Carpe Diem's Chained Together #3 "Wild Roses" by Georges Hartmann

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is time for a new Tan Renga Challenge here at Carpe Diem's "Chained Together", the place to be if you like to write and share Tan Renga.

As you maybe know I am the owner and host of the daily haiku meme Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and this month we are having a ginko (a journey) straight through the countries of the European Union. In the last days we have visited already a few countries and one of them was Germany.

For this new episode I have a nice "hokku" for you by the german haiku poet Georges Hartmann;

wild roses
on the abandoned tracks
bloom as every year

© Georges Hartmann

A nice, but challenging, hokku I would say.

Wild Roses

This Chained Together episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until June 11th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Chained Together #2 Herman Van Rompuy's "birds in concert"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to present a new episode here at Carpe Diem Chained Together, our youngest part of our Carpe Diem Haiku Kai family. Here it is all Tan Renga challenges ...

For this episode I have a wonderful haiku written by Herman Van Rompuy, a haiku poet from Belgium.

Birds in concert,
one sings above all others.
I don't know its name

© Herman van Rompuy,

(former Prime Minister of Belgium and the first President of the European Council) :  from his book “Haiku” published 2010

And now it is up to you to create the second stanza to this "hokku".

Here is my attempt:

Birds in concert,
one sings above all others.
I don't know its name                                         (Herman van Rompuy)

raindrops shimmer on bamboo leaves
the sound of a temple bell                                  (Chèvrefeuille)

Well ... what do you think? Is it a nice one or not?

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until June 1st at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Chained Together #1 " the swing of the gate" (by Southard)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers

For this first weekly Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a haiku by our featured haiku-poet of September 2014, Mabson O. Southard (1911-2000) a modern haiku-poet with a special love for the classical 5-7-5 syllable-structure.

So this Tan Renga Challenge is a bit different then the other episodes of the Tan Renga Challenge which we have (and have had) on Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. The second stanza (7-7) has to be real (classical) 7-7, not easy I think, but we have to try.

Here is the haiku by Southard which is the first stanza of this first weekly Tan Renga:

Just the cellarpit;
only the catbird recalls
the swing of the gate.              Mabson O. Southard (1911-2000)  

The goal of this Tan Renga Challenge is to write the second stanza (7-7) by associating on the first stanza. As I said earlier in this post 'this time it's, because of Southard, to write a real 7-7 stanza'.

Mabson O. Southard (1911-2000)

My attempt to write a second stanza for this Tan Renga:

First stanza (5-7-5):

Just the cellarpit;
only the catbird recalls
the swing of the gate                                                    (Southard)

Second stanza (7-7):

the squeak of the backyard gate
breaking the spring night's silence                              (Chèvrefeuille)

A nice classical Tan Renga I would say. And now it is up to you my dear Haijin to create the second stanza (following the classical syllables count 7-7). Have fun!
This first episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 20th at noon (CET). I will publish our new Chained Together episode around 21st 7.00 PM (CET). For now have fun!

WELCOME +++ BIENVENUE === WELKOM

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the newest part of the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai family. This part of this warmhearted family of haiku poets is especially for Tan Renga (and maybe later, Renga). A Tan Renga is a short chained poem written by two haiku poets.

The Tan Renga looks very similar with the Tanka (a 5-lined poem), but is slightly different. A Tan Renga has two stanza, the first stanza (3-lined) is called "hokku" and the second stanza (2-lined) is called "ageku".

In every post I will give a "hokku" (or starting verse) and than it is up to you, my dear visitors, to create the second stanza through association on the first given stanza. This forms the Tan Renga.

Here is an example:

the cool breeze
fills the empty vault of heaven
with the voice of the pine tree              © Onitsura

a symphony of nature's music
skylarks join in praising the Lord        © Chèvrefeuille    

Soon to come more.

++ THIS SIDE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION ++