Sayings from Confucius
Monday, April 5, 2021
Liberty, good governance
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Psalm 119 and the Way of Tea
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Zen Christian : Opening the Seal on The Shoyeido Calendar of 2021
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
As the leaves consider changing colours soon
In waiting for a new apartment I wrote a few pensive poems noticing the tree leaves growing darker in preparation for the autumn display. I found a new apartment and job so things are going quite well indeed.
black rusting coal train
old grain seed farmer sows out
between tracks grass grows
sweater warm thick socks
green leaves shiver convoy of clouds
evening beef broth tea on
"Hot day yesterday"
sun droops between clouds
lime to em'rald trees
rain on dark green trees
lines on faded jeans
mid-July hints at fall colours
It seems I'm quite fascinated by the idea of a stopped lead heavy steam engine and its contrast with the slow growing gentleness of nature; an idea I will explore further with regards to Steampunk style.
I plan on incorporating food into my haiku more as well.
Friday, September 20, 2019
ATAT and Us All

blazing away at a gnat sized Luke.
Force the battery away?
wait till spent,
the ATAT was set at rest.
like us all
in the rain
beneath the mighty. --MWT. fin 11:40pm 2019-09-20.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
The Structure of the Korean Sijo by David R.McCann
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Latest Calligraphy Designs
Sunday, January 22, 2017
A brief return to the aviary
The below is the later Latin version (it took awhile, but I translated it into Latin a few months after the monastery). I have recently made a few changes and the below is the latest version. As with myself in life I find I am in need of constant revision much like that of my poems.
Some in the now less garbly kNOW may get the idea that I'm using 'life' in a broad sense like those of whom in the kitchen of life use spray colouring for their cakes (of the chrome variety). It is my opinion that God I believe sometimes runs his dishes through the dishwasher twice or well, more than once to get them all proper shiny in good rightful time.
P.S. I learned Latin in an uncompleted half-credit course at LU before attending the monastery.
The monks at Blue Cloud did not use Latin at all, to my knowledge except Br.Chris who was into music in a big way.
Here's two videos that I find bring back my fond memories of working in the monastery library and archives with Fr.Odilo. Both put me wonderfully beyond the mere winter frame of mind and into a broader more positive winter solsitcy spirit. All the best this year for we all seem to be finding ourselves in restructure city these days. Like in a library when Weedin' a collection and reshelving the sections to fine tune things a bit. Speaking of tunes here's Lindsey Stirling's Song of the Caged Bird and a few tunes from Thomas Tallis.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Christmas and New Years
the great temple bell
Friday, July 8, 2016
Korean Summer Poems for Rainy Season
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Gisaeng Postcards near Seoul City Hall
I found these right inside Deoksu Palace in Seoul. It's the palace near Seoul City Hall : Across the street from the Seoul library and Seoul Plaza. On the palace grounds they have a wonderful gift shop that sells many unique items that are rare and near impossible to find at other souvenir shops.
Brother Anthony's site may be found here and for those finding their way into the Korean way of tea / Korean tea Ceremony I highly recommend his book The Korean Way of Tea available via What The Book : (The Korean Way of Tea) or through Seoul Selection's The Korean Way of Tea
Here's a brief, but more detailed explanation that I wrote about Geisaeng here : Tales of a Gisaeng and all of my posts regarding Gisaeng.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Korean Shijo Poems : Book Reviews
As Tap Dancing on the Roof @ WhatTheBook Bookstore's site explains :I have heard only good things about Linda Sue Park's book as it is a good book to introduce Shijo to children. Haiku is taught in the west as a way of developing pronunciation through syllable counting. Well, Shijo is a more advanced version of this.
One Sijo book I highly recommend is Sunset in a Spider Web. It contains poems by Chosun Dynasty writers (mostly Gisaeng, Monks and Yangban of that age). The illustrations by Minja Park Kim are wonderfully sublime ! So too are the fine and sometimes rare selections chosen for this volume.
Here are some excerpts :

Only white gull and I
Know about the thirty-six peaks of Mount Chung-Ryang.
White gull will never tell anyone
But I am suspiciou of you, peach blossom.
You might fall into the stream
And, floating by, tell the fishermen about our secret place.
