting Lev Hart's request here: "This week’s goal is to compose two verses with toriawase, blending wabi, sabi, karumi, mono no aware, and/or yugen. Tell us which aesthetic concepts you mean to express in a line below the verse. Strive for originality. Avoid stock phrases and shopworn images."
For seasonal references, please check these lists:
“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:
indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:
The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:
The World Kigo Database:
The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:
**
Thank you for this post, Srinivas.
I hope our poets take the challenge and create a haiku on these lines!
Poets,
Please give your feedback on others' commentary and poems too. _()_
We are continuing haikaiTALKS!
Keep writing and commenting! _kala
Here is one more by Buson
nobly, the great priest
deposits his daily stool
in bleak winter fields
How sarcasticallyand philosophically he said, there are few activities in life that make all the people the same. No matter how rich or poor we are, we all eat the same grain of rice
#2 22/01
Revision 1 Thanks a lot Joanna ❤️ 🌺
in her bra
a rose-scented note
her lucky charm
Fatma Zohra Habis/ Algeria
in her bra
a rose-scented booklet
lucky charm
Feedback welcome 🌹
20.01.2025
#1
redwing swamp...
a boar gets
the eggs
Sherry Reniker
USA
Karumi, a light boar 🐗
comments welcome
19.01.2025
#1
Revision. Thank you, Srinivas.
a sital fish
arrives home
harvest moon
Kalyanee Arandhara
Assam, India
Feedback most welcome
Original:
harvest moon
finally a sital fish
arrives home
(Sital fish is a delicacy in Assamese platter which is also a favourite in the Uruka feast menu. Uruka is a feasting night, the eve of Bhogali Bihu to celebrate the end of harvest season)
Kalyanee Arandhara
Assam, India
Feedback most welcome
Edit, thanks to Kala, Srinivas:
#2
salmon leaping
a way downriver
caught by suppertime
Joanna Ashwell
UK
Feedback welcome
#2
salmon leaping
a way downriver…
stunned on a plate
Joanna Ashwell
UK
Feedback welcome