H. Shirane, Early Haikai Poetry and Poetics
I didn't realize how little I knew about haiku before reading this. I knew a little about haibun and linked sequences of haiku, and knew that the 5-7-5 structure was neither ubiquitous nor the only rule for writing a haiku, but I did not realize that haiku, haibun, and haiga are all considered part of the same tradition; I had never even heard the term haikai. The reading was both informative and daunting. There will be a lot to take into account when translating, including a vast pool of common references in both classical works and the contemporary culture of haikai artists. In order to appreciate the artful juxtapositions, we'll have to understand the elements being juxtaposed.
Janine Beichman, The Pleasures of Haiku: From Basho to Shiki and Beyond
The excerpts that Beichman presented from Masaoka Shiki's writings align with the ideas I typically have in mind when thinking about or attempting to write haiku: intense presence, curiosity about nature, and a micro-focus on one's surroundings. After reading about the more irreverent modes in early haikai, I wonder to what extent the Basho circle and Shiki departed from the norm. Were form and the combination of references to contemporary and older language the only connective thread between Basho and Shiki and their urban haikai contemporaries? It seems like their work was well-received during their own lives, so I imagine they didn't anything too radical, but it seems like there are stark differences in tone and material between something like the Sahohime piss/mist pun and Shiki's approach.
I'm also struck by how much of the interpretation of a haiku depends upon knowledge of the poet's life. How much research would have been involved for a contemporary reader of the cockscomb flowers haiku? Did people know its context at the time, or is a translator like Keith Vincent imposing life-context onto the poem retroactively?
"Yosano Akiko, Japan's First Feminist Poet"
What a fascinating figure, especially in how her poetry reflects the social changes going on in early 20th century Japan. I'd be curious to know more about the trajectory of tankas between her work and Tawara's. It seems like Akiko's poetry retained the high register of traditional tanka, but her subject matter was considered progressive. Does Tawara draw inspiration from her to do radical work? Or is it more accurate to think of Tawara and Akiko as singular voices who happen to be working in the same tradition?
Machi Tawara, Salad Anniversary
By Juliet Winters Carpenter's description of Tawara's wide acclaim, it seems like her work is fresh in some of the same ways that early haikai works were. She fuses contemporary and classic references and styles, connecting with her readers on both a personal/mundane level, and a literary one where common references are understood. Being unfamiliar with the tanka tradition, I don't know how precedented or unprecedented Tawara's work is, but it sounds like she's that rare kind of poet whose mastery expresses itself in many modes.
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