ROMANIAN KUKAI

Other three poems from Romanian Kukai

2011-12-11T08:26:00.000+02:00

hand in hand
on the sunny path-
fall shadows
Corneliu Traian Atanasiu

meagre horse
slowly moving off-
frozen trough
Ioan Garda

the red carpet-
in the frame a squirrel
holding a nut
Corneliu Traian Atanasiu

My favourites among the RK and HC winners in 2011

2011-12-04T21:57:00.002+02:00

Lamp of watch-
mosquito's shadow
as big as a horse

Petru Ioan Gârda

"To make a horse out of a mosquito", in Romanian, is the equivalent of "to make a mountain out of a molehill". When one is on the watch, worrying, this is very likely to happen. But it is also easy to imagine the actual shadow of a mosquito cast on a wall in the size of a horse by a small lamp.

wedding suit-
a couple of moths
in a pocket

Dan Norea

The old wedding suit is shelter for a new couple. I find the image rather tender, although moths are usually associated with decrepitude.

after the downfall-
deeper the colour
of forget-me-nots

Virginia Popescu

Is this poem about flowers after rain, or is it about blue eyes and tears?

lunch break-
on the plough handle
sparrows prattling

Mihai Mateiciuc

autumn wind
opening all gates-
no caller

Valeria Tamas

The results of the haiku Contest organized by the Haiku Journal (edition 2009)

2009-05-18T16:32:00.007+03:00

The editing board of the Journal of Romanian-Japanese cultural interferences HAIKU has organized in the first semester of this year, the annual competition of haiku poems, edition 2009, with international participation.
It has received by e-mail or by mail a number of 554 haiku poems, belonging to 94 poets. From these number of 203 poems belonged to the Romanian poets and 351 poems belonged to the foreign poets.
The foreign poets have chosen for communication their own language and also English or French. The choice and the quality estimation of the haiku poems were made by the jury in three distinct sections. Finally, the prizes and honorable mentions were awarded to the sections Romanian, English and French.
The criteria for accepting poems are the requirements communicated in the notification of the contest: haiku following the formal 5-7-5 syllables per-line structure and original poems which were not published in newspapers, journal or in any other forms up to the date of the competition. Also, the most appreciated was the presence of the kigo, kireji in the poems, and the suggestive power of the poems.
The jury was composed of:
- President – the poet Radu Cârneci
- Members: the poets Paula Romanescu,Vasile Moldovan and Valentin Nicoliţov

The jury congratulates the poets that have been awarded a prize and thanks to all competitors for the participation.
The winner of the prizes and honorable mentions are:

Romanian Section

First Award – George BĂDĂRĂU, Iaşi

Altă ninsoare
în azilul de bătrâni…
poate ultima

Another snowfall
in the asylum of old people...
as it seems the last

Second Award – Ştefan G. THEODORU, Bădila

S-a dus bunicul-
acum doar stelele
păzesc ograda

Granda is gone -
lots of stars are still guarding
his farm every night

Third Award – Vali IANCU, Bucureşti

Cămin părăsit-
totul sub stăpânirea
păpădiilor

Abandonated home -
all under the possession
of dandelions

Mentions:

Adina ENĂCHESCU, Râmnicu-Vâlcea

Totu-n ruină –
doar o fetiţă-i cântă
păpuşii rupte

All is in ruins -
only a girl sings for
the broken doll

Ioan MARINESCU PUIU, Cluj-Napoca

O libelulă
poposită pe bancă-
stau în picioare

A dragonfly
resting on the bench-
I stand up

Oprica PĂDEANU, Bucureşti

Trandafiri trecuţi-
un fluture amorţit
chiar în palma mea

Whitered roses -
a benumed butterfly
just in my palm

Mentions for senryu:

Florin GRIGORIU, Lehliu-Gară

Arşiţă mare-
cu brusturele pe cap
nici nu îmi pasă

Scorching heat -
with a bur instead of hat
I don’t care a straw

Ion UNTARU, Băneasa, Giurgiu

Câştigat pe stradă
pierdut până acasă
ultimul haiku

Won on the street
lost until home
the last haiku

French Section

Premier prix: Alexandra IVOYLOVA-Bulgaria

Nuages passants-
tantôt lumiere, tantôt l’ombre
sur le cimetière

Nori trecători-
când lumină. când umbră
peste cimitir

Second prix: Anna Do So TADJUIDEEN-Franţa

La première gelée-
petit ange de la fontaine
s’arrête de pisser

Primul îngheţ-
micul înger la fântînă
şi-opreşte jetul

Troisieme prix: Jessica TREMBLAY, Canada

Finis les cerisiers-
les touristes regardent
les cartes postales

Gata cireşii-
turiştii văd acum
doar cărţi poştale

Mention: Jean-Michel AUBRUN, Franţa

Coucher de soleil! Soare-n asfinţit!
L’epouvantail du verger, Sperietoarea în pomi
lui, este insensible

Soare-n asfinţit!
Sperietoarea din pomi
nepăsătoare

Mention: Aksinia MIHAILOVA, Bulgaria

Rue de Sofia.
Au-dessus les poubelles
acacias en fleurs

Stradă-n Sofia.
Peste pubele pline
salcâmi în floare

Mention: Frans TERRYN, Belgia

Village natal- Satul natal-
ou sont les épouvantails unde-s sperietorile
de mon enfance?

Satul natal-
unde-s sperietorile
de altădată?
de altădată?

English Section

First Award: Anatoly KUDRYAVITSKY – Irlanda

Aspen in the rain-
every leaf drip-dripping with
the sound of autumn

Un plop în ploaie -
în fiecare frunză
sunetul toamnei

Second Award: Ludmila BALABANOVA - Bulgaria

First kiss…
the scent of lime
reaches the stars

Cel dintâi sărut -
mireasma florii de tei
ajunge la stele

Third Award: Verica ZIVCOVIC – Serbia

Little bells tinkling-
from the coachman’s greysh beard
smell of melted snow

Clinchet de clopoţei -
în barba vizitiului
neaua topindu-se

Mentions:

Angelee DEODHAR – India

Late afternoon light-
hand-picked tomatoes
glow in her hand

Lumina serii -
roşiile culese
lucind în mâna ei

David McMurray – Japonia

Boy with autism
turns every leaf right side up
straight line pointing home

Băiatul autist
întoarce fiecare foaie
în direcţia casei

Barbara A. TAYLOR – Australia

My guard of honour-
on both sides of the bridge
a line of pelicans

Gardă de onoare -
de ambele părţi ale podului
şiruri de pelicani

Sasa VAZIC –Serbia

Frightened by
my mirrored image
a scarecrow

Înspăimîntată
de înfăţişarea mea
o sperietoare

English translations for the Contest of Haiku Journal made by Vasile Moldovan.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI OCTOBER 2008

2009-05-13T16:35:00.004+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for Oktober 2008. The theme of the contest was quince.

First place

a single lamp

for the old woman’s winter

quince by the window

Corina Ion

Second place

the same yellow:

a quince in my window

and the full moon

Maria Tirenescu

Third place

Autumn service –

the quince swings

scenting the yard

Gabriel IORDAN-DOROBANŢU

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI SEPTEMBER 2008

2009-05-12T20:34:00.008+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for June 2008. The theme of the contest was holiday.

First place

Nocturnal silence –
in the shell of my suitcase
the sea's roar

Simona Dobrescu

Second place

only a tourist –
looking at the moon
at the window

Maria Tirenescu

Flocks of cranes -
in the holiday village
a tent and a shadow

Doina Bogdan Wurm

Third place

Hoarfrost on vineyards –
holiday memories
sweet as grape juice

Mihaela Băbuşanu Amalanci

On corner of the desk
the holiday souvenir –
a steering wheel clock

Henriette Berge

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

The International Festival of Haiku, Constantza, 22th-29th of May, 2009

2009-04-28T22:13:00.003+03:00

CONSTANTZA HAIKU SOCIETY - ROMANIA AND JAPAN EMBASSY FROM BUCHAREST

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

THE SCHOOL INSPECTORATE CONSTANTZA, THE CULTURAL DIRECTION OF THE DISTRICT CENTER CONSTANTZA, THE CULTURAL DISTRICTIT FOR THE CULTURE, CULTS AND NATIONAL HERITAGE, WRITERS’UNION-ROMANIA (DOBROGEA DISTRICT), UNIVERSITIES: „ANDREI ŞAGUNA”, „SPIRU HARET”-TERRITORIAL CENTER CONSTANTZA, „OVIDIUS”, „TOMIS”, KINDERGARDENS, SCHOOLS, LYCEES, SCHOOLS GROUPS, CULTURALS CENTERS, MUSEUMS (MUNICIPAL AREA, IN DISTRICT, AND IN THE OTHER TOWNS)

Invites you to participate in The International Festival of Haiku which will develop in Constantza, in the period 22th-29th of May, 2009, in the educational project, with a cultural and artistic impact: ROMANIAN-JAPANESE INTERCULTURALITY, by theme: HAIKU IN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD-WILD LYRIC, an event organized on the occasion of 50 YEARS FROM THE RELATIONSHIP REFRESH OF THE ROMANIAN-JAPANESE DIPLOMACY (September 1959-2009) and JAPAN DANUBE-FRIENDSHIP YEAR 2009 (AUSTRIA, BULGARIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA, 1st January-31st December).

The calendar of the activities will comprise: in the first 4 days: seminars, communications (10-12 slides), debates, book exhibitions, of haiga, Power Point sights (lyrical texts), hearings: classic and folk Japanese-Romanian music; workshops of creation, and ikebana demostrations, book presentations, ginko trips, haiku and haiga competition, (dead line 1 May) with a receiving term of the texts and titles of communications as well as of the books to be presented and launched on 1st May , 2009.

Option: 4 days of trips at the Monasters and Museums of Constantza and Dobrodgea district and the Danube Delta. Accomodation at Hotel Saguna** (2 bed by room, shower in hall) - Mamaia, by 7.5 euro single and 10 euro double room by day; lunch and dinner at Colegiul „Constantin Brătescu”:, constantza, 5 euro by day; Hotel *** Parc - Mamaia (tel 0241/831720 www.hotel-parc.ro), single 23 euro +1 taxes/double room 30 euro+ 1 taxes for ; lunch and dinner:18 euro, by day, breackfast included.

We will be very honoured to have you among the participants.

For other pieces of information you may use:

tel. 0341/408421;

0723/230273;

0241/695143;

0341/806982;

laura.vaceanu@yahoo.com;

mnt_flora_alexandra@yahoo.com;

The Haiku Society Staff in Constantza

Spring in November

2009-03-13T22:30:00.004+02:00

(brave line, beautiful verse)
by Dumitru Radu

tranlated into English by Dumitru Rosu

The change of our eurocentric attitude opened new windows to Far Eastern cultures whose art and literature can be enjoyed despite language and philosophical barriers.
In this framework, classical Japanese poetry has aroused particular interest thanks to its haiku micro-poem as well as other related poetic genres (tanka, renku, haibun).
We note however that in recent years there has been growing interest for poems that associate the haiku with images (drawings or photographs): the haiga and photo-haiku. They polarize the recipient’s interest by revealing a complementarity between the visual and the textual. Numerous exhibitions at home and abroad stand testimony to this impact that challenges both imagination and creativity.
After the first haiga exhibition of Paula and Adina Romanescu in Bucharest, 1994, there have been others in Constanta and Targu Mures. A successful photo-haiku exhibition was that of Jules Cohn Botea at Cercul Militar din Bucureşti, at the bebinning of 2008.
The year’s end brought us a new haiga exhibition, that of graphic artist and poet Dumitru Roşu and of poetess Vali Iancu, opened 18th to 30th November 2008 at Sala Dalles in Bucharest.
The boldness of the line and beauty of the verse come together in the works of Dumitru Roşu. Being fascinated by Hokusai’s stamps, he puts together a small group of poems named Facets of Mount Fuji.

Fascination –
Solar eruption
On Mount Fuji

The second image is auditory: the silence of the ocean deep competes against the height of the celebrated mountain peak:

Halt on Mount Fuji –
From the peak I hear
The silence of the deep

Another exotic theme approaches the desert and its contrasting colours:

Sunset –
Among blooded dunes
Grey dromedaries

The two “erotic” haikus do not convince us, as the rules of haiku exclude the erotic element.
The one I find the best is a local theme preserving over time the sadness of the exiled poet:

On the sea shore
Ovidiu’s sorrow
Carved in stone

If we weigh the visual against the poetic, the balance tilts toward the first, and the small number of haigas does not allow a more ample appreciation.

Her poetic experience, activity within the workshops of the Romanian Haiku Society, and publications in periodicals, allow poetess Vali Iancu to develop a broad thematic palette, ranging from thought to timelessness, from flower to remembrance.

Let us have a taste of a few haigas:

Old fireplace –
the ghost of youth
dances in the flames

Here, the intense feelings of youth overlap the flames that define both their intensity, and perishable nature.
The thought poising for a moment over a half-drunk glass of beer echoes the wind-blown leaves, both just as hesitant in their drift.
The poetess proves to be a fine “watercolourist” through the faint caresses of shadows over otrher shadows (saints), in turn shadowed by time:

Leaves’ shadows
caress the faces of saints
in the old stained glass

By cultivating contrasts, Vali Iancu opposes the violets in her mother’s window to a spring snowfall:

My mother’s window
full of violets –
outside, it’s snowing

Her ability to create an autumn atmosphere is proven by another poem. Brahms, usually volcanic, can only be heard faintly, echoing the pale autumn tones:

Frost takes over –
no bug outside
subdued Brahms

For last I have left a poem I noticed long ago, which would do honour to any anthology. It is a poem capturing the moment, a constant element of Japanese haiku:

A drifting butterfly
stopped on my shoulder –
friends of a second

Graphic artist Dumitru Roşu understood the poetess’s intentions which he illustrated with subtlety, always surprising through novelty.
A haiga should be admired in an exhibition, not in a book, on the Internet or on television where it loses its flavour, because reception is amplified in an exhibition room through the joint energetic fields, the light, the atmosphere, and the presence of the authors.
One leaves this exhibition with a feeling of Spring, although it’s November and cold. The poems’ texts mounted on branches gives the impression of the month of flowers, and the line and verse join into a symbiosis not to be forgotten soon.
To quote Arghezi, who, witnessing the performance of a violinist, noticed that “the joining of a second’s worth of bow with a second’s worth of violin gives birth to an eternity of thrill”, we now bear witness to another union: that of a line coupled with a verse giving rise to sentiment.
I congratulate the authors for the visual and spiritual feast and urge them to join their creative powers once again for other such occasions.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI AUGUST 2008

2009-02-17T11:03:00.004+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for June 2008. The theme of the contest was melon.

