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# / Author
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LI
Hugh Bygott
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Winter dawn —
the flamingo flock
mimics the sky.
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| The images of birds seem to be easily fixed in our memories. I cannot forget an early morning at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, January 1983. Around the artificial lake the birds seemed to be everywhere, assembling and dissolving in masses of pink, white and grey. HB |
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LII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Winter cold —
the dark-eyed junco is
a fluff ball with a tail
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LIII
Hugh Bygott
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Distant city lights —
black swans slip through thinning reeds,
conceal'd by the night.
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| Regent's Park, London 1990. I lived in London for ten years, not far from the famed 221b Baker Street and visited nearby Regent's Park many times. There the famed Australian Black Swan could be seen among the varied birdlife. I have recalled here a memory of a winter's night and walking back to the vibrant life of the great city of London. HB |
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LIV
Zhanna P. Rader
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Snow on the ground —
a great blue heron, egg-shaped,
stands on one leg.
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LV
Craig McLanachan
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sundown —
both the bellbirds and I
enjoy an evening meal
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LVI
Hugh Bygott
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Still water —
motionless, a Black-tailed Godwit
touches its own beak.
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LVII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Finally,
a sharper image of the tractor
and the blackbirds
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LVIII
Hugh Bygott
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Stillness at ebb tide —
Greenshanks in the mirrored water
are standing on stilts.
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| I hope that other subscribers will join this series. I am beginning to wonder whether new bird species entered Japan after the Meiji Restoration. There are far more bird species than are mentioned by the haiku masters. I would appreciate any comments on this matter. HB |
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LIX
Craig McLanachan
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into the clear lake
to pop up far away —
a crested grebe
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| I don't know much about the birds of Japan but the birds of New Zealand are really wonderful. Before man came to these shores this was the kingdom of birds. The giant Moa,and the world's largest eagle ruled the roost. Early explorers remarked on the constant din of so many birds from sunrise to dusk. Introduced pests have wiped most out but there is much conservation work going on to save those left. C McL. |
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LX
Hugh Bygott
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Spring dawn —
flying from the rushes, a Fernbird
chooses its notes.
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LXI
Craig McLanachan
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forest gloom
under a towering Totara tree
a Kiwi forages
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LXII
Hugh Bygott
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At first light,
a Kokako sings across the valley . . .
a delayed echo.
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| My father visited New Zealand as a young man. When we were children we were fascinated by his many stories. I have never seen a Kokako bird but have heard of the beautiful answering melodies sung from the high trees. HB |
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LXIII
Craig McLanachan
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strutting their stuff
these foreign invaders —
ma & pa Magpie
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| Your father was lucky to hear a Kokako, I never have. They are secretive and not found down here in the South Island , at least not this far south . How wonderful he told you stories about my beautiful homeland. I love it here, it really is one of the best places to live I think. Only 4 million of a population means room to spread one's wings. Often on my beach walks I will see no-one and when I do they are usually of a like mind and pleasant to chat with. I can only wish that you find your way here some day to see for yourself. C McL. |
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LXIV
Hugh Bygott
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In the spring moonlight,
predators wait motionless . . .
Tawny Frogmouths as trees.
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| The Australian bush is quite remarkable at night. The Tawny Frogmouth is a nocturnal bird and when perfectly still looks like the bark of a tree. In all that remarkable sound there is silence. HB |
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LXV
Craig McLanachan
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on the forest floor
the movement of another green
a Kakapo booms
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| The Kakapo is a large flightless and very rare native of NZ. The male has a loud and sonorous mating call that resonates through the forest. Craig |
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LXVI
Hugh Bygott
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A crack of the whip . . .
and the languid midday heat is pierced:
an Eastern Whipbird.
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LXVII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Honks of geese —
for a minute the family stops
raking leaves.
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LXVIII
Hugh Bygott
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Distant city swans —
traffic rides the languid air;
silent water, stillness.
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| Memories of Regent's Park, London 1990. There's nothing like it — this greatest city in the world. HB |
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LXIX
Zhanna P. Rader
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Bells ringing —
the pigeons on the ground
stay put.
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LXX
Hugh Bygott
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Fading, this long dusk —
bell-ringers have departed:
the nightjars silent.
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| Since I do not believe in any Zen haiku moment, I am free to speak of absences. This creates an insight into the nature of the transient world. For me, all haiku composition is an active process. In the above haiku, there are layers of meaning. This is how it should be. HB |
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LXXI
Zhanna P. Rader
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Azalea blooms gone —
a pair of cardinals
starts weaving their nest.
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LXXII
Hugh Bygott
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Nesting on the moors,
the dunlins ease
through the spring dusk.
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LXXIII
Zhanna P. Rader
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A country road —
two pheasants scurry
to the cornfield.
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LXXIV
Hugh Bygott
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Autumn dusk —
the cranes slip through the rain clouds:
somewhere a distant sun.
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LXXV
Zhanna P. Rader
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Green heron
drops an earthworm to the water. . .
stabs the bated fish.
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LXXVI
Hugh Bygott
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Summer dusk —
A warbler on the window-ledge
looks at a Wang Wei scroll.
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LXXVII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Grey heron's dance —
yellow bill and legs
change to deep orange.
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LXXVIII
Hugh Bygott
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Autumn loneliness,
the lark is silent and the water still:
dusk at Uji Bridge.
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I find this question of absence of great interest. Is the bird perching on a bridge rail or does “silent" mean absence? Basho felt sadness with the people of Umi because Spring had gone, indeed spending the whole day composing his hokiku. Would the absent lark be sufficient to explain loneliness?
I continue with references to Classical Literature, here to Chapter 45 of The Tale of Genji.
