FRIDAY 24TH JULY

For a good few years now I have been interested in haiku and have
enjoyed composing them. Many books have been written explaining what the haiku is, but the simplest definition would be a 17 syllable poem of three non-rhyming lines, the distribution of the syllables being 5/7/5. Using as few words as possible, it encapsulates a moment in time.

Those three haiku of mine are not connected - I wrote them at different times.

searching for the moon -
there it is, hiding behind
the old sycamore

midnight on the shore -
among the rocks a silver
moon in every pool

calm spring night, a stone
thrown in the pond shatters the
silence - and the moon



This poem "New Moon" written by Tu Fu (712-770) was translated by Kenneth Rexroth and is found in the anthology "One Hundred Poems from the Chinese"

The bright thin new moon appears,
Tipped askew in the heavens.
It no sooner shines over
The ruined fortress than the
Evening clouds overwhelm it.
The Milky Way shines unchanging
Over the freezing mountains
Of the border. White frost covers
The garden. The chrysanthemums
Clot and freeze in the night.

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Moonlight by J.M.W.Turner (1775-1851)

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Moonlight becomes you, it goes with your hair,
You certainly know the right thing to wear;
Moonlight becomes you, I'm thrilled at the sight
And I could get so romantic tonight.

You're all dressed up to go dreaming,
Now don't tell me I'm wrong,
And what a night to go dreaming,
Mind if I tag along?

If I say “I love you”
I want you to know
It's not just because there's moonlight, although -
Moonlight becomes you so. (song lyrics by Johnny Burke)

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Finally, this 5 minute video is a real delight!



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