Vivid Seasonal Images - Haiku Poems of Chuei Yagi
Chuei Yagi is a Japanese poet, prose-writer, and essayist.
He graduated from Nihon University College of Arts and served as the Chief Editor for Shicho-sha, and General Manager of Ginza Saison Theater in Tokyo.
He has published many poetry and prose books, which include two collections of haiku and two collections of essays.
He is a recipient of the Hanatsubaki Modern Poetry Prize.
Ban'ya Natsuishi and James Shea translated the poems in this publication for Yagi.
The first poem addressing the Milky Way is juxtaposed with a battlefield and sends a chill down the spine.
One is able to see the intermingling of the snow with blood in this imagery, which is as follows: The red wintery Milky Way straddling a battlefield.
One doesn't have to be a soldier on a battlefield to experience this dilemma.
Just attending a movie is enough to see the blood, guts, and glory of crimson red in such a situation.
When mixed with snow the picture is obvious as stated by Yagi.
The imagery in the next poem is another vivid eye opener.
Imagine being frozen stiff to the bones in winter; that is the imagery in this piece which speaks for itself: Out of a winter storehouse carrying winter bones.
The imagery this haiku poem carves into the senses is chilling.
Winter warehouses are always cold.
Being cold to the bones is more than just a statement.
It becomes truth in the winter season for many without heat, especially the elderly.
If one is not used to the temperature in Okinawa in the summer time, then one must be prepared to strip down and carry a case of suntan lotion.
The following haiku gives a prime example of what it is like in the summer: Okinawa: a snake hanging and burned.
Obviously humans are not snakes; however, the snake is capable of finding shelter a human is incapable of finding.
If the snake is catching hell, what would one expects a human to experience in the same situation of survival.
On the other hand, the ending of the rainy season brings a different picture and a breath of fresh air to many.
The color of the sky is obviously different, clouds have changed, and the songs of nature are once more refreshing.
The following poem gives a perfect example of this imagery: Rainy season over a giant blue ribbon in the sky.
What a wonderful and refreshing sight for all to see and experience first-hand.
The senses are stimulated by a new birth and a new dawning of the sun.
Ban'ya Natsuishi and James Shea certainly assisted Yagi in an exceptional manner with the translations of these poems in this publication.
This is just a wonderful integrated approach of poetic artistry!
He graduated from Nihon University College of Arts and served as the Chief Editor for Shicho-sha, and General Manager of Ginza Saison Theater in Tokyo.
He has published many poetry and prose books, which include two collections of haiku and two collections of essays.
He is a recipient of the Hanatsubaki Modern Poetry Prize.
Ban'ya Natsuishi and James Shea translated the poems in this publication for Yagi.
The first poem addressing the Milky Way is juxtaposed with a battlefield and sends a chill down the spine.
One is able to see the intermingling of the snow with blood in this imagery, which is as follows: The red wintery Milky Way straddling a battlefield.
One doesn't have to be a soldier on a battlefield to experience this dilemma.
Just attending a movie is enough to see the blood, guts, and glory of crimson red in such a situation.
When mixed with snow the picture is obvious as stated by Yagi.
The imagery in the next poem is another vivid eye opener.
Imagine being frozen stiff to the bones in winter; that is the imagery in this piece which speaks for itself: Out of a winter storehouse carrying winter bones.
The imagery this haiku poem carves into the senses is chilling.
Winter warehouses are always cold.
Being cold to the bones is more than just a statement.
It becomes truth in the winter season for many without heat, especially the elderly.
If one is not used to the temperature in Okinawa in the summer time, then one must be prepared to strip down and carry a case of suntan lotion.
The following haiku gives a prime example of what it is like in the summer: Okinawa: a snake hanging and burned.
Obviously humans are not snakes; however, the snake is capable of finding shelter a human is incapable of finding.
If the snake is catching hell, what would one expects a human to experience in the same situation of survival.
On the other hand, the ending of the rainy season brings a different picture and a breath of fresh air to many.
The color of the sky is obviously different, clouds have changed, and the songs of nature are once more refreshing.
The following poem gives a perfect example of this imagery: Rainy season over a giant blue ribbon in the sky.
What a wonderful and refreshing sight for all to see and experience first-hand.
The senses are stimulated by a new birth and a new dawning of the sun.
Ban'ya Natsuishi and James Shea certainly assisted Yagi in an exceptional manner with the translations of these poems in this publication.
This is just a wonderful integrated approach of poetic artistry!
