Week 18: “Peonies Bloom”

April 29 to May 05 is the 18th week of 2024.  This week, we are in the Solar Term of Grain Rain (Apr 20 -May 04), and the micro-season of “Peonies Bloom” (Apr 30 – May 04). 

Basho, Issa, Buson, and Reichhold wrote the poems for this week.  

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The 24 Solar Terms 

The 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China  (206 BCE and 24 CE) to help guide their agricultural activities. Each solar term is 15 days long and is based on the climate around Xi’an, the capital of China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽¹⁾

Grain Rain

Grain Rain is the sixth Solar Term of the year and the sixth Solar Term of Spring. Guyu (谷雨) is the Chinese name for this season. “Guyu means “Grain crops grow fast because of rain”’.⁽²⁾  

Seasonal Food:  Toona sinensis

Toona sinensis, also known as Chinese mahogany, Chinese toon, or red toon, is a deciduous tree native to eastern and southeast Asia. In early spring, the young leaves of toona sinensis are harvested and used as a vegetable in many Chinese dishes.  These leaves have “a floral, yet onion-like flavor”, are high in vitamin E, iron, and calcium, and are said to be good for strengthening the immune system and beneficial for the stomach and skin.⁽⁴⁾ 

“Toona sinensis before the rain is as tender as silk”, is an old Chinese saying that reminds us of the proper time to harvest this vegetable^.(3) 

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The 72 Seasons

The 72-season calendar was established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai.  Each season lasts for about 5 days and offers “a poetic journey through the Japanese year in which the land awakens and blooms with life and activity before returning to slumber.”⁽⁴⁾

The micro-season for this week is “Peonies Bloom” (Apr 30 – May 04).

The Peony

The peony is a flowering plant in the genus Paeonia.  Depending on the species, these perennial plants can be herbaceous or woody. Native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America, peonies are known for their large, showy blooms. The peony flower comes in various colors including red, white, yellow, and purple. A typical peony flower will bloom for 7 and 10 days.

China’s Most Popular Flower

In 2019, the China Flower Association conducted a nationwide poll to determine what flower the people would want as their national symbol. The peony, the “King of Flowers”, won with 79% of the vote.  The wintersweet came in second with 12%, while the orchid trailed behind at 2%. Other plants in this poll, like the chrysanthemum, camellia, lotus, sweet-scented osmanthus, Chinese rose, azalea, and narcissus all received less than 1 percent of the vote. ⁽⁷⁾

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Cross-Quarter Day:  Beltane/May Day

The ancient Celtic calendar divides the year into eight parts.  The four major divisions are known as Quarter Days and then there are four Cross-Quarter Days.  The Quarter Days fall on the solstices and the equinoxes, while the Cross-Quarter days are the midpoints between each solstice and equinox.⁽⁸⁾

Beltane, or May Day, is a cross-quarter day celebrated on, or near, May 01.  Beltane marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Beltane is a celebration of the upcoming growing season and a cleansing time. Beltane also marks the time when farmers lead their livestock to higher elevations for the summer, freeing up the lower lands for crop cultivation. ⁽⁹⁾

Midsummer day is the next Quarter Day of the Celtic Calendar.  Midsummer occurs on the summer solstice and is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest.⁽⁸⁾ 

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Haiku and Kigo 

The kigo, or season word, is one of the key parts of the haiku.  The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society provides us with the following explanation for why we use kigo in haiku. 

“A kigo is a poetic device used in haiku to denote a season; it’s a powerful word or phrase that can conjure up many allusions, historical references, spiritual meanings, and/or cultural traditions. Its use in haiku, a poem of few words, is especially effective because of this power to expand its meaning beyond the literal and to create a larger aura of seasonal mood, historical/ literary context, and/or cultural implications.”⁽⁹⁾

Visit The Haiku Foundation’s “New To Haiku: What is a Kigo?” for more information

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This Week’s Kigo

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto “young green plants”, “violet”, “dandelion”, and “wild rose” are relevant kigo

 In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku, “poppy”, “daffodils”, “dandelions”, and “first flowers” are relevant kigo. 

According to the World Kigo Database by Dr. Gabi Greves, “peony” is primarily an early summer kigo. However, the peony may be associated with other seasons by adding other seasonal words.  For example, “peony in the cold” would be a winter kigo, and “wild peony” is a late summer kigo.   

With all this in mind, let’s read some haiku. 

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Basho

going beyond even
the art of wind and moon: 
peony blossoms. 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

this dew isn't cold— 
the nectar of a 
peony blossom
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

From the heart 
of the sweet peony,
a drunken bee. 
(translated by Lucien Stryk)

Issa

shaded by the
samurai's umbrella...
the peony
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

sitting on her eggs
the hen admires
the peony
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

a hanging temple bell
a lantern...
and a peony
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

Falling peony blossoms
pile up together —
two, three petals
(translated by Allan Persinger)

After they’ve fallen,
their image remains in the mind –
those peonies
(translated by Steven D. Carter)

The peony bud,
When opening,
Shoots forth a rainbow
(translated by Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai)

Reichhold

bowing on short stems
flowers first day of spring
in the wind

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Haiku Invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu referencing a seasonal flower near you. 

Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your page and link back. I can’t wait to read what you write! 

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Thank You!

About the Haiku

Basho’s haiku were retrieved from “Matsuo Bashō’s haiku poems in romanized Japanese with English translations” Editor: Gábor Terebess.  Issa’s haiku were retrieved from David G. Lanoue’s Haiku Guy. Buson’s haiku was retrieved from Foxfire: the Selected Poems of Yosa Buson, a Translation by Allan Persinger, and The Classic Tradition of Haiku edited by Faubion Bowers.  Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from the Dictionary of Haiku.

1. “The 24 Solar Terms”; China Educational Tours
2. “6 Solar Terms of Spring”; China Educational Tours
3. “24 Solar Terms: 5 things you may not know about Grain Rain”; ChinaDaily.com
4. “Toona sinensis”: Wikipedia
5. 72 Seasons App
6. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
7. Yang Wanli; “China selects peony as national flower”: China Daily
8. What Are the Quarter Days and What Do They Mean?; Almanc.com
9. Bealtaine – Celebrating the Turning of the Celtic Calendar and the Festival of Uisneach