Above my head -
The burning summer sky,
Begging and walking.
by: Santoka Taneda
Haiku featured in the collection "Fire on the Mountain: the Selected Haiku of a Wandering Zen Monk Taneda Santôka". Japanese, and English translated by Hisashi Miura and James Green.
A wandering poet and ascetic Zen priest, Santōka was a disciple of Ogiwara Seisensui, one of the first poets to discard the traditional use of the 5-7-5 structure in haiku.
Santōka’s poetry emphasizes the necessity of sabi (solitude) in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment and serenity.
Join The Naviar Haiku Music Challenge
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 20th November 2024