First place

Nobody to watch –
among yellow melons
the moon is missing

Eduard Ţară

harvest time -
only the moon's shadow
on a melon stalk

Simona Dobrescu

Second place

With all its seeds
the slice of water melon
is laughing at me

Ioan Marinescu-Puiu

Country road–
the crunch of carts
laden with melons

Adina Enăchescu

Moon in gloom -
the melons lights up
the thief’s way

Doina Bogdan Wurm

Third place

Melon thieves -
just this night the guard
would be drunk

Ana Ruse

Drizzle -
among the striped melons
the old dog…

Felicia Leş

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI JULY 2009

2009-01-22T17:22:00.007+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for June 2008. The theme of the contest was mirror.

First place

Puddle in the road
clouds dissipate
beneath the cartwheel

Dumitru Radu

Second place

Scorching nights –
more and more universe
mirrored in the pond

Eduard Ţară

The moon watches –
a deer is sipping
stars from the spring

Adina Enăchescu

Nestling lark -
the shadow of a hawk
in the distance

Livia Ciupav

Third place

water surface
the sun is touching
a dragonfly

Tincuţa Horonceanu Bernevic

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

The 2nd Kokako Tanka Competition

2008-12-10T11:46:00.003+02:00

Open to all!

Closing date: 31st December, 2008

First Prize
NZ$250

2 Runners-up prizes of NZ$100 each

Judge:
Tony Beyer

Send entries to:

The Kokako Tanka Competition,
Patricia Prime, co-editor
42 Flanshaw Road
Te Atatu South
Auckland 8
New Zealand

Please make cheques out to Kokako
Overseas entrants may send cash at their own risk

Conditions of entry

1. Tanka must be previously unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.
2. Entry fee is NZ$2 per tanka or 3 for NZ$5; for overseas entries, US$1 per tanka, or 4 for US$3. Any number of entries.
3. Send two copies of each tanka, or group of tanka, with your name and address on one copy only.
4. Winning tanka and commended entries will be published in Kokako 10 (April, 2009).
5. Winners will be notified by mail.
6. Any theme is acceptable.

Any queries, email: pprime@ihug.co.nz

Comfort Procust

2008-11-22T13:59:00.005+02:00

The poet Ion Untaru comes to the Universe of Poetry from the rigorous world of numbers. This fact cannot be neglected if we want to see his true portrait. In him coexist two egos (beings). Thirsty spirit for real world, characteristic of all people working in the field of science – he is a graduate of the Economical Sciences Academy of Bucharest - doubled by the poetical nature makes a genuine poet of a sensitive artistical soul which knows to observe beauties and sadness of nature and society.
His artistic personality, strong but contorted as the statuary Laokoon group predicted ever since his first book „Mister Liszt” (Publishing House Amurg sentimental, 1994) appeared, divided into two parts: „Walking with the coach” and „Lamentation of the nightingale”.
His poetical universe is here constituted, and his poems always reflect nature and society. Nature expires him to write exotic and succinct but concentrated haiku poems, while the society is an inexhaustible source of his senryu poems. The expression „One eye is laughing and the other is crying” is very well adapted to these two literary forms, coming from the Country of the Rising Sun.
Both in prose and in poetry the writer Ion Untaru knows how to organically join the two sides of human existence, life and death. He enjoys the incomparable nature, assuming the great or little dramas, so many in fact, of his fellow people. Even though, from the beginning, he seats himself under Bacovia’s zodiacal sign, the Romanian classic closest to haiku.

The graveyards are flooded
We’re closed in our houses
Father and mother and daughter
All of them, praying in vain
Look here sweetheart how cold are
Our hands dead people weep
None of us is really old,
No chance to get out bold

The poet’s soul is rich. It frets, laments, contemplates, admires. His frame of mind is not easy to quantify nor to put into moulds. The man of rigorous, right numbers, after his free verse period, is in a continuous search of forms able to better express the truth. I mean the artistic truth. Like an athlete which begins the marathon to reach the top of his career with a hundred meters. His endeavors can be compared with the hard work of a sculptor passing from his great breadth to miniature works. As the size decreases, the value of the work increases. How much sawdust is made when a sculptor gives life to a child head, for instance? And how many words a poet is to get rid off or to transfigure to eventually get a jewel the size and magnificence of a sonnet, roundel or haiku?
Only a poet who have tried, like the legendary Procust, to bring everything to the same size, to a common denominator, speaking in mathematical terms, does know it. Ion Untaru is one of these poets who times words, gathering them in the fold of fixed form poems.
Such an example is „Flower of Lotus” (Semne, 2006). This book contains 148 poems, each consisting of quatrains. An immense number of verses - 3960. The author has managed to avoid monotony. The mould is the same, but the content is varied. Writing in the atmosphere of his fellow Ion Barbu, the poet of lotus flower (often met in haiku poetry), he resurrects the old Balkan world. A lot of words and syntagms have the aroma of old wine preserved in mulberry wood barrels: old accordions, romances with music perfume, sensation in fauburg, confused bonnet, tapestries of old Bucharest, the fees‘coach in trot, boots, bazaars, grinder, a castle man, a map of a military Roman camp. And so it continues. The summary of „The Old Book” by Geo Bogza can be read as an independent poem. The quasitotality of titles of these 148 poems in a specific immutable form created by him, are poetical by themselves and all of them could be considered poetry: The blind artist was painting a nu, The Solitude of the great pictures, Falling asleep with silence in my hand, History is but a reptile, Violin concerto of a cricket, The grinder at the coin of the street, Great chars with tilts, Silence as a corrugated paper, A Butterfly or may be a fee, I kiss and break this sword. Such poetry does contain some verses particularly beautiful which can exist for themselves, like a pillatian poem written in one verse: My celestial chain of jewels, The Moon was descending like a battle ax, The life is flowing the sky into inkpot...
Next come his sonnets. Ion Untaru has written them ever since the 80’s. In his debut thin booklet, mentioned above, he tried to feel the sea with his finger, publishing two sonnets: „The world axes” and „Matrimonials”. Only a year later, he has achieved the true measure in this field of maximal formal restrictions, allowing him to free his imagination. „Invitation to the castle” (Sagittarius, foreword by Marcel Crihană), contains 132 sonnets. As a pure statistical fact, the „Invitation” has 12 sonnets less than the great Will has written. Their elaboration took place, I suppose, in longer torments. Lucian Blaga says in „Quatrain”: „No song is easy. Day / and night – nothing is easy on earth: / that dew is the sweat of nightingales / which have labored all night singing”.
It is not easy to cut legs, even though they are not of flesh and bones, but of words, and to put them in a mould to stay there for a long time, aiming sometimes at eternity. You confer them, it is a comfortable bed, Procust’s bed. „The Comfort” of the poet, the surgeon of these operations of amputation and implant, is not easy to resume in words. Ion Untaru does this in his manner in his sonnet „Instrumentaire”, opening the volume:

So many words assault
The most engraved hidden from you
Where to find better ones and to whom
to offer them daily without fault?
Smelling almond and too
Dark night in sleep, stars on the vault
Through meanings almost one somersault
You quickly find him like a yahoo

To reach the haiku poem of Japanese origin, which aims at the very essence of poetry, Ion Untaru have passed through various custom barriers. A custom for words. Metaphorically speaking, he worked with an electronic balance and a dropper, knowing how to renounce of every unnecessary word and to retain only noble metal. Because pure gold is reserved only for the Creator, as people say.
It seemed that the last variant was roundel, that Al. Macedonski had improved to the highest degree in Romanian poetry – the beginning of the haiku movement in Romania.
In roundel as well in sonnet the imagination of Ion Untaru has no limits. He dedicates roundel to love, tenderness, to a book which opens with hazard, to the organ man (grinder), bells, two to the rain, three to coffee and so on. To decrease the ardor and selection of themes, would be to reduce them in favor of a fashionable content and its depth. Very expressive is the roundel of spring coming late contained in his volume “The Fountain in which souls are seen”. If we look carefully, we shall find in a single quatrain seven elements common to haiku poetry, with many a kigo:

Once again our spring is late
With shining sun and rain for flowers
With insects, butterflies as a dower
And I miss dear cranes from my gate

It wasn’t to be so. Ion Untaru, together with Radu Patrichi, has created a tanrenga, tanka written by two authors. It’s called “From the secrets of friendship” (Amurg sentimental, 2006) and has been written by the two men who have never met in reality.
Ion’s travel from classical poetry to haiku lasted ten years. All his experience determined him to start on a new literary path. Although he doesn’t know all the secrets of the matter, he has had success from his debut pocketbook “Picking up stars” (Ambasador, Târgu Mureş, 2004) he has published as an independent haijin, having much to tell. In his vision, a poet is like a blossoming sweet cherry tree knocking on the window. Pick me up, people, it seems he is telling us in a specific wordless language. He generously offers us his poems instead of fruits:
Before the mirrorwith cherries to the earsa teen-age girl
Even though the Procust’s (Lilliputians) size of the haiku are not entirely fulfilled, the poet creates his poems with touching fragments of life. Formal imperfection is balanced by internal tension posted on such little space. Look how natural two fiancés are, although represented only by their shadows:
Fiancés on the foot bridgetheir shadowsshake hands
The pocketbooks „Prepeleac with moon” and „Inscriptions on the grain of rice”, issued a year later by the same publishing house, the „Haiku” collection edited by Ioan Găbudean, and the latest one confirm the quality of the haijin Mr. Ion Untaru. It rarely happens that one easily write a haiku. Despite its Lilliputian size, concentrating more and more ideas and feelings by less and less words, as even the poet confesses in this sentence:
The wholesterile mountainfor only one haiku
The poet seems to be secluded. In other times he would have been a hermit, a recluse. As there are no caverns, as he says, he exalted himself in the middle of the city, not in a nacre tower. This means an inside exile, sad, without higher hopes, but fruitful. Because solitude is sine qua non for creation.
If up to now he has not become a well-known haijin, his “Birds and words” will enable him to take a good place in the Haiku Constellation of the Romanian language.
After his honorable economist career, Ion Untaru is building his literary career accounting stars and numbering words.

VASILE MOLDOVAN

(English version by Ion Untaru)

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI JUNE 2008

2008-11-17T09:43:00.004+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for June 2008. The theme of the contest was skylark.

First place

poppies shadow -
the skylark's song
towards the sun

Henriette Berge

Second place

A skylark -
suddenly the blue
so much deep

Eduard Ţară

Soaring –
the song of a lark
opens the sky

Vali Iancu

Nestling lark -
the shadow of a hawk
in the distance

Livia Ciupav

Third place

A skylark
with the first dew drops
clearing his throat

Ioan Marinescu-Puiu

Sleepless night
listening to a lark
lone on the porch

Ion Untaru

Following the field -
the skylarks still drop
towards it

Mircea Teculescu

Dancing with the sky,
dissipation of shadows and trill -
a lark

Victoria Chiţoveanu

Day of June -
uniting with the sky

a lark

Dumitru Radu

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

THE RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HAIKU CONTEST “ONE THOUSAND CRANES” ROMANIA 2008

2008-11-06T09:24:00.004+02:00

THE RESULTS OF

THE INTERNATIONAL HAIKU CONTEST

“ONE THOUSAND CRANES”

ROMANIA 2008

93 participants, 32 countries from all the continents (except Antarctica): USA (15), Croatia (11), Romania (11), Brazil (5), Canada (5), Argentina (4), France (4), New Zealand (4), Australia (2), Belgium (2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2), Germany (2), Japan (2), Serbia (2), Spain (2), Sweden (2), Trinidad and Tobago (2), United Kingdom (2), Austria (1), Bulgaria (1), Finland (1), Hungary (1), India (1), Ireland (1), Italy (1), Kosovo Republic (1), Mexico (1), Nigeria (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Switzerland (1), Vietnam (1).

Mrs. Viorica DOBRE, Headmaster of The “Miron Costin” Highschool Iaşi,

Mr. Aleksandr LEVASHOV, Founder of The “International Art Partnership”,

and Mr. Eduard ŢARĂ, Member of The “Romanian Haiku Society”

announce the winning poems of the International Haiku Contest

“One Thousand Cranes” ROMANIA 2008

which were selected by the jury made up of the Founders of the Romanian Kukai Monthly Contest

Mr. Corneliu Traian ATANASIU (Jury President)

and Mrs. Magdalena DALE (Jury Member)

THEME: ORIGAMI

The First Prize

Listening to the flight

of a thousand white paper cranes...

a blind war veteran

Vasile MOLDOVAN

Bucharest, ROMANIA

The Second Prize

her first paper swan—

a bit of milkweed floss caught

inside the wing's fold

Ferris GILLI

Marietta, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Third Prize

old men gathering:

still folding and unfolding

origami cranes

Oana Aurora POSNAIEŞ

Galaţi, ROMANIA

Honourable Commendation

origami cranes

going away with the wind –

a morning prayer

Simona DOBRESCU-CRĂCIUN

Constanţa, ROMANIA

THEME: MISCELLANEOUS

The First Prize

a long-fallen fir

shorn of needles and branches...

the glint of a star

Scott MASON

Chappaqua, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Second Prize

Blossoms everywhere.

For the first time outdoors

with a white cane.

Frans TERRYN

Kortrijk, BELGIUM

The Third Prize

mid-autumn stillness

a lonely young crow's wing tips

reddened with the light

Bruce ROSS

Bangor, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Honourable Commendation

Rowing on the Black Sea –

before my eyes and behind me

the shine of Milky Way

Vasile MOLDOVAN

Bucharest, ROMANIA

Honourable Commendation

morning on the pond

a cloud and water lily

touching each other

Boris NAZANSKY

Zagreb, CROATIA

The Organizing Committee of the Contest made up of:

Mrs. Viorica DOBRE, Headmaster of The “Miron Costin” Highschool Iaşi,

Mr. Aleksandr LEVASHOV, Founder of The “International Art Partnership”,

and Mr. Eduard ŢARĂ, Member of The “Romanian Haiku Society”

decided to select three poems for the special prizes

Origami Peace Tree Prize

origami frog:

what old pond is he hoping

to find in the dusk?