Elsewhere I am arguing that there are two traditions in haiku. The First Tradition is founded on the haikai no renga and, having been damaged by Imagist translations, has led to the view that haiku are simple direct experiences without abstractions or metaphors. The Second Tradition can be traced to the ushin no renga and the refined Basho, and passing through Chiyo-ni's philosophical haiku, permits abstractions, universals and metaphors. Often there are classical allusions. A distinct characteristic is the presence of a verb.
There is a lot more to be said about this. HB |
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LXXIX
Zhanna P. Rader
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Fuzzy morning —
the towhee reminds,
"drink your tea!"
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LXXX
Hugh Bygott
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Gathering swallows — *
this longing that does not yield
yet returns them home.
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* Keats' Ode to Autumn
Research in Britain has shown that for successive ears some tagged swallows have left barns in England, flown to winter in South Africa, and then returned to the exact same barn to breed again. |
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LXXXI
Zhanna P. Rader
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Waterfall —
in a shady cavity
a black swift nests.
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| Zhanna, this is a very lovely haiku. In a few words you have created a great canvas for a painter. The kigo is beautifully integrated into the poem. The kireji English equivalent, the dash, follows the noun phrase, thus marking the topic. When a reader finishes the poem, there is a world of imagination to follow. This is one of the best tests for a haiku. HB |
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LXXXII
Hugh Bygott
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Willows in still water —
here and there a Shrike darts forth:
singularity.
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LXXXIII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Leaving the hospital —
what bird is chirping
so cheerfully?
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LXXXIV
Hugh Bygott
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So often alone —
the Golden Oriole
sings to itself.
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LXXXV
Zhanna P. Rader
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Early morning —
finches shake the night rain
off the birch-tree.
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LXXXVI
Hugh Bygott
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First day of loneliness —
her Bullfinch warbles in its cage . . .
the Convent in the past.
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LXXXVII
Zhanna P. Rader
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Coffee plantation —
migratory warblers
make a stopover.
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LXXXVIII
Hugh Bygott
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Drifting, a Black Swan
eases through winter willows . . .
the Cam at nightfall.
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LXXXIX
Zhanna P. Rader
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Pecking about
at the edge of the tide —
turnstones.
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XC
Hugh Bygott
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Poised in elegance,
then swiftly a Hobby
claws a dragonfly.
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XCI
Zhanna P. Rader
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Monterey Bay —
cormorants stretch their wings out
to dry after swimming.
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XCII
Hugh Bygott
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Disdaining others,
a Cormorant inclines
to the waning moon.
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I am enjoying this series ...
Robert Wilson |
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XCIII
Zhanna P. Rader
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A bush fire —
carmine bee-eaters snatching
insects in mid-flight.
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XCIV
Hugh Bygott
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Spring excitement,
golden crests rising and falling . . .
Hoopoes show off.
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XCV
Zhanna P. Rader
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Their friendship:
a plover feeds on leeches attached
to the Nile croc's gums.
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XCVI.a
Hugh Bygott
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Easy riders?
Cape Buffalos carry their egrets
through the waterless heat.
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XCVI.b
Zhanna P. Rader
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High pitched squeal —
an eagle picks up
a sea otter's pup.
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| Zhanna, we have looked at symbiosis and predation in the last three poems. This aspect of animal life contrasts with contentment, the cat by the fire, the dog walking with the owner, and the parrot on the sailor's shoulder. I have noticed that some birds seem more contented than others. In my garden, the stone chats seem to want to start a conversation. Some of the smaller birds seem very contented. Hence my next poem. HB |
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XCVII
Hugh Bygott
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Wild clary —
the Blue Tit pauses, easy
in the world of blue.
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XCVIII
Zhanna P. Rader
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From a flowering
redbud tree, mockingbird's
loud potpourri . . .
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| Hugh, which birds have you seen in your garden? I have seen dozens in mine. Zh. |
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XCIX
Hugh Bygott
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Manifold meanings —
the sound for which I listen . . .
a nightingale.
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In my garden I have heard the sound of a nightingale three times in five years.
In English literature and in Japanese haiku, the nightingale's song is a sound
of joy. However, in Classical Greek literature it is a sad song. Having read
Electra, I can never hear the sound in the same way as before. This is an
example of observation being theory-laden, an idea which opposes Shiki's Shasei
Theory.
I have noticed at least eleven species of birds in my garden, Stonechat, Robin,
Dove, Skylark, Thrush, Starling, Sparrow, Crow,
Magpie, Blue Tit, and Wren. HB
Regular birds in Zhanna's garden:
1.American Robin
2.Mockingbird
3.Cardinal
4.Brown Thrasher (Georgia state bird)
5.House Wren
6.Black-capped Chickadee
7.Rufous-sided Towhee
8.Flycatcher
9.Blue Jay
10.Flicker
11.Red-headed Woodpecker
12.House Finch
13.Ruby-throated Hummingbird
14.Mourning Dove
15.Eastern Bluebird
16.Tufted Titmouse
17.Catbird
18.White-breasted Nuthatch
19.Downy Woodpecker
20.White-throated sparrow
Other visitors:
21.Red-Tailed Hawk
22.Cowbird
23.Starling
24.Golden-crowned kinglet
25.Cedar waxwings
26.Scarlet Tanager
27.Black Vulture
28.House sparrow
29.Common Grackle (purple)
30.Crow
I am sure that some other birds visit our garden, but I sometimes do not know what kind of birds they are, especially if they are very small. |
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C
Zhanna P. Rader
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Nightingale —
I can see the song vibrate
in its throat.
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| That I saw when living in Ukraine. Zhanna |
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