-- Yi Hwang.
Ten Years it took
To build my little cottage.
Now the cool wind inhabits half of it
And the rest is filled with moonlight.
There is no place left for the mountains and the stream
So I guess they will have to stay outside.
-- Song Soon.
Amazon.com has several copies for it for rather cheap as they are connected to the rapidly multiplying thrift / goodwill stores across the United States. Here's amazon.com's page for it
Also it may be found at Abebooks.com an online small bookstore aggregate. The link for Abe Books page for Sunset in a Spider Web is, well, you got it. It is a wonderful book that I often turn to every few months for inspiration. The excerpts I have shown you are not exceptions to the others in the book as all the poems in the book are well chosen gems making this a book very well worth its purchase.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Geisha Basket with TeaSet For Sale Soon !
In the next few days I shall be selling a Geisha Basket
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Moonless Night Haiku
Here's a few old Haiku I had written some time ago...
~~
moonless night cool sea breeze
in a jet black raku bowl
minds silent questions rest.
--MWT.
~~
rain drums tearoom roof
frothy green tea wide white bowl
sip frothy rumble.
--MWT.
The last line "minds silent questions rest" I got from another poem. I really liked the resonance of it. So I put it into a Japanese tea ceremony haiku...I wish I could recall the poet. If you've encountered it, the earlier poem that inspired me, do post a comment ! I'd love to give it and its poet proper credit !
Friday, May 24, 2013
Moon viewing poems
Do excuse my less than erudite post here. Others such as the author/ringleader of the Haiku Bandit Society may very well know more of the moon viewing tradition than I. Indeed he regularly holds a highly successful 'online' moon viewing party where haiku poets submit their haiku upon viewing the most recent full moon. Do indeed check out his blog.
Online one may find many pictures of Edo era moon viewing parties. Kangetsu is the Japanese word for these such parties. Ukiyo-e prints a plenty celebrating the moon and these such viewing parties may be found at the Japanese Woodblock Print Gallery. Two of the below were found there :
The O-Tsukimi Chakai (Moon Viewing Tea Ceremony) is a traditional Japanese festival which honors the full moon in autumn at the end of September. My wife and I are busy preparing to do one such tea ceremony this September for friends. This summer we shall purchase the proper candle holders.
As of this night I have written a few moon viewing poems upon doing a brief tea ceremony and then mellowing out with a Korean decaffeinated magnolia tea from OSulloc. I've posted two of them below. Enjoy.
~~
stressful office hours
long rivers of red tail lights
black sky only moon
--MWT.
~~
in the sky above
night time tea ceremony
a white peach mochi
--MWT.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
"Songs of the Kisaeng" Chosun Dynasty Poems in English.
During the Chosun dynasty Korean society was strictly Confucian; marriages were most often arranged and young ladies were not permitted to go out. There is the often told tale of girls on a swing set, swinging as high as they could, just to get a view over their courtyard wall.
In this context, where women had few freedoms, even that of expression, the Gisaeng may be viewed as a 'feminist' one. Although their lives were confined to their role as concubines, serving at the pleasure of the state, they did have the education and freedom to write with their most often form of expression being the shijo poem, many of which were made into songs. It is important to note that many of these poems express both their loves and longings as well as their complicated emotions they had for their clients. Being unmarried, the Gisaeng also had great financial freedom and many were known throughout the open air markets of Chosun Dynasty Korea.
From www.abebooks.com a used bookseller conglomerate I received a copy of Songs of the Kisaeng a collection of shijo poems by various Kisaeng translated by Constantine Contogenis and Wolhee Choe.All of the translated poems come with the original Korean so it is a great source for English speakers wishing to expand their Korean vocabulary.
Many of the poems are by the famous Hwang Jini. Reviewer and author Sam Hamill aptly describes the poems as "courtesan blues from the Chosun Dynasty". Indeed many of the poems are of longing and loss while others are passionate love poems. Here are a few samples from the book:
Ah, What Have I Done?
Ah, What have I done -- as though I didn't
know my feelings would remain.
I would not add the few
words that would keep him.
I want to understand the joy
I felt as I was letting him go.
-- Hwang Jini.