William J. HIGGINSON

Summit, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Origami Peace Tree Prize

recycled paper

the origami heron

becoming a swan

Rosa CLEMENT

Manaus, BRAZIL

Origami Peace Tree Prize

the rainy season--

a paper dragonfly

slowly unfolds

Jim KACIAN

Winchester, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI MAY 2008

2008-08-04T16:25:00.007+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for May 2008. The theme of the contest was lime tree.

First place

Late night –
only the lime fragrance
passes the street

Ioan Marinescu-Puiu

Old woman’s house
only the fragrance of lime
passes her threshold

Livia Ciupav

Second place

A lime branch
looking beyond the wall
for the first time

Eduard Ţară

First day school –
in the lime hollow
two satchels

Dan Norea

Third place

Edge of the night
the last lime blossom
in a winding flight

Gabriela Marcian

Bent by the times
forgotten by the poets
the lime in Copou.

Dumitru Roşu

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems

HAIKU IN ROMANIA: Vasile Moldovan's Speech for WHAC4. Translation Magdalena Dale, Romania

2008-08-01T20:16:00.007+03:00

BEGINNINGS

In Romania, the first knowledge of Nippon poetry was in 1878 at the end of the Romanian Independence War. The first poetic book of haiku appeared in the year 1063 in Vienna and the first haiku thin booklets appeared in 1882 in Paris, France, and in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia in 1887. The Romanian ruler Carol I, received two documents from a Japanese prince, one written with Latin letters and the other one with ideograms, both of them contained verses. The quality of the paper and the finesse of the calligraphy have incited the young ruler’s curiosity. For the interpretation of these strange messages, he turned to the scholar Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, the director of the State Archives. It is said that Hasdeu told the ruler: “Sire, as far as I can tell these are little poems, which I can’t decipher them by myself. I know a Chinese gardener. Please, give my time to find him and construe together the messages.” The Romanian scholar ascertained with surprise, that those texts although written with Chinese ideograms, were in fact Nippon poems, tanka and haiku.
Two great poets of the epoch were visibly influenced by the exotic oriental poetry. V. Alecsandri had confessed to his friend I. Ghica (several times prime minister of Romania) that he intends to travel to Japan, being fascinated by its painting and poetry. His precarious health and his premature end hindered him reaching the country of Sun Rise. At the end of his life he had written the masterpiece of his literary career, the tome “Pastels”. V. Alecsandri has created a new poetical genre in Romanian literature – the pastel (of pictural manner) inspired from the Chinese poetry about nature and Japanese haiku. He had read Chinese poetry in French translation while working in the capital of France as a diplomat.
While in Paris, Al. Macedonski, another classic of the Romanian literature, discovered Japanese literature. We have kept four haiku of his in Romanian language in a manuscript. Al. Macedonski has given fame to a fix form of poetry, the roundel. His masterpiece “The poem of the roundels”, published posthumously in 1925 contains more poems about the Japanese art and civilization: “The water roundel from the Japanese yard”, “The roundel of the Japanese Sea”, “Chrysanthemum roundel” and the “Ioshiwara roundel”.
After diplomatic relations were establishment between Romania and Japan in 1902, numerous conferences about Japanese civilization and poetry took place; numerous travel books were edited in Japan. Many of these works contain distinct chapters about tanka and haiku. The first essays about tanka and haiku have appeared in the “Literary Event” magazine from Iasi, in 1904. In the same year, the poet Al. Vlahuta published in the “By the fireside” volume an essay “The Japanese poetry and painting” which contained numerous tanka and haiku poems.
If from Macedonski we have the first haiku in manuscript, Al. T. Stamatiad has published the first haiku poems in Romanian language, (twelve in total) in the “Tender landscape” anthology. The novelty was so great that this anthology was dignified with the highest cultural distinction of the time, “The Romanian Academy Prize”.

A ROMANIAN RESPONSE

But there were also other kinds of echoes. The poet Ion Pillat responded in a very original way. A long time ago he had written the poem “From samisen” inspired from Japanese reality.

Mount Fuji, Mount Fuji,
Over you fly the clouds
White storks, black storks,
With stretched wings

My love is sieved softly
On Kummamoto’s paths,
At Kitzumo, time and time,
The wind covers up all my past with snow

Samisen with two strings,
I touch you trembling, and you tremble too:
Ancient string, young soul,

Both are breaking.

Near the ancient temple in Nikko
There is a lake, and its mirror,
Like a water lily over water lilies,
The gilded countenance of Buddha…

This time he thought of giving a Romanian response to the Nippon haiku. And he created a new genre as short and concentrated as haiku, which was framed in European aesthetics. He wrote a new book, the most original of all, “The one line poems” in the last part of the year 1935 and published it at the beginning of the next year. Unlike the haiku poem, the one line poem had a title. If haiku has 17 syllables, Pillat’s poem has 13 or 14, but if we add the syllables from the title, usually very short, we have the same 17 number of syllables. The single verse of the poem has about half implied caesura, marked by a punctuation sign or a blank space, corresponding to kireji from haiku. In the Foreword, Pillat writes that the one line poem although it resembles haikai is different from it. The Romanian reply of haiku after Ion Pillat, represents:

„A single verse, born and not made, carried around for years, often unconsciously, filtering years of passion, summarizing in it many, unwritten, verses, and so many faces and places, able to render the traveling secret of the poetry, reduced to its single wealth, to be empty and eternal...the poetry which has reached such a despoilment, offers to the reader the highest delectation, but requests in change a constant and intimate collaboration. The less the poet has written, the more the reader has to read... a long poem can be read in a hurry, because each verse helps to understand and enjoy the next one. A single verse is to be read slowly. The letters are read quickly, but the telegram stops us”.
The one line poem, genre created by Ion Pillat, constitutes a living page of literary history. It is a challenge, in the good meaning of the word. Many contemporary Romanian poets have distinguished themselves alike in both genres: Dan Florica, Dumitru Radu, Bogdan I. Pascu, Utta Siegried – Konig, Ioan Marinescu (Romania), Stefan Teodoru and Floretin Smarandache (SUA).

TRANSLATIONS AND TRANSLATORS

The preoccupations for the propagation of the one line poem appeared in the same time with the translations from Japanese literature. The first haiku anthology appeared seventy years ago at Cernautzi (this city is today Ukraine territory). The publisher of the edition, inspired the poet Traian Chelariu, to name the anthology “Nippon soul”. By the quality of the translation and selection, the work presented for the first time the quintessence of the Japanese soul. The book was a real revelation, in our day it has become a rare bibliophile. Traian Chelaru has translated haiku from the German language. He has wanted to respect scrupulously even in the Romanian language, haiku poetics as well as in the Japanese language and in the German language. All haiku have respected the classic pattern 5-7-5 syllables with one exception. The single poem that did not respect entirely this pattern (only one syllable missing) was “exiled” at the bottom of the page with an excuse: “The translation is faithful, but inadequate with 17 syllables of haiku”. This strictness of the first haiku translator in the Romanian language has influenced the poets that have come after. The majority of the haiku Romanian poets try to respect stringently the classic pattern, often in damage of the content.
Seven years later, in 1942, in the midst of war, Al. T. Stamatiad publishes the tanka anthology “Nippon courtesan songs”. One year later, he translated from French an ample tanka and haiku anthology from the beginning until in those days, entitled “Silk scarves”. Although it had appeared in unfavorable time for literature, “Silk scarves” had a good reception from the general readers and from literary critique. As a result of the numerous favorable critiques, the work was distinguished with “The Romanian Academy Award”.
Imposition by the political conjuncture followed a hiatus in haiku reception and writing. In the 1970(s) a new opening to the Nippon lyric occurred. During a decade, three anthologies in seven volumes of tanka and haiku appeared. The editors of these anthologies were Ion Acsan and Dan Constantinescu who translated as Traian Chelariu from the German language. Nowadays Ion Acsan is the honorable president of the Roumanian Society of Haiku. The appearance of these anthologies in many editions produces a real emulation among the poets. Some of them have written haiku before year 1989, such as Nichita Stanescu and Marin Sorescu. Both of them are poets with international confirmation and candidates to the Nobel Prize. However, haiku was written sporadically and with uncertainty. The poets already had the patterns but they didn’t know very well the poetics of haiku. The authorities from that time didn’t like haiku, considering it a subversive literary genre. The allusions, the word-plays brought the politicians anxieties. So, the first works in the Romanian language appeared outside of the country borders.

MAGAZINES AND PRINTING HOUSES, SOCIETIES AND LITERARY CIRCLES

But the real opening to the promotion of haiku occurred in the year 1989 when the totalitarian regime was removed. Towards the end of that year, Florin Vasiliu, a Romanian diplomat who worked for a while in Japan published the book “Haiku constellation. Lyric interferences”. This book represented a real foundation stone for Romanian haiku. Well informed directly from the haiku source, the Romanian essayist wrote a complex work interweaving literary history with poetics of the genre. It is a guide book for the deciphering and writing of the haiku poem, with essential dates that are available even in our days. Some chapters were taken over and developed. Until the end of his life, the Romanian exegete had published twelve history books and haiku poetics. We may say that Romanian poets have a rich bibliography that helps them write haiku, knowing very well, haiku poetics.
In March 1990, Florin Vasiliu founded the “Haiku Magazine of Romanian-Japanese Relationships”, one of the first profile publications in Europe. At the beginning, the magazine was quarterly and was edited in 8,000 copies. For some time now it appears half-yearly and prints only under 1000 copies. In the editing board of the “Haiku magazine” there were renowned writers, like Marin Sorescu in the period when he was the minister of Culture. The editing board of the magazine has formed the nucleus of “Roumanian Society of Haiku” (RSH) formed one year later, on 19 March 1991. The Romanian Society of Haiku (RSH) was set up at the national level and included about 200 members. Shortly after several literary circles were formed in the country. In 1992 the HAIKU publishing house was set up. For a decade, this publishing house gained a good name and published several thin booklets with haiku and one line verse poems, most of them being printed in three languages: Romanian, English and French. When its activity ceased, the poetess Cornelia Atanasiu founded a new one, specialized in haiku, ALCOR.
Later, Haiku Societies were set up around the country… the Haiku Society from Constantza founded by poet and artist Ion Codrescu, was the first, in 1992. Also in 1992, the Haiku Magazine from Constanta, Albatross, began printing in both (Romanian / English).
In 1995, Serban Codrin, a very good poet especially of tanka and renga, founded Tanka, Renga and Haiku School in Slobozia. This school published two magazine: “Orion” and “Little Orion”, the latter having been dedicated exclusively to linked poem (renku).
At Targu Mures, the poet Ioan Gabudean founded the Haiku Club “Ephemeral joys” bringing together about 80 poets, especially from Transilvania. He edited two magazines: “Orpheus” and “Beautiful pictures”, the second one being dedicated to the pupils. He also started AMBASADOR publishing house, whos has printed almost one hundred haiku, senryu and tanka thin booklets and one line poems, most of them in English or French. Haiku magazines have appeared in towns like Piatra – Neamt and Targoviste. From the nine haiku periodical publications, three have survived, concentrating mostly on haiku poets.

OPENINGS

Simultaneously with approval on a national level our poets have tried also to assert themselves on an international level. Early issues of Haiku magazine published a Romanian from…. Sweden. Soon after beginning, the Romanian Society of Haiku and the Haiku Society from Constantza affiliated with the Haiku International Association (HIA).
In 1993, the president of the HIA, Mr. Sono Uchida met with the poets of the haiku literary circle from Bucharest. He was impressed by the expanse of haiku in Romania. Individually, the poets Florin Vasiliu, Ion Codrescu, Marian Nicolae Tomi later visited Japan to learn haiku from its sources. Once they returned home, the three poets shared from their experience gained in the haiku homeland.
In 2004 Marian Nicolae Tomi visited Japan as a First Prize winner of the International “Kusamakura” Haiku Competition in Kumamoto. The experience of his trip has since been materialized in the haiku, tanka and gunsaku book “Flying to Kumamoto”.
Since 1989, the Romanian poets have been published frequently in – “HI”, “Ko”, “Ginyu”, “World Haiku” – Japanese haiku magazines and periodical publications of high reputation like “Asahi Shimbun” and “Mainichi Daily News”. For quite some time now, the Romanians are present also in Japanese online publications specialized in haiga “See Haiku Here” edited by Mr. Kuniharu Shimizu and “Photo-Haiku Hallery” edited by Mitsugu Abe.
1994 was an important year for the development of Romanian- Japanese haiku relationship when the Matsuo Basho tricentenary celebration was held in Romania, two international conferences took place, one in Bucharest and one at Constantza.
The materials which were presented at these commemorative symposiums have appeared in the anthology “Round the pond” edited by the president of the Constantza Haiku Society, featured in a special issue of “Haiku Magazine”. Also, in 1994, Florin Vasiliu, President of the “Romanian Society of Haiku” published the reference work “Matsuo Basho – The saint of haiku”.
At the 1994 HIA competition, eight haiku written by seven poets were distinguished with honorable mentions and were published in a special issue of “HI magazine”.
During 1992, 1994, 2005 and 2007, there were four international meetings held at Constantza, (a sister city of Yokohama). At these international meetings several poets from Japan, S.U.A., France, Germany, Bulgaria, Great Britain, and Ireland took part.
Increasingly, every year, more Tomanian poets win international haiku competitions, prizes and honorable mentions. Sonia Maria Coman, at only eleven years old won a prestigious prize, followed by others which have made her well known in the haiku world. She has the honorary title “haiku ambassador” and thus received a congratulation letter from an American president. Today she is eighteen years old and she has won a scholarship to an American university, where she will study Japanese civilization.
Among the other redoubtable competitors, I shall remember Dan Doman, who at one international competition alone won five haiku awards. The poet Eduard Tara is also a real phenomenon, he has won ten or twelve haiku and tanka competitions every year for some time now.
This year, on the initiative of the poet Valentin Nicolitov, secretary of RSH the first international haiku contest was organized in Romania. The contest was a real success. We were glad that we had received submissions from Japan, thanks to who we owe the existence of haiku. From the six prizes awarded to the foreign poets, two of them were awarded to Japanese poets Shinya Ogata and Ban’ya Natsuishi.
The large participation at this Romanian contest and the quality of the poemsreceived, convinced the organizers to publish an anthology containing best haiku received at the contest, entitled “Crickets and chrysanthemums”. (the title taken from the two prize winning haiku, written by a Japanese poetess and a Romanian poet):

The last cricket
is delaying the departure
of the dying man
Eduard Tara – Romania

Wife ill –
simple supper
with a chrysanthenun
Shinya Ogata – Japan

The proceeding is the result of a moment of inspiration of translator Paula Romanescu. . it talks for itself about the creative power of the communication.

