Birds in Haiku

It is June and the natural world is very busy. The landscape has turned a lush green. The apple trees have begun to blossom, and bird song fills the air.  

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, June holds the final days of astronomical spring (March 20-June 20) and marks the beginning of meteorological summer (June 01 – August 31).  For those who observe the 72-season calendar, June brings us a variety of seasons including:

• Time for Wheat (May 31 – June 04)
• The Praying Mantis Hatches (Jun 05 – Jun 09)
• Fireflies Rise from the Rotten Grass (Jun 10 – Jun 15)
• The Plums Turn Yellow (Jun 16 – Jun 20)
• The Common Self-Heal Dries (Jun 21 – Jun 25)
• The Iris Flowers (Jun 26 – Jun 30)

Seasons, Kigo, and Haiku

In writing haiku, the seasons and kigo (or season words) are a key part of the haiku. Jim Kacian explains the origins of this in How to Haiku. In this book, Jim states, “In the classic tradition, it has been considered essential for a poem to include a season word to be a haiku. This tradition arises out of haiku’s historic origins in renga.”

Lee Gurga further expands on the impact of kigo in Haiku: A Poet’s Guide. Gurga writes that the season “is the soul of haiku, as simple as that. One can write fine short poems that do not have a seasonal element, but they will not offer the same gift that seasonal haiku do . . . By relating a single instant of time to the season in which it occurs, the poet can suggest a mood that would otherwise be impossible to create in so short a poem.”

Because haiku are deeply connected to the seasons, we begin each post by acknowledging the seasonal changes.

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The American Woodcock

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on my deck as dusk was settling in.  I was listening to the birds and noticing the familiar sounds of crows, chickadees, and blue jays.  However, I also noticed that I didn’t hear the sounds of the American Woodcock.  

In mid-April to early May, the American Woodcock is very noisy as it engages in its mating behavior.  The male American Woodcock has a distinct buzz-like “peent” call that it repeats several times before launching itself 250-300 feet in the air.  Once the Woodcock spirals up to its top altitude, it starts zig-zagging back to earth. During its flight, the Woodcocks wings produce a twittering sound as the air rushes through its outer primary feathers. When the Woodcock finally lands back on the earth (hopefully near a female Woodcock), the male Woodcock resumes its “peent” calls before heading back up into the air. This pattern of calls and arial stunts can continue for hours into the night.⁽²⁾

So as spring gave way to summer, the bird’s evening chorus also shifted. The Woodcock’s mating call no longer joined the crow, chickadees, and blue jays. This gap in song and this made me think about the way birds show up in our stories and poetry. But more specifically, I began to contemplate how birds show up in haiku and can be used as kigo

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Birds as Kigo

In the World Kigo Database,  Dr. Gabi Greve explains that while some birds can be kigo, many must be linked to a seasonal behavior or word to become seasonal references.

Crows, for example, require a seasonal reference in order to function as a kigo. Phrases like “baby crow” or “nest of the crow,” make the crow a summer reference. While placing a crow within a seasonal setting, like in “crows in autumn” or “crow in the cold,” makes the crow an autumn or winter reference, respectively.

There are, however, many birds that can be kigo. A few examples are found in The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto. In this collection, Yanamoto lists “bush warbler”, “skylark”, and  “swallow” as spring kigos.  While, “old bush warbler”, “kingfisher” and “little cuckoo” are examples of summer kigo. 

Further example of birds as season words can be found in Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku. In this reference, Reichhold lists “red-winged blackbirds”, “bluebirds”, “larks” and “robin” as spring season words, and “doves”, “hawks”, and “hummingbirds” are summer season words.  

It might be confusing why certain birds are classified as kigo while others are not. The distinction, I believe, lies in the bird’s association with a particular season including their migration or seasonal behaviors.

Birds that are easily found throughout the year typically lack a strong seasonal link and need another seasonal reference. This is why birds like the crow, which can be seen at all times of the year, need another reference to become a kigo. Another way to look at this is that the crow could be the subject of the haiku, and the seasonal reference is separate. (See Basho’s “on a withered branch” and Issa’s “winter wind” haiku below.)

To explore this further, let’s read a few bird haiku from Issa, Basho, and Buson.

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Basho

on a withered branch
a crow has settled— 
autumn evening 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

don’t drop your dirt 
into my wine cup- 
flock of swallows. 
(translated by David Landis Barnshill) 

a bush warbler 
a bamboo shoot in the grove 
grieves of old age 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Issa

winter wind--
he can't find his roost
the evening crow
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

swallows return
on the day eaves are thatched
with irises
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

(Note from the translator David G. Lanoue – The night before the annual Boy’s Festival (fifth day, fifth month), eaves of houses were thatched with grafts of blooming irises)

a bush warbler sounding
a bit more summery...
dewy eaves
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

As the sun sets 
the warbler’s distant voice
also ends
(translated by Allan Persinger)

A swallow cries
as a night-snake strikes
its poor house
(translated by Allan Persinger)

A difficult situation — 
a dove’s good manners 
and a lonely cuckoo
(translated by Allan Persinger)

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A Haiku Invitation

This month I invite you to write a bird haiku. As you write, consider if your chosen bird can be a kigo or if there is a need for another seasonal reference.

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

Formatting Note:  To eliminate the spaces between the lines of your haiku when posting in the comment section, hit shift-enter at the end of the line.  Example,

one (shift-enter)
line two (shift-enter)
the third line (shift-enter)

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About Today’s Post

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.

References:

1. New to Haiku: What is a Kigo?; Haiku Foundation
2. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
3. “American Woodcock”; All About Birds
4. “Crow (karasu)”; World Kigo Database

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