Now that I've started reading more haiku, I've noticed the theme of reflections or perhaps - not sure how to describe this - a mental coiling? comes up often. I've seen haiku with water reflected on water, clouds reflected in clouds, cats curled around themselves.
Is there a reason behind this? Is it just that the reflective nature of haiku tends to translate itself into literal reflections in the poetry?
Not a great example, but one inspired by my old dog:
snuggled
beneath the blanket
beneath my dog
Julie B. K.
(jublke)
Hello, Julie,
It may be because it's late and my brain has quit for the day, but I'm having some confusion as to what kind of "reflections" you're talking about -- the kind with a mirror image or the kind with pondering something. You mention both, so I'm not sure. I think they're two very different species.
Somewhere, I read a list by a well-known haiku poet/editor listing topics that had been done to death, and one of them was reflections (the mirror-image kind). I did a Google search, but couldn't find the list. I'll keep looking, you might find it interesting.
As for your question, I don't know. I like your dog haiku, though.
cat
snuggled
beneath the blanket
beneath my dog
... it is a great example of a fantastic haiku. In Japanese the "my" wouldn't be there literally so it might be (also without the "thes"):
snuggled
beneath blanket
beneath dog
and then,
snuggled
beneath the blanket
beneath the dog
... eliminating the pronoun and staying away from tontoism at the same time. You original is excellent in English.
Love it..... great seeing ya, too.
all the best,
Don
As to the common type of reflections, stuff like moon-on-water-breaking-into-fragments-as-water-is-disturbed, I think often the poet is capturing a sense of instant as well as transience, with a dramatic action in nature.
Hi cat: I was thinking of the mirror-image kind, but often those haiku also seem to evoke pondering at the same time. I'm reluctant to point to actual haiku because I'm not sure when you can post another's poem without infringing upon another's copyright.
Hi Don: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the suggestions. :)
Hi merlot: I wasn't thinking so much of poems evoking reflective actions, but rather those describing ... hmm ... maybe echoes? ... like seeing the trees within the trees or the flower within the flower. Sorry that I'm not able to describe it better. I've found that those poems sometimes fall a bit short for me and I've wondered about their popularity and what I'm missing.
Once a theme reaches a certain critical mass, it almost becomes an obligation for poets to try their hands at it.
I've tried having fun with the theme:
Fun-house mirror:
at last I see myself
for what I am
I don't think this haiku came off, though.
Another thought: in Buddhism a polished mirror is often used to symbolize a pure mind and reflections may symbolize the world of illusion. Many early haiku poets in English who were influenced by Zen (or Japanese poets who were influenced by Zen) may have picked up on this and introduced these images into their own work.
Julie, oh now I get it. I've written one of those and sort of regretted it. It borders on a trick unless it really delivers insight, and some really do deliver.
Quote from: Julie B. K. on December 20, 2010, 02:41:03 PM
Now that I've started reading more haiku, I've noticed the theme of reflections or perhaps - not sure how to describe this - a mental coiling? comes up often. I've seen haiku with water reflected on water, clouds reflected in clouds, cats curled around themselves.
Is there a reason behind this? Is it just that the reflective nature of haiku tends to translate itself into literal reflections in the poetry?
Julie B. K.
As we are constantly surrounded by reflections of one manner or another it's only natural they find themselves into haiku. The danger lies in falling into a cliche. But a good haiku with reflection, is always worth reading.
I've written a few myself! ;-)
dockside dredger
undulating reflections
between night showers
Presence #2 ISSN 1366-5367 (1996)
in the river reflection
he watches himself
watch the sunset
paper wasp (spring/oct 1997)
cormorant lines
above the koi pool
children's reflections
Commended
Anthology Haiku Competition "AN3-2000"
Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (Serbia)