UNIVERSAL AND NATIVE SYMBOL

Roumanian poets have adopted many Japanese themes for haiku. An eloquent proof is also the title of the aforesaid anthology. But, Romanian haiku about crickets were written since the very beginning of Romanian haiku. Sonia Coman made her debut with the thin booklet “Listening to the crickets”, Dan Florica has entitled one of his haiku book “Crickets up to the sky” and Serban Codrin has written a haiku which has become famous “Nights without crickets”.
Ioan Gabudean has also published an ample study about the presence of chrysanthemum,(the national Japanese symbol) in the haiku of Roumanian poets. And his own “Chrysanthemum smile” is a title in the literary circle anthology.
The “moon”… is yet another universal theme, which can be founded in many of the creations of the Romanian haijin; Ioan Gabudean entitles a literary circle anthology “The moon from the lake”.
One of the best anthology of the RSH is called “The moon in a thousands bits”. The title was taken a poem by Eduard Tara which won an award in an international contest in Japan.
The famous frog of Basho was another great inspiration for many of us. This made Florin Vasiliu writes an ample and documented study entitled “The frog in Romanian poets’ haiku”, a study which has been published in the volume of critique “Sparks from haiku hearth”.
After his return from the first European haiku congress, that took place at “The Museum of Roses” in Germany, Laura Vaceanu, the president of the Haiku Society from Constantza has set up live discussions with the theme “Celebrating the roses”. And the examples could go on…
But at the same time Romanian poets are in search of their “own” symbols. Romanian poems sometimes refer to our national costume. If Japanese poets talk of the kimono, we, as Roumanian poets find the embroidered peasant blouse, (which is a feast blouse with remarkable flourish) and other traditional pieces of peasant dress to write about.
Also, instead of Buddhist temples or Shinto shrine, some poets bring specific Romanian Christian cultural references, especially the orthodox.
If these elements of folklore and religion are difficult to access, or when a translation has obscured a meaning, or lost the wanted echo, these references are still important for the Romanian readers. The insertion of native symbols has the gift of conforming haiku to the local atmosphere.
These have the role of the father plant in gardening, to which an offshoot from another garden clings to. The cutting and the father plant will fuse organically and will form a single being. A new being who will be as viable as the parts that constitute the whole are stronger. Each is adapted at the “ground” of another language.
Among the many elements which give local color to Romanian haiku, the lime tree is at the head. During May and June this flowery tree has particular beauty. Its flowers have one of the most delicate perfumes.
Eminescu, Romanian national poet has sung the lime and especially its flowers in eternal verse. In our days, a lime tree which has adumbrated his youth is seen by thousands of visitors which love poetry. This fact has been determinate by poetesses Laura Vaceanu, Alexandra Flora Munteanu and Ana Ruse to elaborate a haiku and tanka anthology dedicated to the lime flowers, out of which I cite a poem by Constantin Severin. To Eminescu:

Touching your lime tree
my hand breath through
thousands of leaves

A pleasant surprise is offered to us by the international haiku magazine Ginyu, number 34, which has published a haiku three part about the lime tree by Magdalena Dale out of which I cite:

Longing song…
lime blossoms scattered
on our way

Convinced by the poetic capacity of this venerated tree by a Romanian, the poetess had the initiative to write a renga book to who’s “hero” (personage, protagonist) is the lime tree. The title of the book is “Fragrance of lime”. In our conviction the lime tree may well become our way in haiku of the many ways possible. For now, certainly it is a seasonal term for the late spring and early summer.
A powerful Romanian specific able to represent us among the haiku admirers from other places, where this miraculous tree is quite lesser known and where it perhaps does not have the same appreciation as it does in our culture.
Using alike the recognized symbols of the literary genre and the national specific ones, the Romanian profile poem may be considerate like a little star belonging to the great international haiku constellation.

HAIKU IN ROMANIA

BEGINNINGS

In Romania, the first concerns for knowing the Nippon poetry date from the consolidation period of the Romanian national state. In 1878 at the end of the Independence War, the Romanian ruler Carol I, received two documents from a Japanese prince, one written with Latin letters and the other one with ideograms. Both of them contained verses. The quality of the paper and the finesse of the calligraphy have incited the young ruler’s curiosity. For the interpretation of these strange messages, he turned to the scholar Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, the director of the State Archives. It is said that Hasdeu told the ruler: “Sire, as far as I can tell these are little poems, which I can’t decipher them by myself. I know a Chinese gardener. Please, give my time to find him and construe together the messages.” The Romanian scholar would ascertain with surprise that those texts although written with Chinese ideograms, were in fact Nippon poems, tanka and haiku.
Two great poets of the epoch were visibly influenced by the exotic oriental poetry. V. Alecsandri had confessed to his friend I. Ghica, several times prime minister of Romania that he intends to travel to Japan, being fascinated by its painting and poetry. His precarious health and his premature end hindered him reaching the country of Sun Rise. At the end of his life he had written the masterpiece of his literary career, the tome “Descriptive poems”. V. Alecsandri has created the descriptive poem in Romanian literature, inspired from the Chinese poetry about nature and Japanese haiku. He had read Chinese poetry in French translation while he had worked in the capital of France as a diplomat.
Still in he left, at Paris, Al. Macedonski, another classic of the Romanian literature, discovered the Japanese literature. We have kept from him four haikus in Romanian language in a manuscript. Al. Macedonski has given fame to a fix form of poetry, the rondel. His masterpiece “The poem of the rondels”, published posthumously in 1925 contains more poems about the Japanese art and civilization: “The water rondel from the Japanese yard”, “The rondel of the Japanese Sea”, “Chrysanthemum rondel”, “Ioshiwara rondel”.
After diplomatic relations were establishment between Romania and Japan in 1902 numerous conferences about Japanese civilization and poetry took place; numerous travel books were edited in Japan. Many of these works contain distinct chapters about tanka and haiku. The first essays about tanka and haiku have appeared in the “Literary Event” magazine from Iasi, in 1904. In the same year, the poet Al. Vlahuta published in the “By the stove” volume the essay “The Japanese poetry and painting” which contained numerous tanka and haiku poems.
If from Macedonski we have the first haiku in manuscript, Al. T. Stamatiad has published the first haiku poems in Romanian language, 12 in total. The novelty was so great that the volume “Lyric landscapes” was dignified with the highest cultural distinction of the time, The Romanian Academy Prize.

A ROMANIAN RESPONSE

But there were also other kinds of echoes. The poet Ion Pillat responded in a very original way. A long time ago he had written the poem “From samisen” inspired from Japanese reality.

Mount Fuji, Mount Fuji,
Over you fly the clouds
White storks, black storks,
With stretched wings

My love is sieved softly
On Kummamoto’s paths,
At Kitzumo, time and time,
The wind covers up all my past with snowSamisen with two strings,
I touch you trembling, and you tremble too:
Ancient string, young soul, Both are breaking.

Near the ancient temple in Nikko
There is a lake, and its mirror,
Like a water lily over water lilies,
The gilded contenance of Buddha…

This time he thought of giving a Romanian response to the Nippon haiku. And he created a new genre as short and concentrated as haiku, which was framed in European aesthetics. He wrote a new book, the most original of all, “The one line poems” in the last part of the year 1935 and he published it at the beginning of the next year. Unlike the haiku poem, the one line poem had a title. If haiku has 17 syllables, Pillat’s poem has 13 or 14, but if we add the syllables from the title, usually very short, we have the same 17 number of syllables. The single verse of the poem has about half implied caesura, marked by a punctuation sign or a blank space, corresponding to kireji from haiku. In Foreword, Ion Pillat writes that the one line poem although it resembles haikai is different from it. The Romanian reply of haiku after Ion Pillat, represents:

„A single verse, born and not made, carried around for years, often unconsciously, filtering years of passion, summarizing in it many, unwritten, verses, and so many faces and places, able to render the traveling secret of the poetry, reduced to its single wealth, to be empty and eternal...the poetry which has reached such a despoilment, offers to the reader the highest delectation, but requests in change a constant and intimate collaboration. The less the poet has written, the more the reader has to read... A long poem can be read in a hurry, because each verse helps to understand and enjoy the next one. A single verse is to be read slowly. The letters are read quickly, but the telegram stops us”.
The one line poem, genre created by Ion Pillat, constitutes a living page of literary history. It is a challenge, in the good meaning of the word. Many contemporary Romanian poets have distinguished themselves alike in both genres: Dan Florica, Dumitru Radu, Bogdan I. Pascu, Utta Siegried – Konig, Ioan Marinescu (Romania), Stefan Teodoru and Floretin Smarandache (SUA).

TRANSLATIONS AND TRANSLATORS

The preoccupations for the propagation of the one line poem appeared in the same time with the translations from Japanese literature. The first haiku anthology appeared 70 years ago at Cernauti. This city is today Ukraine territory. The publisher of the edition, inspired the poet Traian Chelariu, entitled the anthology “Nippon soul”. By the quality of the translation and selection, the work presented for the first time the quintessence of Japanese soul. The book was a real revelation, in our day it has become a rarity bibliophile. Traian Chelaru has translated haiku from German language. He has wanted to respect scrupulously even in Romanian language the haiku poetics as well as in Japanese language and in German language. All haiku have respected the classic pattern 5-7-5 syllables with one exception. The single poem that did not respect entirely this pattern (only one syllable misses) it was “exiled” at the bottom of the page with an excuse: “The translation is faithful, but inadequate with 17 syllables of haiku”. This strictness of the first haiku translator in Romanian language has influenced the poets that have come after. The majority of the haiku Romanian poets try to respect stringently the classic pattern, often in damage of the content.
Seven years later, in 1942, in the midst of war, Al. T. Stamatiad publishes the tanka anthology “Nippon courtesan songs”. One year later, he translates from French an ample tanka and haiku anthology from the beginning until in those days, entitled “Silk scarves”. Although it had appeared in unfavorable time for literature, “Silk scarves” had a good reception from the general readers and from literary critique. As a result of the numerous favorable critiques, the work was distinguished with the Romanian Academy Award.
Imposition by the political conjuncture followed a hiatus in haiku reception and writing. In the seventies a new open to the Nippon lyric occurs. During a decade three anthologies in seven volumes of tanka and haiku have appeared. The editors of these anthologies were Ion Acsan and Dan Constantinescu which togheter translated as Traian Chelariu from German language. Nowadays Ion Acsan is the honorable president of the Roumanian Society of Haiku. The appearance of these anthologies in many editions produces a real emulation among the poets. Some of them have written haiku before 1989 year such as Nichita Stanescu and Marin Sorescu. Both of them are poets with international confirmation, candidates to the Nobel Prize. However, haiku was written sporadically and with uncertainty. The poets already had the patterns but they didn’t know very well the poetics of haiku. The authorities from that time didn’t like haiku, considering it a subversive literary genre. The allusions, the wordplays brought the politicians allergies. So, the first works in Romanian language appeared outside of the country borders. The first poetic book of haiku appeared in year1063 in Viena and the first haiku thin booklets appeared in 1982 in France, in Paris and in 1987 in Novi Sad in Jugoslavia.

MAGAZINES AND PRINTING HOUSES, SOCIETIES AND LITERARY CIRCLES

But the real opening to the promotion of haiku occurred in 1989 year when the totalitarian regime was removed. Towards the end of year Florin Vasiliu, Romanian diplomat who worked for a while in Japan published the book “Haiku constellation. Lyric interferences”. This book represented a real foundation stone for Romanian haiku. Informed well directly from the haiku source, the Romanian essayist wrote a complex work interweaving literary history with poetics of the genre. It is a guide book for the deciphering and writing of the haiku poem, guide with essential dates that are available even in our days. Some chapters were taken over and developed. Until the end of his life, the Romanian exegete had published twelve history books and haiku poetics. We may say that Romanian poets have a rich bibliography that helps them write haiku, knowing very well haiku poetics.
In March 1990, Florin Vasiliu founded the Haiku Magazine of Romanian-Japanese Relationships, one of the first profile publications in Europe. At the beginning, the magazine was quarterly and was edited in 8.000 copies. For some time now it appears half-yearly and prints only under 1000 copies. In the editing board of the Haiku magazine there were renowned writers, like Marin Sorescu in the period when he was the minister of Culture. The editing board of the Haiku magazine has formed the nucleus of Roumanian Society of Haiku (RSH) formed one year later, on 19 March 1991. The Romanian Society of Haiku which was set up at the national level and included about 200 members. In a short while after setting up, they formed literary circles in several places in the country. In 1992 the HAIKU publishing house was get up. During a decade this publishing house gained a good name and has published several thin booklets with haiku poems and one line verse poems, most of them being printed in three languages: Romanian, English and French. After this publishing house discontinued its activity, the poetess Cornelia Atanasiu founded a new one, which was specialized in haiku, ALCOR.
Later Haiku Societies were set up in some area of the country… Chorological and as importance the Haiku Society from Constanta is the first. It was founded by poet and drawer Ion Codrescu, in 1992. In the same year also appeared the Haiku Magazine from Constanta, Albatross, which was printed bilingual (Romanian / English).
In 1995, Serban Codrin, a very good poet especially of tanka and renku, founded Tanka, Renku and Haiku School in Slobozia. This school published during several years two magazine: “Orion” and “Little Orion”, the second one had been dedicated exclusively to linked poem (renku).
At Targu Mures, the poet Ioan Gabudean founded the Haiku Club “Ephemeral joys” bringing together about 80 poets, especially from Transilvania. He edited two magazines: “Orpheus” and “Beautiful pictures”, the second one being dedicated to the pupils. In the same time he had led the collection Haiku from publishing AMBASADOR house, publishing house which has printed almost one hundred haiku, senryu and tanka thin booklets and one line poems, most of them in English or French. Haiku magazines have also appeared in towns like Piatra – Neamt and Targoviste. From the nine haiku periodical publication, three have gone on with their activity even now, concentrating around them almost all of the haiku poets.

