It's a waste to stop at 'The Old Pond.' ~A journey of 'appreciation' where you encounter your own sensibilities, one haiku per page~

Every day, I read one haiku.

Having continued those days for over a year, I have recently started to think.

If a book like this existed, wouldn't I be able to share the joy of haiku with many more people?

Today, I would like to write about that small dream of mine.

Beyond 'The Old Pond'

When people hear the word 'haiku,' many think of famous poems like 'The old pond' or 'Eating a persimmon.'

Of course, those are wonderful.

However, when you open a saijiki (haiku almanac), you find that a world you still don't know stretches out beyond them.

You are suddenly captivated by a single poem from a haiku poet whose name you didn't even know.

Even though it is only seventeen syllables, a scene appears, sounds can be heard, and even the scent of the season rises up.

And strangely, even when reading the same poem, what people see differs from person to person.

I have come to think that therein lies the fun of appreciating haiku.

Haiku is not just for people with special knowledge.

Rather, isn't it a language for noticing the small changes and precious things in everyday life?

If a book like this existed

The book I am dreaming of is very simple.

One poem, and an appreciation.

However, I want to value the order just a little bit.

First, you open the page.

There, only one haiku is placed.

There is no commentary.

There is no explanation about the author either.

First, just read those seventeen syllables.

What kind of scenery can you see?

What kind of sounds can you hear?

Is it bright, or is it dark?

Is it quiet, or is it funny?

How would you feel about this poem?

Stay in that blank space for a while.

And then, turn the page.

There, I, Hide, have written how I read that poem.

Then, something interesting happens.

'Hide saw light there? I felt the sound of the wind.'

'My heart was moved by the same thing.'

'I didn't read it that way.'

Those small differences are interesting.

Appreciation is not about checking for the right answer.

By knowing how someone else feels, you conversely begin to see what you were feeling yourself.

'Ah, so I am the kind of person whose heart is moved by things like this.'

In that way, you encounter your own sensibilities.

I think it would be interesting if there were a book like that.

Respect for the wonderful books that already exist

Of course, I do not think that the book format of 'one poem and one appreciation' itself is my invention.

Many excellent selections of famous poems and books of appreciation have been created until now.

In particular, I have been drawn to the beautiful books that combine a single poem with an appreciation, such as those created by France-do.

Therefore, I do not wish to claim that the format of 'presenting a poem and placing an appreciation on the back' is something new with this project.

What I am dreaming of is the reader's experience that lies beyond that.

First, you read it yourself.

You feel it in your own way.

And then, you encounter the way another reader feels about it.

By comparing those two, your own sensibilities emerge for the first time.

'So, I am the kind of person who reads this poem this way'

I want you to experience that discovery within a single book.

After closing the book, the world looks a little different

You finish reading a haiku book and your knowledge of haiku increases.

That is also a joy.

But I feel it is a bit of a waste if that is all there is.

When you close the book and go outside,

your eyes catch a small flower on the roadside.

You notice the color of the evening sky.

I feel that the wind has become a little colder.

Even though it is the same scenery as yesterday, it looks just a little bit different.

"Ah, perhaps this could also become a haiku."

If I can think like that, it is fun.

Reading haiku does not change the world.

It changes the eyes with which I see the world, just a little.

I believe that is the greatest joy of appreciation.

It's a waste to stop at 'The Old Pond.'

There are still so many haiku I don't know.

Saijiki (almanacs of seasonal words) are packed with the memories of seasons that Japanese people have been observing for hundreds of years.

Instead of approaching that one poem as difficult literature,

"Let's try reading it for a bit,"

I hope you open it with that kind of feeling.

And once you read a poem, try looking at your surroundings.

I think it would be wonderful if such a small cycle were born.

It's a waste to stop at 'The Old Pond.'

Encounter a poem you don't know yet.

Feel that poem in your own way.

Read someone else's appreciation and learn about your own way of feeling.

Then close the book and look at the real world once more.

This is not a book for reading poems, but a book for encountering yourself as you read them.
This is a book for encountering yourself as you read them.

If only I could create such a book with someone someday.

That is my small dream right now, after having read one poem every day.

If there is anyone who thinks, 'I would like to read a book like that,' please let me know by clicking 'Like' or sharing this.

I wonder how far this small dream will grow.

I myself am looking forward to it a little.