An Anchor Lifts
An anchor lifts, a ship is leaving
he goes this time, when to return.
Far over the sea's vast waverings
one can see a going as return.
But as the sound of that anchor lifting,
the night could hear her insides turn.
-- Anonymous Gisaeng.
Iron, We Were Told
Iron, we were told; iron had arrived again
Sure I remember brittle pig iron,
but your close, cold surface told me iron
again that was hammered and annealed.
This time I will use a furnace of earth, bellows
of such breath you will not withstand the fire.
-- Chinok.
Overall I'd say this book is an excellent read providing much insight into the midset of the Gisaeng. There is a fine selection of poems: some love poems, some speak of longing and loss while others are of renunciation. Theirs is a poetry of passion whereas many of the poems written by the literati yangban at the time are of historical or of topical themes and tend to be rather dry overall. Perhaps this explains current interest in the emotional complexities found in Gisaeng poetry. Indeed, it is one of their more intriguing charms.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Tea haiku
Busan 釡山 (Kettle Mountain)
mist morning calm
got tea?
A surprising number of Busanites are unaware of the meaning of Busan/ Kettle Mountain.
most Asia
iced green tea
Hello Kitty tray
However there are tonnes of exceptions beyond the tea that is taken most casually at home by most people here in Asia. Some other extremely common occurrences of tea in Asia:
birdcage on wall
grey chipped cups
Pu'er in YiXing
janggi board
smack of the piece
dashi kongmool.
(janggi: Korean chess dashi kongmool is a broth made with tiny fish. The fish are removed leaving a fishy taste to it. It was brought to Korea from Japan and is quite commonly drunken from a dish along with a meal).
Summer:
adjummas monks
dewy bowl
omejacha
(adjummas: Korean for a married woman. Omejacha is tea, actually a tisane from the omeja fruit. It is commonly taken in summer: google images of omijacha
Winter:
frosty stepping stones
icy wind
chado indoors
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Typhoon hits Tokyo
A typhoon recently passed over most of Japan dissapating over Tokyo.
Korea or The Weather Here
Tokyo typhoon
short walks
between clouds
June 16th : Captain Picard Day
Role model
Cpt.Picard says
"Tea, Earl Grey"
A 300 haiku:
Spartan haiku
sun boy spear
dead donkey
Airports and planes:
Sparrow skips
flurry of feathers
jet engine.
Headset two light sticks
guiding planes
silent break moon
I wrote this one while out hiking from LG MetroCity apartments towards Gwangali beach :
Headset loud trance tunes
moon follows
city seashore.
All the above haiku were written by me Matthew Thivierge and are subject to copyright.
Next week I'll have more haiku based on tea. Till then, stay inspired!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Gisaeng Nongae Festival at Jinju Castle in May
| A portrait of Non-gae in the shrine |
| Non-gae by JangMin |
| A view from the castle ramparts near where she fell. |
In the evening they have special events for the 3 day festival. On the day we were there they had traditional gisaeng dances and singing. They also had pansori singing.
Later the castle walls are lit for a night performance set in the location where Non-gae plunged to her death, taking the Japanese General with her.
The main event of the festival is a reinactment of Nongaes life and suicide. They portrayed her relationship with the Korean Generals protecting Jinju from the Japanese. The fall of Jinju to the Japanese and the Korean General's suicide (everybody cheers when the actors jump into the water in full costume) (There were alot of old adjulshis there).
| Here you can see the Korean defenders with torches. |
| The battle rages... |
To view the performance they set up a pontoon platform for the audience. So we were actually sitting on the water, looking up at the castle and across to where Non-gae was last alive upon this earth. A wonderful and haunting experience that is a must see !
At a restaurant we found a tea-cloth that had a sijo written by Non-gae. The owner told us that such items could be purchased from the souvenir shop in Jinju City Hall.
Sadly, as it is in City Hall it isn't open on the weekends when the festival occurs and when most tourists residing in Korea would drop by Jinju it is inaccessable to their main market. As it is a long way to drive for only souvenirs sadly and well, I must work on the weekdays it seems this 'souvenir shop' is something I am unable to report on. Regardless, the festival was awesome (registered trademark of Busan Awesome ?)