OPENINGS

Simultaneously with the approval on national level they have tried to assert themselves also on the international level. In the first number of the Haiku magazine was published by a Romanian from…. Sweden. In a short time from setting up, Romanian Society of Haiku and Haiku Society from Constanta affiliate with Haiku International Association (HIA). In 1993, the president of Haiku International Association, Mr. Sono Uchida meets with the poets of haiku literary circle from Bucharest. He was impressed by the large spreading of haiku in Romania. At their turn, the poets Florin Vasiliu, Ion Codrescu, Marian Nicolae Tomi visited Japan for the purpose of learning haiku from its sources. The visits turn out productive. Once they returned home, the three poets shared from their experience gained in the haiku homeland. Marian Nicolae Tomi visited Japan as a result of winning the First Prize given by International “Kusamakura” Haiku Competition in Kumamoto 2004. The experience of his trip has been materialized in the haiku, tanka and gunsaku book “Flying to Kumamoto”, which appeared in some month from the event. Starting from 1989, the Romanian poets have published frequently in Japanese haiku magazines - HI, Ko, Ginyu, World Haiku – or in periodical publications with high reputation like Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Daily News. For quite some time now, the Romanians are present also in Japanese on line publications specialized in haiga “See Haiku Here” edited by Mr. Kuniharu Shimizu and “Photo-Haiku Hallery” edited by Mitty Abe.
An important year for the development of Romanian- Japanese haiku relationship was 1994. In Romania Basho tricentenary had a great widespread. In the course of this year two international conferences took place, in Bucharest and Constanta and as part of these conferences was celebrated Matsuo Basho. The materials which have been presented at the commemorative symposiums have appeared in the anthology “Round the pond” edited by the president of Haiku Society from Constanta and in a special issue of “Haiku” magazine. Also, in 1994, Florin Vasiliu, the president of Romanian Society of Haiku has published the reference work “Matsuo Basho – The saint of haiku”. At the HIA competition from that year, eight haiku written by seven poets have been distinguished with honorable mentions and have been published in a special issue of HI magazine.
During the time, at Constanta, town which is twined with Japanese town Yokohama took place four international meetings, in 1992, 1994, 2005 and 2007. At these international meetings several poets from Japan, S.U.A., France, Germany, Bulgaria, Great Britain, and Ireland took part.
At the international haiku competitions Romanian poets have obtained from a year to the other more and more prizes and honorable mentions. Sonia Maria Coman, at only eleven years old got a prestigious prize, followed by others which have made her known in the whole world. She has got the honorary prize “haiku ambassador” and she received an open congratulation letter from the American president. At present she is eighteen years old and she has won a scholarship to an American university, where she will study for several years Japanese civilization. Among the other redoubtable competitors I shall remember Dan Doman, which at a single international competition had been awarded five haiku. The poet Eduard Tara is a real phenomenon. For some time, he has wined every year ten or twelve haiku and tanka competitions
In this year, on the initiative of the poet Valentin Nicolitov, secretary of RSH the first international haiku contest was organized in Romania. The contest was a real success. We were glad that we had received submissions from Japan, thanks to which we owe the existence of haiku. From the six prizes awarded to the foreign poets, two of them were awarded to Japanese poets Shinya Ogata and Ban’ya Natsuishi. It is a sign that haiku poetry has been penetrating into Romania too. In this domain which is in a continuous expansion takes a reciprocal communications as the system of communicating vessels.
The large participation at this Romanian contest and the quality of the poems have determinate the organizers to publish an anthology with the best haiku received at the contest, entitled “Crickets and chrysanthemums”. The title has appeared from two prize winning haiku, written by a Japanese poetess and a Romanian poet.

The last cricket Wife ill -
is delaying the departure simple supper
of the dying man with a chrysanthemum
Eduard Tara – Romania Shinya Ogata – Japan

The proceeding is the result of a moment of inspiration of translator Paula Romanescu. . It talks for itself about the creative power of the communication.

UNIVERSAL AND NATIVE SYMBOL

Roumanian poets have taken over many Japanese themes of haiku. An eloquent proof is also the title of the aforesaid anthology. But, for example, about crickets it was written from the very beginning of the Romanian haiku. Sonia Coman made her debut with the thin booklet “Listening to the crickets”, Dan Florica has entitled one of his haiku book “Crickets up to the sky” and Serban Codrin has written a haiku which has become famous “Nights without crickets”. Ioan Gabudean has published an ample study about the presence of chrysanthemum, national Japanese symbol in Roumanian poets’ haiku. Also, he has given title “Chrysanthemum smile” to one of the literary circle anthology. The moon is another universal theme, which can be founded in many of the creations of the Romanian haijins. Ioan Gabudean entitles a literary circle anthology “The moon from the lake”. One of the best anthology of the RSH is called “The moon in a thousands bits”. The title was taken a poem by Eduard Tara which was awarded in an international contest in Japan. The famous frog of Basho was another reason inspiration for many of us. This thing made Florin Vasiliu writes an ample and documented study entitled “The frog in Romanian poets’ haiku”, a study which has been published in the volume of critique “Sparks from haiku hearth”. After his return from the first European haiku congress, that took place at The Museum of roses from Germany, Laura Vaceanu, the president of Haiku Society from Constanta has set up live discussion with the theme “Celebrating the roses”. And the examples could go on. But at the same time Romanian poets are in search of their own symbols. In their poems sometimes appear notions about national costume. If at Japanese poets we find the kimono, at Roumanian poets we find the embroidered peasant blouse, which is a feast blouse with remarkable flourish and other traditional pieces of peasant dress. Also, instead of Buddhist temples or Shinto shrine, some poets bring cult new elements specific for Christian church especially the orthodox one. If these elements of folklore and religion are difficult to access, or even when the translation has been scored a success or they don’t find the wanted echo, they are still important for the Romanian readers. The insertion of the native symbols has the gift of conforming haiku to the local atmosphere. These have the role of the father plant in gardening, to which an offshoot from another garden clings to. The cutting and the father plant will fuse organically and will form a single being. A new being who will be as viable as the parts that constitute the whole are stronger. Each is adapted at the “ground” of another language.
Among the elements which give local color to Romanian haiku, the lime tree is at the head. This flowery tree in May and June has a particular beauty. Its flowers have one of the most delicate perfumes. Eminescu, Romanian national poet has sung the lime and especially its flowers in eternal verse. In our days, a lime tree which has adumbrated his youth is seen by thousands of visitors which love poetry. This fact has been determinate by poetesses Laura Vaceanu, Alexandra Flora Munteanu and Ana Ruse to elaborate a haiku and tanka anthology dedicated to the lime flowers, out of which I cite a poem by Constantin Severin.

To Eminescu

Touching your lime tree
my hand breath through
thousands of leaves

A pleasant surprise is offered to us by the international haiku magazine Ginyu, number 34, which has published a haiku three part about the lime tree by Magdalena Dale out of which I cite:

Longing song…
lime blossoms scattered
on our way

Convinced by the poetic capacity of this venerated tree by Romanian, the poetess had the initiative to write a renga book to who’s “hero” (personage, protagonist) is the lime tree. The title of the book is “Fragrance of lime”. In our conviction the lime tree may become our way in haiku. One of the many ways possible. For now, certainly it is a seasonal term for the late spring and early summer. One term with a powerful Romanian specific able to represent us among the haiku admirers from other places, where this miraculous tree is less known and in any case it doesn’t have the same appreciation as in our culture.
Using alike the recognized symbols of the literary genre and the national specific ones, the Romanian profile poem may be considerate like a little star belonging to the great international haiku constellation.

Haiku In Romania: Vasile Moldovan's Speech for WHAC4 - Translation, Magdalena Dale, Romania

2008-08-01T20:16:00.005+03:00

ONE THOUSAND CRANES

2008-07-03T21:36:00.001+03:00

THE INTERNATIONAL HAIKU CONTEST

“ONE THOUSAND CRANES”

ROMANIA 2008

The International Art Partnership (IAP) is an international project which promotes the Japanese art of paper folding known as origami.

At the initiative of its founders, Aleksandr and Larisa Levashov from Russia, the International Festival “Origami Peace Tree” (OPT, http://www.peacetree.info/main.php) has taken place in different countries since 2000. Romania will be the host of this autumn edition. On this occasion, the organizers (“Miron Costin” Highschool, Iasi, Romania) have also decided to launch an international haiku contest.

Entitled “One Thousand Cranes”, this competition wants to be a bridge between haiku and origami. The title of the contest reminds both of the famous legend of the Japanese people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_origami_cranes) and of the moving story of the Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki (http://www.sadako.org/sadakostory.htm). Her trust and endeavour as well as “the origami tree” are an urge to respect life in all its circumstances. That is why, we considered that such a contest could contribute to the amplification of the impact of OPT festival also by means of poetry.

We invite you to participate both in the haiku contest and, with origami models, in the OPT Festival Romania 2008 (http://www.peacetree.info/romania2008.php).

The rules of the contest

1. People regardless of age and nationality, with the exception of the members of the organisational team, may participate in the contest.

2. The contest is fee free.

3. Original poems which haven’t been published so far in magazines, in journals, in books or on the internet, are preferred.

4. You must send two haikus in English and they should be as close as possible to the classical canons of this type of poetry (5-7-5 syllables, kigo, kireji etc.).

5. The first haiku will compulsorily deal with the origami theme, while the other is at will.

6. The poems will be sent only by e-mail at the following address origamitara@yahoo.com. At subject you will write haiku contest. The mail must contain the poems in the order mentioned above, as well as the personal data of the contestant (name, surname, age, profession, full postal address, e-mail address).

7. The deadline is on the 15^th of September 2008.

8. The secretary of the contest will copy and transmit the list of poems to the members of the jury by e-mail, without mentioning the contestants’ names or personal data.

9. The jury will take into account, first of all, the concordance with the classical rules of haiku.

10. The jury will have a free hand in awarding a number of three prizes for each theme. It will also have a free hand in deciding whether to award commendations or not. The number will depend on the quality of the poems. Each rewarded author will receive an anthology of haikus that participated in the contest and a diploma.

11. The prizes will be announced between 3^rd and 9^th of November 2008, during the OPT Festival Romania 2008. The official announcement will be also posted on the internet on the following sites:

http://www.peacetree.info, http://variantaenglezeasca.blogspot.com/, http://romaniankukai.blogspot.com/, http://www.licmcostin.ro/ .

12. The awarded poems and also the best un-awarded poems will be published in a contest’s anthology.

13. The authors who send poems to the International Haiku Contest “One Thousand Cranes” Romania 2008 must agree that their poems should be published in a contest’s anthology without any financial claim.

14. The prizes will be sent by post by 30^th of March 2009.

The English version by Daniela Ciubotariu

“Miron Costin” Highschool Iasi, Romania

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI APRIL 2008

2008-06-19T16:07:00.001+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for April 2008. The theme of the contest was dandelion.

First place

Dandelion field –
only a breath of wind
and it is snow

Dan Norea

Second place

Dandelion
exposed to the wind
a man’s life

Vasile Moldovan

Dandelions in bloom
among the ancient ruins
sound of hoe

Ana Ruse

Third place

lighting slowly
in the shadow of cherry tree
a dandelion

Tincuta Horonceanu Bernevic

Mown grass-
only a dandelion
left uncut

Livia Ciupav

Golden buterflies
the wind put on wings
to dandelions

Constantin Stroe

The owner is away –
all remained at...
dandelion’s disposition

Vali Iancu

Scaterred farthings
from the bag of spring
tens of dandelions

Gabriela Marcian

Sparks of sun –
in the old man’s hand,
dandelion chain

Doina Bogdan Wurm

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI MARCH 2008

2008-06-19T15:31:00.003+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for March 2008. The theme of the contest was spring's edginess.

First place

Without any fault
under the ploughman’s sole
a blade of grass

Loredana-Florentina Dănilă

Again spring
in the man and in the bud
the same start

Vali Iancu

Second place

After the hard winter
a nervous sparrow –
where is her nest?

Henriette Berge

Night insomnia –
stars or tears drop
from the vine arbour?

Doina Bogdan Wurm

Third place

Second hand bookshop -
among the books in the window
lilac blossoms

Dumitru Radu

March dawn
in the trap of the town
apricot in full blossom

Florică Dan

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI FEBRUARY 2008

2008-06-08T19:38:00.003+03:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for February 2008. The theme of the contest was sleet.

First place

Lone through the sleet
an old man at shopping -
the wind in his bag

Victoria Chiţoveanu

Second place

Old men in the sleet -
in the second hand window
looking at themselves

Eduard Ţară

Evening still -
the last pedestrian
walking to the sleet

Maria Tirenescu

Facing the sleet
with snowdrops in his hand
towards the cemetery

Livia Ciupav

On the weak shoulders
the bag heavier and heavier -
an old man throughe the sleet

Valeria Tamaş

In the full sleet
a vagrant and a dog
across the street Fast Food

Dumitru Roşu

Third place

Walking throughe the sleet
I hold up the red rose lost
by the wedding guest

Ana Ruse

The sleet on the road
keeps for a moment
traces of a sled

Dumitru Radu

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI JANUARY 2008

2008-02-27T16:02:00.006+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for January 2008. The theme of the contest was blizzard.

First place

Gate in ruins –
only the fiery wind
still open it

Loredana Florentina Dănilă

Second place

Storm-swept winter -
the old woman with a bread
dragging her boots

Adina Enăchescu

Orphan children –
the blizzard throwing the gate
maybe is my mother?

