Moon viewing and Haiku reading

 
​On September 16 2016 an enthusiastic group of Society members gathered at the foot of Hall Street in Nelson for Otsukimi- お月見 -  ​Moon viewing  on the occasion of the full moon.  Initially there was a cloud bank that obscured the moon, but later the clouds thinned out and gave way to the spectacular harvest moon.

​Shoko Armstrong explained that, in Japan, Otsukimi coincides with the harvest season, and people gather around a display of autumnal flowers, fruit and rice cakes called dango.   The moon is admired and members of the group read haiku, Japanese poems arranged in three lines containing five, seven and five syllables.   Though the origins of haiku date back to 1200 years before the present, the form was taken to a higher level in the 17th century by Matsuo Basho and remains popular to this day. 

​  Here is a selection  of Haiku  about the moon, that members read by moonlight:  

Meigetsu ya                Ah, the harvest moon
ikeo megurite              beside a pond wandering         Basho Matsuo   1686
yomo sugara               all night long                                                                                                                           
Meigutsu ya                 The bright full moon
tatamino ueni                on the tatami mats              Takarai Kikaku  1692
matsuno kage               shadow of pine tree
                                                                   

Meigetsu o                 "I want the harvest moon"  
totte kurero to           crying child begs                 Kobayashi Issa  1818
nakuko kana                                                                                                                                                        

Tsuki ichirin                 Around the lone moon
hoshimusu sora              countless stars                 Masaoka Shiki   1902
midorinari                     the sky now green