< Describe The Scene As lt ls >

My advice to you. dear readers, is that the first step of haiku practice is for you to describe the scene you see as it is. When you draw a picture, you begin with the practice of "dessin"(designing), namely,describing an object. I suggest that you do the same for haiku.

To describe or sketch a scene means first to capture a scene with your own eyes, second reflect it on your mind, and third describe what you feel by means of the reflected scene. For example, you see beautiful cherry blossoms, and describe your admiring heart by means of the reflected flowers like:

sakimichi te koboruru nana mo nakari keri (Kyoshi)

prime bloom not a single petal falling

This haiku shows the case of perfect oneness of the poet's heart and the blossoms that gives birth to a poem. Objective description or "sha-sei" is not superficial viewing but observing your excitement or even irresistable feelings in emotional detachment. In other words, a cool self observes another excited self, providing a different view of your own profile, and prevents your haiku from becoming a sphere of self conceit and righteousness.

Like so many different faces and bodies, Personality determines what is reflected on your heart and how it is reflected. Personality, when expressed in haiku, presents itself in unique feeling and viewpoint, rendering haiku all the more interesting.

Another day comes with another series of haiku, which is possible because of the objective description. A new haiku is born of your heart and objective description of it. Your feelings at time of description will remain intact in your haiku beyond passage of time.

"Hana" or flower is a season word of haiku which means cherry flowers. Let me introduce some haiku I made describing.the life of flowers.

sakisome te hajimaru hana no hibi narishi	virgin blooms days of flowers about to unfold
hanabie no kotoba to matte araware shi	early spring cold returning season Word featured
hanabie mo ame mo hoteru no mado no soto	cold and rain early flower season outside hotel window
furikaeri mite hand no michi hana no naka	looking back path and self all in flowers
mada hana o chirasu ni oshiki amenare do	flowers in bloom still pitiless rain falling
saki michite chiru hokawa nashi hana no ame	flowers past prime days rain ushering
sokoni ima oto naki sekai hana fubuki	out there soundless world flowers falling
ame fureba kale fukeba hana oshimu hibi	rain falling wind blowing pity for flowers
hana chirasu ameni uruou daichi ari	ruining flowers rain cultivating thirsty earth
shiba nurete shizumoru mono ni hana no kuzu	bed of vet lawn flower petals resting

It may help you better understand the concept of objective descriptionw when you compare the following with our modern counterparts:

fuji hitotsu uzuni nokoshite wakaba kana

Mount Fuji alone left uncovered new leaves growing

You see a vast stretch of lively green leaves in a fresh mood of early summer. But Mt.Fuji, still crowned With ren]aining snow, stands out in a beautiful lofty posture. You feel like Watching a grand picture, don't you?

Author of this haiku, Buson lived from 1716 to 1783 in the middle of the Edo period. He was seriously concerned about the declining quality of haiku following the death of Bash-o. Buson tried hard to renovate haiku and made a lot of excellent poems. Buson and his colleagues put up a slogan "Return to Basho" and their works were respectably called "Renaissance School."

It was no wonder that Buson was good at picturesque haiku. He was highly appreciated as a representative painting artist of his day while well known as a haiku poet.

nano hana ya tsuki va higashi ni hi wa niShi ni	rapeqblossoms the moon in the east the sun in the west
botan chitte uchi kasanari nu nisan pen	tree peony falling petals in layers two to three

These haiku are well known.