Adriana C. Iacob

Third place

House of old people –
the last visitor shrouded
in blizzard

Eduard Ţară

The blizzard roars –
in the yard of kindergarten
a creaky cradle

Vali Iancu

Storm –swept passage
a sparrow picking at
the blind man ’s bread

Valeria Tamaş

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI DECEMBER 2007

2008-02-19T23:24:00.003+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for December 2007. The theme of the contest was Christmas Tree.

First place

It hears the bells –
by a Christmas Tree
my sad grandma’

Henriette Berge

Second place

little lights in the tree –
a boy blinks his eyes
imitating them

Ivăşcan Horia

Third place

Christmas Tree
a carol at the window
angel’s whisper

Tincuţa Horonceanu Bernevic

Christmas Tree –
waiting for the presents
a sleeping child

Dan Norea

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI NOVEMBER 2007

2008-02-01T23:25:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for November 2007. The theme of the contest was first hoar frost.

First place

The first hoar frost
over the child’s coat
one more patch

Valeria Tamaş

Night with rime –
trees without name
watch the moon

Flavia Muntean

Second place

First white frost
only the chrysanthemums
don’t shade its petals

Maria Tirenescu

Firs bow down –
the frosted moon passes
through Tori

Anişoara Iordache

Third place

The first rime
over the last rose flower…
raven’s shadow

Magdalena Dale

The rime is fallen –
outdoor not one insect
Brahms in an undertone

Iancu Vali

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI OCTOBER 2007

2008-02-01T21:40:00.001+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for October 2007. The theme of the contest was dragonfly.

First place

Waltzing with the wind
Through the poor field –
A dragonfly

Loredana Florentina Dănilă

Blade of grass –
a dragonfly bends
slowly the light

Eduard Ţară

A dragonfly
on the fisherman’s rod
the single smile

Horia Ivăşcan

Second place

Reed shadow
wavering slowly…
a dragonfly

Vasile Moldovan

Frosted wings –
a dead dragonfly
wind swept

Gabriela Marcian

A dragonfly
In the stone amber –
amulet in the chest

Simona Dobrescu

Third place

What is beyond
the dragonfly’s wing –
almost everything

Elia David

Grain of hoar frost
on the dragonfly’s wings
asleep in the flowers

Ana Ruse

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI SEPTEMBER 2007

2007-12-12T17:14:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for September 2007. The theme of the contest was first schoolday.

First place

Hanging up
the butterflies net on the nail…
again at school

Vasile Moldovan

Second place

A ink spot
In the new exercise book –
pressed butterfly

Simona Dobrescu

A walnut leaf
goes through the open window
the first school day

Ion Untaru

Third place

Fallen book
in the dust of lane
a barefooted child

Loredana Florentina Dănilă

Grain of hoar frost
on the dragonfly’s wings
asleep in the flowers

Eduard Ţară

Eave of the school
a swallow’s nest is empty –
only the yard is full

Adriana C. Iacob

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

THE MIRROR AS A MAXIMUM SPACE IN HAIKU

2007-12-11T11:09:00.000+02:00

CLELIA IFRIM

The maximum space in haiku can be given by the kireji. It divides the poem in two parts. It is a mirror set in the inner of the poem. A pause of action. Non-action. The mirror participates only through its reflection. It is a maximum space for that anywhere it is placed, it has the attribute of a central space. The two parts of poem are reflected into it. The beginning and the end in the same place.

It is a habit of reading twice a haiku. It is actually a returning at the first word, at the beginning of the poem. But you can return provided that you pass through the centre, through this mirror. The last word from the haiku is linked to the first. The mirror creates their link. They are twin words, namely they are depeding on each other. Their relationship is made crossing this space of the centre. I have chosen a haiku by Dumitru D. Ifrim published in the Ko magazine, spring-summer 2006:

Wilderness of beach -
sea foam arranges on the sands
a spring wind drawing

The beginning and the ending are unloading themselves in the pause of kireji. Tne last word an the first word together are a drawing of solitude, „a wildernesss drawing”. The kireji, the pause is an empty place, a mirror that reflects this drawing. A maximum space, there, at the end of the earth, on the seashore where is the beginning of another mirror.

(published in the Lynx – a journal for linking poets, octomber 2007, SUA)

FRAGRANCE OF LIME (published with permission)

2007-12-06T22:45:00.000+02:00

http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/revs/bs351.htm

This is a collection of Romanian language renga and related forms by Magdalena Dale and Vasile Moldovan, translated by Magdalena Dale. The front cover is very attractive, with a photo of lime flowers. As the fragrance of these flowers is one of my favourite scents, I was drawn into the collection immediately. In fact lime trees permeate the whole of the book, with two of the sequences been solely dedicated to the tree, including Moldovan's haiku sequence EMINESCU'S LIME from which this haiku is taken

A lime tree
instead of a bookmarker...
the old love story

The kasen FRAGRANCE OF LIME, although not solely focussed on the lime, includes this from Dale:

Useless nights
with the lime in bloom
only in my dreams

The kasen moves on to include this wonderfully evocative imagery from Dale:

Shooting stars,
the chestnuts are bursting
in an undertone

Other images of rural Romania appear time and again in the poems, including snow, orchards, birds — including storks and crows, haystacks and carol singers. All the poetry is influenced by the seasons, this haiku by Moldovan is from the renga MORNING BREEZE:

All of a sudden
over the burn stubble field
the harvest moon

The moon reappears later in this renga in a haiku by Dale:

Haystacks —
in the halo of the moon
the fireflies.

The only criticism is that some of the translations don't flow as well as they could, though that doesn't detract from this beautiful collection that transports the reader to a peaceful rural setting.

Reviewer: Juliet Wilson

reviwreviewer: Juliet Wilson.

reviewer: Juliet Wilson.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI AUGUST 2007

2007-12-05T14:13:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for August 2007. The theme of the contest was lotus.

First place

Lotus in the twilight –
in the fisher’s bag
only despair

Simona Dobrescu

Second place

Leaving behind
a sad lotus in bloom –
an alone rower

Florinel

The sough of pond -
among the yellow lotuses
streaks of sun

Henriette Berge

Third place

A lotus
between the sweetheart’s breasts
hot summer…

Valeria Tamaş

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI JULY 2007

2007-12-04T09:08:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for July 2007. The theme of the contest was heat.

First place

Field burnt by the sun;
how much bitterness
in the peasant’s sight…

Jules Cohn Botea

Second place

Defying the sun –
on the hot asphalt
an ice cube

Flueraşu Petre

Third place

Summer twilight –
on the ditch edge
the grass glimmers

Florică Dan

fever of times
there are more two bridges,
my old father….

Dragos Tsuku

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI JUNE 2007

2007-12-03T23:00:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for June 2007. The theme of the contest was cherry.

First place

Slit of light
between two cherries –
the sunrise

Cristina Rusu

Second place

A crushed cherry
through the high grass –
soul, why don’t you cry?

Anghel Pop

Cherries almost ripe –
looking through the lattices
sad child’s sight

Valeria Tamaş

Third place

Butterflies dancing
around the clay hovel
bitter cherries

Loredana Florentina Dănilă

Through the broken fence
an abandoned house
and the dry cherry tree

Ion Untaru

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI MAY 2007

2007-11-30T11:14:00.000+02:00

We go on to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for May 2007. The theme of contest was wind.

First place

A breath of wind –
all dandelions move
to the sky

mărţişor

Second place

Empty station -
the wind brings to a stop
to take a thistle

Loredana Florentina Dănilă

Third place

An abandoned garret
only the stillness inside
and maybe the wind

Florică Dan

Translation made by Magdalena Dale. We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

WINNERS OF ROMANIAN MONTHLY KUKAI APRIL 2007

2007-10-24T15:11:00.000+03:00

We started to publish our winners. These are the awarded poems at Romanian Kukai contest for April 2007. The theme of contest was lilac.

First place

Ruined house
the lilac branch
props up the wall

Dan Florică

Second place

Snow in mountains -
the white lilac blossoms
in the valley

Maria Tirenescu

April night
the lilac blossoms
lighten the fence

Vasile Moldovan

Third place

Guest of note:
the fragrance of lilac
at the supper

Vasile Moldovan

Under wan stars
a lilac in blossom
sprinkles its dew

Gabriela Marcian

We are not native English speakers. In this way we will appreciate if you will point out the possible mistakes of the English version of our poems.

FIRST ITALIAN HAIKU CONFERENCE

2007-10-19T15:06:00.000+03:00

FIRST ITALIAN HAIKU CONFERENCE

and

PRIZE-GIVING OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEST

OF HAIKU POETRY IN ITALIAN

CASCINA MACONDO – FIFTH EDITION 2007

and

PRIZE-GIVING OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEST

OF VIDEO HAIKU AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

DE ART/CASCINA MACONDO – FIRST EDITION 2007

Sponsors of the international Haiku contest 2007

Municipality of Riva Presso Chieri: www.comune.rivapressochieri.to.it

De Art Multimedia Edizioni: www.deart.org

Xixa sugar packs: www.xixa.it

Ceramica Vicentina Srl: www.ceramicavicentina.it

AirStar Sorrisi Randagi: www.sorrisirandagi.it

Cogest M&C-Business & Travel: www.cogest.info

Filmdubsters: www.ivodepalma.it

De Giorgi Advertising: www.degiorgi-adv.com

Scuola di Cirko Paolo Stratta: www.scuoladicirko.it

Edoardo Burlini, Gruppo Piotto

The proposals to sponsor the International Haiku Contest 2008

have to be sent to the e-mail address: info@cascinamacondo.com

To the same address have to be sent the requests for information

to support the Haiku Contest with free and voluntary payments

YOU CAN BUY THE BOOK

"THE HIDDEN TOAD"

with the 114 haikus selected at the contest

and translated into English

click on the link under here

http://catalogo.deart.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=201&zenid=acf3cd289e1bc38cfa9040009fb15794

(if for any reason the link should not work, you can copy and paste it on your browser)

693 authors coming from all over the world took part to the fifth edition 2007 of the International Contest of Haiku poetry in Italian with 1678 Haikus

THE PRIZE-GIVING WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25. 2007

JOINTLY WITH THE

FIRST ITALIAN HAIKU CONFERENCE

at Cascina Macondo - Borgata Madonna della Rovere, 4

10020 Riva Presso Chieri - Turin - Italy

The Jury, the Editorial Staff, the publisher De Art, the Sponsors,

the Authors awarded and the Press will be present

The event is open to the public,

upon necessary notice to Cascina Macondo, due to the limited places.

For the same reason, we invite every child

to be accompanied only by 2 adults at the most.

THE EVENT WILL BE BROADCAST ON THE NET TV

http://www.deart.tv

HAIKU CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

* beginning at 9.30 a.m. (speakers: Fabrizio Virgili, Fabia Binci,

Giorgio Gazzolo, Antonella Filippi, Annette Seimer, Pietro Tartamella)

* 12.00 a.m.: showing of the 4 videos and of the 7 digital pictures

selected at the First International VideoHaiku Contest.

The public and the Jury will choose the three authors to be awarded.

* 1 p.m. Lunch (euro 15.00 per head)

BOOKING REQUESTED

PROGRAMME OF THE PRIZE-GIVING

OF THE HAIKU CONTEST

AND OF THE VIDEO HAIKU CONTEST

* beginning at 2.30 p.m.

* reading aloud around the fire of the Haikus classed

by the Group I NARRATORI DI MACONDO (MACONDO’S STORY-TELLERS)

* Raku cooking of the prize bowls

* handing over of the Raku bowls, certificates of merit

and a copy of the anthology to the first three classed

* handing over of the certificates of merit to the authors selected attending the event

* showing of the three videohaikus and of the digital pictures awarded

selected by the public and the Jury in the morning, prize-giving and certificates of attendance ceremony

*lottery with a precious hand-manufactured Rakuware as a prize

* end of the event at approx. 6.30 p.m.

BOOKING BY E-MAIL IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

indicating if you will attend since 9.30 a.m.

or only in the afternoon since 2.30 p.m.

(it is important to choose one of the possibilities or the other,

to avoid an undesirable coming and going

that could disturb the ceremony and the readings)

In sending your adhesion please specify:

a) if you book for lunch

b) if the participant is an author selected at the contest

AUTHORS AWARDED

AT THE INTERNATIONAL HAIKU CONTEST 2007

INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION

FIRST PRIZE

Jim Kacian (USA)

SECOND PRIZE

Lella Buzzacchi (Torre de’ Roveri-BG-Italy)

THIRD PRIZE

Andrea Anselmino (Chieri-TO-Italy)

COLLETTIVE PARTICIPATION

FIRST PRIZE

Antonio Orengo – Italy (TO) Primary School “Tommaseo”-1D- teacher Egle Gentili

SECOND PRIZE

Stefano Maiorino-Italy (Falchera-TO)

THIRD PRIZE

Michele Mariuta-Italy (TO) Primary School “Manzoni”-4D- teacher Beatrice Sanalitro

AUTHORS SELECTED

AT THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL

VIDEOHAIKU CONTEST

VIDEOS

Fabio Di Salvo – Weaving kesa (I)

Fabio Foggetti – Setting sun(I)

Ian Wood – Walking leaves (USA)

Mauro Carulli – Frosty dawn (I)

DIGITAL PICTURES

Anselmo Orsi - Frosty dawn (I)

Daniela Nardini - Walking leaves (3) (I)

Domenico Benedetto - Weaving kesa (I)

Elvirest Tikvina – Lingering warm (AL)

Lorena Montini – Setting sun (I)

Maria Grazia Serina – Frosty dawn (I)

Sarah Orlandi - Walking leaves (I)

THE PUBLIC ATTENDING IN THE MORNING

WILL DECREE THE THREE WINNERS FOR EVERY SECTION

to read the motivations,

the list of the 114 authors selected at the Contest

and to take a look at the videohaikus

click on this link: http://haiku.cascinamacondo.com

and then click on

concorso internazionale haiku 2007
2007 haiku international contest

(if for some reason you cannot join the link automatically,

copy and paste it on your browser)

We want to thank all those who made possible the success of the 5^thEdition of the International Contest of Haiku Poetry in Italian: the authors, the public that voted, the press, the radios, the websites, the literary and poetry reviews, the libraries, the schools, the teachers, the principals, the headmasters, the bars, shops and restaurants, the theatres, the associations and the Italian cultural circles abroad and the friends that found the time to hang a leaflet in a faraway place.

the Jury of the 5^th edition of the International Haiku Contest

Alessandra Gallo, Annette Seimer, Antonella Filippi, Fabia Binci,

Fabrizio Virgili, Giorgio Gazzolo, Michele Bertolotto, Pietro Tartamella

the Jury of the 1^st edition of the International VideoHaiku Contest

Anna Maria Aimone, Alfio Bastianchich, Alessandra Gallo, Fabio Ramiro Rossin,

Luigi Chianale, Michele Bertolotto, Paolo Maria Luino, Pietro Tartamella

thank you for the attention

the Editorial Staff, the Jury,

HAICOM - International Haiku Community Cascina Macondo

- we remind you that, if you organize an event, a course, book presentations, shows, or other initiatives, etc., you can insert your advertisements free of charge in our newsletter GOCCIOLENEWS. You have 200 words at your disposal! CLICK ON THIS LINK: www.l4w.it/site/insgocciole.asp

- we remind you that the book “BETOND AUTUMN – HANDBOOK OF HAIKU POETRY AND ANTHOLOGY” edited by Pietro Tartamella, with a foreword of Fabrizio Virgili, can be ordered directly through Internet to the Publisher DEART clicking on this link: http://catalogo.deart.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=180

FRESHNESS PUBLISHING: it has been published the book HI TEACHER collection TAWANI (160 Haiku, 10 Senryu, 1 Tanka) italian-english, author PIETRO TARTAMELLA – foreword by FABIA BINCI – translated by ALESSANDRA GALLO - 234 pages – DEART PUBLISHER - e-book format euro 4,00 – traditional papery format euro 16.00. Click heare to order it:

http://catalogo.deart.org/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_68

NOTE:

your e-mail address comes from the list of our friends and sympathizing people, or has been recovered in the web from lists that made it public, or recovered from e-mails sent by mutual friends. If you do not want to receive Cascina Macondo’s press releases any more, please forward this e-mail to the sender, writing in the Object the word: DELETE.

