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Article: Modern Japanese haiku.
- Article from:
- The American Poetry Review
- Article date:
- July 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 World Poetry, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Each year as darkness comes alive with sparkles, I remember the night my son handed me a jar of wilting fireflies, confident that I could turn their glow back on. I hadn't come across the poet Kasho yet. I wish I had, for his poem on a cage of fireflies might have offset a small boy's disappointment in his father.
Great poets of all cultures, including the haiku poets of Japan, are strongly emotional, moving constantly from light to dark and seeking change. Since art's beginning, there have been some who have emerged with a clear mission to revolutionize current practice, stand things on their heads. In the history of haiku, such were Basho (1644-94), and a ...