Cascina Macondo

National Centre to Promote Creative Reading Aloud

Borgata Madonna della Rovere, 4 - 10020 Riva Presso Chieri (Turin, Italy)

tel./fax +39 (0)11.9468 397 – mobile +39 328.4262 517

e-mail: info@cascinamacondo.com - website: www.cascinamacondo.com

HAIKU CONTEST

2007-10-18T22:47:00.000+03:00

The editing board of the Journal of Romanian – Japanese cultural interferences – “HAIKU” is continuing to organize the annual competition for haiku poems in fixed form, during the first trimester of 2008. The competition is open to all poets who will send on the address of Mr. Dan Florică (71, Bd. Republicii, BOlintin Vale, Giurgiu, Romania), or on the following e-mail address:

valentin.nicolitov@autoexpert.ro,

valentin.nicolitov@yahoo.fr,

vasilemoldovan@yahoo.com

a number of 6(six) haiku poems (5-7-5), up to 31 March 2008.

Only original haiku poems will be accepted, which were not published in newspapers or journals, author volumes or in any other forms up to the date of the competition. Hand-written text will not be accepted, the texts need to be list typed, with correct diacritical symbols and signed.

The texts of the foreign authors have to be written in English or French as well as in the original. We prefer to send the texts by e-mail.

A jury nominated by the editing board of the HAIKU Journal will analyses the received poems, will grant qualifications and will decide for the awarded poems.

The results of the competition will be published in the HAIKU Journal nr.39 – semester I – 2008, and the prizes and diplomas will be sent to the winners by post.

(The Editing Board)

An Interview with Haijin Vasile Moldovan by Shyam Santhanam

2007-10-08T08:34:00.000+03:00

1) When did you start writing haiku? What led you to writing haiku? What interested about haiku to start writing in this genre?

I started to read about haiku during my studentship. I tried to write, but dropped out of it and throw up my hands. I felt like a vocalist who sings without a vocal score. I restarted to write again after twenty years, in March 1990, when the first Haiku magazine appeared, which continues to appear until now. I found in its pages a delightful key that opens a door to the secrets of Japanese poetry. I was captivated because I could write a poem which can be read in only a single human breath. Haiku has 17 syllables and the duration of breathing is about 17 seconds. Embarking on this notion, one of the innovators in publishing haiku, Nichita Stănescu, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize, wrote an essay entitled “Breathings”.

2) What are your other hobbies and interests besides haiku? Do you (or have you in the past) pursued any other arts, such as painting and photography?

Before I began to write haiku I was preoccupied with all kinds of poetry. The first poems I wrote were at about ten years, but I made my first public appearance only when I was twenty years old. I was interested in music and painting, but only as a simple consumer, not like a creator. Later, I tried to write haiku that I appended to pictures and photos by others. Japanese composer Iuji Itoh composed a melody after some of my haiku, “Seven poems”, and presented it in the concerts, in countries like Japan, Italy, Romania and Austria.

3) Which languages do you speak in your day-to-day life? Which languages are you familiar with or have written in? Which other languages generally fascinate you and why?

I wished to know all about haiku, but Romanian bibliography had only few books about it. For this reason I started to learn English by myself. I began to translate my poems and then I tried to write them directly in English. English is a fascinating language for me. It has an unequaled rich synonymy and a great plasticity. In poetry there is past, present and future. I am captivated by French and Italian for their similarity with Romanian. Moreover Italian, in which I published some haiku, for me is a language with a great musicality and has the same euphony like Japanese. For both of them, the great number of the vowels offers fluidity and harmony to the words. It is a pleasure to listen to the recitation, or even more, singing of haiku in English or Japanese language.

4) Tell us a little about your family (parents, siblings, spouse, children and others). Is there someone in your family who specially inspires you and encourages your efforts as a poet? Is there someone from your childhood who has inspired you?

My parents are simple people from the country, but they inspired me from my childhood with the love of poetry. I was ten years old when my teacher recommended subscribing to a school magazine. When I asked my father to give me money for the subscription, he didn’t give me an answer. I thought that he didn’t want to give me the money, so I retired in a corner where I wrote my first poem “The bee”. When I showed him the poem, my father was delighted with it. He became my first reader and he remains devoted till now, at ninety years old. Of course, he gave me the money for the subscription. Also, my mother wrote poems in her childhood. My wife, Emilia too wrote classical poetry in the her school years. Although she doesn’t write poetry now, she is near me in the appreciation like a poet. My daughters, Ioana Codruta and Maria Veronica, chose the occupation of their mother and they became economists. They understand and appreciate their father’s poetry. Regarding my grandson, Petre Bogdan, he is only nine years old, but he practices the Japanese martial arts. He knows a lot of Japanese words and he says them like in his own language. He chose this hobby because he relates with his grandpa who writes haiku.

5) Who would you say are the most important readers of your haiku, if any? Who do you write your haiku for, so to say?

Often I receive messages from many haiku authors. Sometimes the messages convert in other haiku or other tanka. It is like a song outdoor and its echo that can be heard from distance. Whom I write for? For those in present and for those who will come. Like a journalist I know my circle of readers. Like a poet I dream of the readers from future.

6) You have translated many of your fine haiku into English from Romanian, besides writing regularly in both English and Romanian. You have also a collection of haiku translated into Romanian. Do you enjoy the work of translation? What are the difficulties of translating between Romanian and English? What are the special things about each of these languages that you enjoy?

Synonymy is one of the problems. It is known that there does not exist a perfect synonymy. Sometimes you can make mistakes and get at absurdity or laughable meaning. In this domain helpful for me is “Good friends, false friends – dictionary”, which lists similar words in English and in French. Another difficulty is number of the syllables. Of course, there are some distinctive dictionaries; nevertheless they are in contradiction about a lot of words. I observed that in other countries where people are English speakers, they don’t strictly respect the 5–7–5 measure. Most Romanian poets of haiku respect this “golden” rule of haiku. It is a great satisfaction for a translator when a literary critic or even a simple reader can say that their rendering has the same class as the original. Say you can write a classical haiku only in 17 syllables. Sometimes it is easy but at other times it is difficult or even impossible. There are texts that can lose so much sense when you translate that you must give up. It is better to because otherwise you do an injustice to the poetry or even to the translator.

7) Please tell us a little about your other (non-haiku) poetry. When did you first write poetry? What are your earliest poems about? Where can our readers access your other poetry? Is any of it published? Is any of it translated into English or other languages?

As I said, the first poem I wrote was at ten years old and it brought me my first subscription of a school magazine. I think at 20 years old I made my first appearance in a departmental publication with a poem of three stanzas. For royalty I got a sum with which I was able to buy 20 books. Like an entire bookstand. In nowadays a poet has to give a lot of money to publish a poetry book. It seems the same situation is also in other countries. For this reason my poetry may be found in newspaper files, but not ready to bring out in a book. Most of them were published in some 30 collective anthologies. In year 2007 I hope to publish a book of love poetry, “Twin souls”.

8) Do you write in any other haiku related forms (such as renga, haibun and tanka)? You have actively written senryu as you have haiku. What do you find special about each of these genres (senryu and haiku)? Why do you enjoy each?

To write always in the same genre is wrong. Eventually we can feel the exhaustion. Man is complex. There is a Romanian expression: “one eye laughs and the other cries”. Haiku is a sober genre which includes grave aspects of life, or at least the neutral ones. But the poet as the reader feels sometimes the necessity to relax, to laugh. This is why after five working days during which I wrote only haiku, on the weekend I observe people- nature as human society- with other eyes. I feel the necessity to make a joke arranged in the pattern of 17 syllables. In this way I contrive to write senryu in the moments of inspiration. I think senryu writing is difficult. We find fewer subjects than for haiku. I have published four books of haiku and many other wait to be published. However I have not published even four senryu.

9) Do you enjoy any other genres of literature (such as prose, short stories, novels etc)? Have you written in any prose forms?

Any journalist who honours his work feels the attraction to write prose. I am not an exception. I published many stories in the press of the time, which awaits to be assembled in a book. Like my first novel. “The dethronement”, a historical novel, nonfiction, from which I published vast parts in literary press, is waiting to be published. In fact, literary style is different from journalistic style. When you write literature you have to forget you are also a journalist. An article in a newspaper lives only for a single day but the writer hopes that his novel will outlive him. For a while I stopped writing for the newspaper so I will have more time for my own literary writings. I hope the change between reporter’s microphone and writer’s quill is already done.

10) Did you enjoy poetry and other literature as a child? Which poets or writers did you enjoy reading?

A sportsman is in coaching all the time for the great competition. For a writer, the most important practice is reading. My favorite’s writers are Tolstoi and Dostoievski from Russian people, Balzac and Zola from French people, Faulkner and Hemingway from American people as well as the Romanians Liviu Rebreanu and Mihail Sadoveanu. Among dramatists I feel emotionally close to Shakespeare, O’neil, Cehov and Caragiale. All their plays are played in Romanian theatres and I watch them with much interest. Also I have watched all of Shakespeare’s creations on television, but I didn’t like it very much. Those were played in a rush. A showing of Hamlet on the Romanian stage keeps on for four and a half hours, while on the TV it is less than two hours. Among the great poets of the world I prefer the Italians Dante and Petrarca, the French Baudelaire, the German Goethe, the Spanish Lode de Vega (his poetry plays), the American Poe. Lately I began to also read English poetry. I bought a complete edition of Shakespeare’s work and every rest day I read a sonnet. Also I have in my mind to read in English Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry. In this way I began to read a poetry book “Gitanji Song Offerings”, a gift from poetess Angelee Deodhar.

11) How has your poetry changed over the years? Have you become more settled in a peculiar style, or diversified and tended to experiment?

Buffoon said that the style is in fact the man. If that is true, the style is a fate. It changes but only a little. My poems are around two, three stanzas. My style is concise and abrupt, my poetical speech has many breaks, I easily jump from one idea to another, but invisible connections are weaving between them, like roots. These qualities or maybe frailties led me gradually to haiku. The themes diversified along with my experiences.

12) Who or what events inspired you to pursue a career as a journalist? What are the preoccupations of your journalism? What motivates you to be a journalist? Has your work as a journalist helped you to see more haiku and get inspired in poetry?

I was young and I wasn’t satisfied with my realizations. I felt I can do more, but couldn't see any possibilities. One day, I read in a newspaper the announcement of a journalism contest. The winners of the contest would be helped to be admitted to a faculty of journalism, where it was difficult to be admitted. I decided to compete. At the job I couldn’t write. At home, my new born child always cried. So between my service and home I stopped alone in a retired place and I wrote my articles on my knees. I won the contest and accordingly with this fact, I got the recommendation to be admitted to the faculty of journalism. The journalist life was like a continuous struggle. I wasn’t always a winner, but I got the mentality of a fighter against any wrongs. The profession of the journalist didn’t help me directly to write haiku, but afforded me many opportunities to know poets of haiku. As a journalist I took part in the launches of some haiku books. Likewise, I can help my haiku friends by interviewing them or writing reviews about their books.

13) Have you held any other jobs earlier in your life?

None: all of them were of no consequence. I was devoted to journalism for three decades. Like a life time. Further I still publish sporadically in journalism. I am dedicated generally to fiction and especially to haiku.

14) What aspects of your childhood in Romania do you specially remember? What are your fondest memories from childhood which you would like to share with us?

For a haiku poet, childhood is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Some events have disappeared from reality, but they have remained in my memories from childhood and then appear in literature. I can’t forget when my father was singing during his work, and I felt as if his songs gave me wings. This made me feel like I am in heaven. In the summer in my village from Transylvanian Field people came from the mountains to reap wheat. Sometimes they were working all night under the moonlight and they were singing all the time. Before going to bed I would linger for a long time on the veranda to see them reaping under the crescent moon, in the tempo of a song unknown to me at the time. In one of my first haiku I tried to capture this memory.

Celestemusic-
under the Crescent
the song of the sickles

15) Do you have an interest in the political affairs of Romania? What is your political stance in the current state of affairs in Romania?

Fortunately or maybe regrettably, I am not involved in politics. The partisanship with one or another party will decrease my liberty of creation. I prefer to be equidistant from the political parties, from authority and opposition. In my intercommunications with the foreign countries, as much as my possibilities allow me, like journalist, tourist or poet I seek to be aligning with the politics of my country.

16) Are there any places which you visit in solitude which especially inspire you with poetry and haiku? Please tell us a little about these places.

Bucharest, the capital of my country, displays some lakes and some parks of beautiful wilderness. Then in the Botanical Garden there are thousands of species from all over the world. In a few hours, two or three, you can arrive at the Carpathians Mountains, clad with backwoods until the ridges. Until the seashore of the Black Sea there are only three, four hours by car or by train. To all of these I can add the Museum of the Village from the capital, a unique museum in the world, which conserves almost one hundred rural houses from the XVII – XIX centuries. And then the Danube Delta, one of the most beautiful deltas in the world, a real paradise for the birds. A lot of my haikus were inspired by these wonderful places. The guests of the International Haiku Festival, which will go on between 10-15th of May at Constanta will see the wonderful Danube Delta with the intention to write haiku and renku.

17) About the presence of Haiku in Romania. Is there a considerable following for haiku in Romania? Has it been introduced to the school curriculum? Are there any notable individuals, societies or journals that have promoted the interest in Haiku (presently or in the past)? Would you say that haiku is becoming a significant part of the literature of Romania?

Florin Vasiliu had an essential role in promotion of haiku in Romania, and he got it on his visit to Japan. In March 1990 he founded the Haiku magazine, one of the first profile reviews from Europe. A year later he founded the Romanian Society of Haiku, which soon was affiliated with Haiku International Association with the headquarters at Tokyo. Both of them, the magazine and Romanian Society of Haiku, survived the founder and grouped together about two hundred haijins. His example was followed by Ion Codrescu who from 1991 to 2001 edited the bilingual review “Albatross” and in 1992 he founded Society of Haiku of Constanta. Mrs. Laura Vaceanu is now the conductor of this society and in May 2007 it will celebrate fifteen years of existence. For this occasion, an international festival of haiku will go on at Constanta between 10-15 May where they have invited poets from everywhere, but first of all poets from Japan, USA and India. Clubs, schools and reviews of haiku appeared also at Targu – Mures and Slobozia. Serban Codrin, one of the most talented poets of haiku, tanka and renku was presented by the founder of the Romanian school of haiku: “Basho of Romania”. Sadly he was rarely translated and for this reason he is unknown in foreign countries. Vasile Smarandescu, Bogdan I. Pascu and Ioan Gabudean are three poets who published 17 books of haiku and tanka each. There are almost no haiku contests in which Romanian poets aren’t awarded. Sonia Coman became a headliner at eleven years old. She was presented with the literary title "little Basho". At 17 years she spoke fluent English and Japanese. Another Romanian author, got five prizes and mentions at a single contest last year, one more Eduard Tara got 12 prizes one for each month of the year, last year. Last years two Romanian sites – Agonia.ro and Europeea – published haiku often. Two more poets belonging to the new generation – Magdalena Dale and Maria Tirenescu – were presented in the virtual library of these sites the most valuable books of haiku from Romanian literature. However, haiku doesn’t penetrate in school books yet. Anyway it got in Dictionary of the Romanian language. More, Florin Vasiliu in collaboration with Violeta Basa published in 2000, a dictionary of Japanese lyric, that is now a bibliographical rarity.

18) Do you have an interest in teaching haiku to children or youngsters? If so, have you conducted any workshops or seminars locally through Haiku Society of Romania?

I haven’t any merit in this regard. But there are two Romanian poets, both of them teachers – Ion Codrescu and Ioan Gabudean – who initiated a lot of pupils in the haiku art. The first initiated over two hundred pupils and the second over one hundred. Both teachers published an anthology with the creations of their pupils, which aren’t inferior to any anthology consisting of adults

19) What is the importance of religious belief and rituals in your life? How would you describe your predominant religious beliefs? What is the influence (if any) of your religious beliefs and faith on your Haiku and writing in general?

Religious belief and rituals had a great role in my becoming, in a period when more people found relief in religion. My first book “Via dolorosa” is essentially a book of religious poems. I give it a subtitle “Christian three-liners in the haiku spirit”. In my childhood one of the icons from my parental house was “The Last Supper”. I was fascinated by its dramatic nature. Love for the people, sacrifice of oneself, the betrayal and the forgiveness - so much fierce feelings in a single painting. The poetry was written automatically. It seems somebody dictated them, and I wrote.

The Last Supper –
all around the empty table
the tongue-tied disciples…

I was baptized in the predominant religion of my country, Christian Orthodox. I agree with all kind of beliefs and I am for dialogue between beliefs. In religious poetry my model is Tagore and Kahlil Gibran. Both of them reported on God without naming Him. For this reason their religious poetry is apt to be read and understood by people with different beliefs.

20) What is the importance of music in your life? What is the influence of music (if any) on your Haiku?

Music like painting is apt to impact poetry. Often I write on a musical topic. Especially the music of silence inspires me. Most of my poems intercept auditory effects from nature perceived through music.

21) Have you collaborated with other poets (haiku or otherwise)? How important do you consider collaboration in art and poetry? Have you made any good friends through your activity in haiku and poetry? Are there anyone among them whom you would like to specially mention?

I think in haiku, more than in other kind of poetry, the communication is very important, like the air for the breath. Two years ago I participated at international festivals of haiku from Germany, Romania and Bulgaria and I met many haiku poets. I admired organizational qualities of poets like Ban’ya Natsuishi, Martin Berner and Laura Vaceanu. Also, I contrived to write renku poems together with masters of the genre like Tadashi Kondo, Raffael de Gruttola. I am graceful to my fellows’ countrymen: Mioara Gheorghe, Manuela Miga, Valentin Nicolitov and Dan Florica. With their invaluable help during six years Romanian Society of Haiku was distinguished constantly in our country and in other foreign countries.

22) What are some of your plans and dreams for the future

I have in my mind to publish a volume of tanka and another of one line poems. Also I have in my mind to bring together in a single volume my books of haiku published till now. Among my projects I count translation and integral publishing poetry of Basho and also publishing a representative anthology from the poetry of Issa.

23) What is your advice to young people with an interest in writing haiku?

To read as soon as possible the poetry of Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki, and the fourth volumes of the monumental work “Haiku” by R. Blyth.

24) Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

For the people of the ancient Rome was a desideratum “Circus and bread”. For the poets and reader of haiku all over the world I recommend the following motto “peace and haiku” or if you like HAIKU FOR PEACE.

Translated into English by Magdalena DALE

Some photgraphs

A brief biography [WorldHaiku.net]
http://www.worldhaiku.net/poetry/ro/v.moldovan/v.moldovan.htm

Links to Vasile's haiku on the web:
http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/ph_prof?stage=show&auth_sn_in=455
http://www.tempslibres.org/aozora/en/regpub/vasmold1.html
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Bookend-Christie/5203/2006.html
http://wonderhaikuworlds.com/select_userviewpostings.php?distype=2&uid=61&uname=Vasile%20Moldovan
http://www.theheronsnest.com/haiku/0901C1154/thn_issue.h1.html
http://www.stillinthestream.com/files/wabisabihaiku.html
http://www.ahapoetry.com/ahalynx/203sym.html

Reviews of Vasile's books:
Review of "The Moon's Unseen Face" [Simply Haiku]
Review of "Ikebana" [Wonder Haiku Worlds]
Another review of "Ikebana" [Modern Haiku]

Interview with Gabi Greve

2007-09-26T11:23:00.000+03:00

Gabi Greve: ”Time will tell what readers will still enjoy in 500 years from now”

An interview by Flueraşu Petre

war in Iraq -
the spider hides
in a cherry blossom

Gabi Greve, born in Germany in 1948, medical doctor graduated at Heidelberg University, has been living in Japan since 1977 as a freelance translator and writer about Buddhist Art, her second speciality. She and her husband now live in the mountains of Okayama Prefecture, Japan, where she is the manager of the Daruma Museum.

Flueraşu Petre: You are recognized throughout the world as a haiku master. How did you discover this form of art and what did convince you to start writing haiku?

Gabi Greve: I do not think of myself as a haiku master, rather a student and researcher of Japanese culture. I am not a poet, but a medical scientist by profession, I started haiku to improve my knowledge of this culture, because I live in Japan since 1977 and work as a scientific translator. I wrote two books about Buddhist art and after that the exploring of kigo, the season words, was my third attempt to go in the depth of this culture. I was lucky to meet a haiku sensei while I still lived in Kamakura and joined a small group of poets there. That was quite a while back, maybe 20 years ago. I have enjoyed exploring Japan through the deeper meanings of kigo ever since. I would like to contribute to the understanding of Japanese haiku through my experience of living in the country.

F.P.: I know you have studied and still do study haiku in Japan. How did this “going to the source” technique influence your style?

G.G.: My brain works in three languages, but for haiku, mostly in Japanese, since I live in a Japanese environment. Most of my haiku in English are sort of re-formulated (not really translated). I rarely translate my haiku into German, it just seems not to fit properly. Going to the source is the best way of staying within the genre of Japanese haiku, I think. Reading only translations can sometimes give you a wrong or rather tinted impression, because you read what the translator produced, not the real Basho or Issa wrote. Understanding the structure and working of the Japanese language helps me a lot in understanding haiku, of course. Otherwise for example you can not fully comprehend the beauty of 5 7 5 patterns or the deeper meaning of Japanese season words.

F.P.: You are managing a huge database of kigo’s and non-seasonal foreign keys. Do you still believe in the classic form of haiku?

G.G.: I believe in the importance of kigo to understand Japanese haiku and Japanese culture properly. And I think we can build up kigo collections for other areas to give haiku of these areas more depth and meaning. Haiku is very much alive here in Japan, I see it on TV and read it in every newspaper and magazine. Even in our little mountain community, the old ladies have a haiku circle. So I do not have to believe in it, it is alive and well all by itself. I just have to pick it up.

F.P.: Do you believe that today’s reader can still relate to haiku?

G.G.: Do you believe that today's reader can relate to any kind of poetry, or to nature itself? I sure hope so! Since composing haiku will make you more aware of your environment, you will wake up to the many treasures surrounding you in every day life. That in itself is rewarding, even if your haiku might not be of the highest quality. And through writing haiku you can try to communicate this to other readers of your poetry. The environment is in need of more appreciation these days and haiku is one way to appreciate nature and your environment. Because of its shortness haiku trains you to focuss on the essential, to try and see things in a non-judgemental way and this will hopefully influence your way of every-day living.

F.P.: Do you believe that a haiku book can become a bestseller?

G.G.: No, not really, since the number of people interested in poetry in general and in haiku in particular is rather small. But I think a good book about haiku can become a good friend or even best friend of many readers worldwide.

F.P.: Do you agree with the infusion of modern symbols in classical Japanese poetry?

G.G.: As an experiment, modern poetry or rather modern poets in any country will be experimenting with the ideas of their time. That is the motor of progress. Whether the result will be good or not, well, time will tell what readers will still enjoy in 500 years from now.

F.P.: What form of Japanese writing do you prefer the most?

G.G.: I am not a great friend of novels and general poetry, I must confess … real life is much more fascinating to me. I read a lot of books on Buddhist art and Japanese pottery. I also read travel books and articles about the many regions of Japan, since I like to go there and visit myself one day.

F.P.: What future personal projects involving haiku can you tell me about?

G.G.: At the present I try to introduce kigo related to Japanese festivals, ceremonies and events. Making use of the internet possibilities in compiling photos and text for each entry, before giving some haiku about it. I hope this will inspire other haiku poets to write haiku about the festivals and events in their area, thus slowly getting some local saijiki under way.

http://wkdfestivalsaijiki.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

I also try to find more information about Japanese food haiku, using them to introduce more of the many seasonal Japanese dishes which abound here but are not so well known outside Japan. Again, haiku poets might become aware of the potential of their own local dishes as subjects for kigo to be used in a haiku.

http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2005/06/food-from-japan-washoku.html

I also have a forum for translating haiku, sometimes making new suggestions for haiku already translated, to see them in a new light.

This might be especially useful for those poets who do not speak Japanese, to get an idea about the many ways a Japanese haiku might be translated, according to the bias of a translator.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/translatinghaiku/

F.P.: With what should a beginner start in order to enter inside the world of Japanese poetry?

G.G.: You should read as many books as you can get your hands on about Japanese poetry and haiku in particular. For haiku there is now a lot in the internet too, about HOW TO … and I have my own archives of haiku theory, where I invite you to look.

http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2000_07_01_happyhaiku_archive.html

For a beginner, it is not only important to make himself/herself familiar with the formal aspects of Japanese haiku, but also the heart, the state of mind that is necessary. Keen observation of the small things around you is very important and you can train yourself for a while before writing any poetry about it.

Start to see the world with the eyes of a child again, marveling at anything before your eyes, do not take things for granted and do not judge them or compare them with other things you know. Just appreciate things as they are, looking at the most minute details with great patience. Thus your life will become much richer and fuller.

Japanese haiku is very much about seasonal changes in the life of us human beings, so try to become aware of the seasonal changes in your area.

To understand Japanese poetry and haiku, you also need an extensive knowledge about Japanese culture itself, otherwise many of the hidden allusions and implied meanings will not be understood. I try to introduce some Japanese poets and explain the words they use which are not familiar with a Westerner at first reading.

http://haikutopics.blogspot.com/2006/03/introducing-haiku-poets.html

Why not?

2007-09-12T18:09:00.000+03:00

In Romania didn’t exist a site specialized in Nippon poetry although there are literary sites were the occidental poetry amateurs write. Those who write being inspirited by Nippon poetry were lost among the great number of the others.

On the other hand, there are two biannual print haiku magazines specialized in kaiku (Haiku – Bucharest and Albatross – Constanta) but only Haiku magazine from Bucharest organizes one competition every year. We thought that launching a kukai competition online is able to stimulate the activity of the haiku amateurs around an attractive and stimulating action.

In this way, it isn’t only a competition but also a way to keep the desire to learn what it is haiku and to inure them to its rules in a pleasant atmosphere.

The competition we have organized beginning with April is a copy of the model of the Shiki Monthly Kukai and it is dedicated those who write haiku only in Romanian. Its result regarding the submission there are in the table below: