Sayings from Confucius

Monday, April 5, 2021

Liberty, good governance

“Your room’s not going to clean itself”. When we have privileges taken away when we are younger from parents showing us good governance, when we’re older and become successful, we learn to govern ourselves well or we either wind up in jail or the hospital. I’m thinking of Johnny Knoxville or any of the mafia leading lives of excess. 

Here in Canada we have to wear a helmet for riding a motorcycle, electric scooter in whatever province or territory. In Canada we have an entire government ministry devoted to getting the facts on climate affects by region and industry, water quality and fish and also vehicle safety; things like fatalities and injuries prevented by whatever the invention per vehicle, (helmets, airbags, a better designed steering wheel). These things also help the government to set standards for what must be the minimum requirements to have in a helmet. 
We Canadians like having our government study, prove and tell industry “this is the least you will do for people and no less”. 
Vampire prevention.
The proud preying upon a population prevented.

With an increasing number of people on wellfare or financial assistance instead of companies paying their workers more we have companies replacing their farm workers with robots instead. 
Anything to not pay more? In Canada our country assists. The American President FDR made sure a certain number of workers were hired to do a job. In some cities there is a required number of people to do repairs to the cities infrastructure. No less. The least the city will do but what of workers who don’t work for the city? Robots instead of better pay? Thousands, millions becoming unemployed replaced by a person with a tablet watching the data accumulated on the harvest.
The government doesn’t tell us how to run our businesses nor how to make cars but it does tell us the definition of a motorcycle helmet. It has told car manufacturers to improve airbags to prevent injuries earlier ones were casing. Good government, we in Canada believe in that. 
 
It tells companies how much to pay workers. 
Cities have rules for how many hired to do a job. Several working together. There must be at least 5 people hired and paid no less than X to _____. 
Companies need to be told too.  

Monasteries are self sufficient. They are different from companies employing thousands of people who ensure a thriving economy of businesses the employees support on their weekends and days off.
The Franciscans are devoted to service in farms and cities. Food and clothing for the poor. The least someone can do for those on welfare or worse.  

In Romania there was a man called Vlad of Romania who lived in Castle Bran who grew up into a man who put people on spikes along the road leading to his castle. 
Eventually the townspeople called in the priests and had him taken in so the story goes. Back then there were no police.

Around the same time in a monastery beside the Rhine River there was an Abbess named Hildegard von Bingen. She wrote books and songs. 
She also wrote letters to a wild partying Prince who was on a collision course with becoming inconsiderate to the farmers and tradespeople. She wrote to get him to see how he would be respected by the people for ensuring people lived well. 
An early form of vampire prevention. 
Good governance to ensure the economy grows instead of cheap fruit in our bread that is produced by 2 or 3 workers managing robots and machines.

We need these things even today. For our leaders to tell company owners so we and our neighbours may be employed with a wage we can live on. 
It’s the least the government can do. It’s the least company owners can do. 

The heroes of our day are the company owners who pay enough to go to football games and eat well. Money for us to be free to choose what to do with without influence.  
Paid with enough money to go to restaurants and pubs? That’s called building an economy. 

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Psalm 119 and the Way of Tea

To end the winter well this Easter I thought of my time in Asia visiting different Zen and Seon Buddhist Temples in South Korea and Japan. I also thought of my time in a Catholic Monastery in the United States. I’ve been happily reminiscing about my inwardly formative times there. And, this being COVID-19 time with plenty of lockdown times, starts and stops I thought living monastically somewhat in schedule and structure would be fun to return to lifestyle wise. I’ve never been a full monk but enjoy the causal practice of striving to maintain a “drink when you are thirsty” type of generally once or twice a day or luxuriating in prayer more than twice a day on weekends. To make use of this time in building myself up spiritually, to be a better listener and better person. 
Thus, to get back into spiritual shape I have brought back an old monastic practice of mine. It is something I started doing back in my Bacchelors degree days when I was studying monasticism in the midst of a degree in Literature and more earnestly after spending some time in a monastery. It’s called Lectio which is prayerful reading and it often works best with the shortest of passages to deepen oneself spiritually and emotionally. I’ll describe the mechanics of it in more detail later. 
For today’s Lectio I found via the online daily monastic prayer site I use called Universalis. It’s the kind of several times daily prayer that the Roman Catholic Church uses for mostly priests, nuns, monks and those monastically inclined like myself.  I don’t pray quite so often but pray on occasion as a means of becoming edified or spiritually strengthened as one would a wall or a good pair of shoes. 
Today’s quote that struck me for Lectio was from Afternoon Prayer. Universalis.com None/Afternoon Prayer for March 27. It comes from Psalm 118/119. 118 is the Latin, 119 is from the New Revised Standard Version though most English Bibles would have it as 119.  I was struck by line 37. Lectio is reading but listening to yourself for something that speaks to you as useful in an area that needs improvement. Much like how Mike Holmes on the TV Home Repair show looks for areas in a house that are in need of improvement. As I say, don’t attack your bible but use it as building material. An edification can refer to a building. Edifying is being spiritually strengthened or improved like edifying music. Suffice to say, my heart quickened at line 37:
37Avérte óculos meos, ne vídeant vanitátem;*
  in via tua vivífica me.
Turn my eyes away from frivolous things:
  let me live by following your path.

"Frivolous things" struck me as how humour can be spiritually edifying, can bring us together, build us up morally and spiritually it can be inclusive. However frivolous humour is a different and less considerate one and can be destructive and hurtful causing us to “lose our brother” in the words of the Desert Fathers; the early Christian monks of Egypt. 

Frivolous things I say flippantly make me quickly wish I wasn’t so quick to speak and wish for a decent editor. Turning my eyes, to disregard and focus on the good; not editing my brother but trying to be positive in suggesting positive alternatives instead of merely saying Thou Shall Not / No / Don’t etc.
"Turn my eyes from the things I cannot change" as St.Ignatius says. A good answer to the flippant : "meh" and give little regard to. 

The second part of Lectio is for me to contemplate and apply these thoughts and words :
1) for what I have done or failed to do to feel compunction or grieve for my past less wise self. This grief is part of moving myself like a moving movie would be; inspiring. 
2) contemplating now, silence, slowness the moment of an absence of frivolity; a down to earth weighty earnestness and this is the meditation part of Lectio. 
3)Future focused I now apply line or verse 37.5. (Yes, Lectio, can be taken word by word or even a simple expression can be fruit for spiritual growth.

37.5 in the Latin confused me. I have a thing for finding opposites or antonyms for Gothic Necro cutlture. The opposite of dead or trying to paste up your face pale to look deathly sick or morbid. Vivifying : bringing life to.

Part of Lectio is sometimes looking up words. Vivifica. Hmmm. As its Latin I started by looking up different translations, I started by doing Psalm readings and comparing them.

37 Turn away my eyes that they may not behold vanity: quicken me in thy way.

I got from a parallel English Latin Psalter (on Psalm prayer book) from medievalist.net
Quicken me; to speed up.
I found some sources that listed Vivifica as a woman’s name from which Vivian and other names were derived from. 
Then I turned to one of my favorite tactics, studying parts of a word and its history using an etymological dictionary. Etymology is the history of words. It gives a sense of where words came from, how they evolved into the words and meanings we have now. Many words have a prefix and a suffix we might not be aware of. Often I’m not so aware and I _love_ history! So I looked up invigorate on etymonline.com and got this :

In + vigor+ate from the French Envigorer 1610  

So I looked up vigor : 1300s "Physical strength, energy in an activity" from Old French vigor "force, strength". Latin vigorem/vigor liveliness, activity, force.

What struck me here was the last line : from PIE root *weg- "to be strong, lively." 
Looking up Weg I got: 

Weg: Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to be strong, lively". and that it forms all or part of the words awake; bewitch; bivouac; invigilate; reveille; surveillance; vigil; vigilant; vigilante; vigor; waft; wait; wake (v.) "emerge or arise from sleep;" waken; watch; Wicca; wicked; witch.  

The hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by the Sanskrit vajah "force, strength," vajayati "drives on;" Latin vigil "watchful, awake," vigere "be lively, thrive," velox "fast lively," vegere "to enliven," vigor "liveliness activity;" Old English wacan "to become awake," German wachen "to be awake," Gothic wakan "to watch." 


After all this intellectual reading I contemplated. Part of Lectio is finding connections to what we already know, what is a part of ourselves and applying what we’ve just learned to ourselves. Bite sized pieces of knowledge because they are more easy to apply to ourselves. 

Vivifica mei : invigorate me, enliven me, life-force, strengthen me. The Latin coming from the French back to possibly Sanskrit Or Old English wacan to become awake and even part of the word bivouac.  

Bivouac reminded me of American author Henry David Thoreau writing of why he went into the woods to live, a quote mentioned in the movie “Dead Poets Society” with Robin Williams. In his work Thoreau writes of how we can, in living monastically we can learn and grow more and become more enlivened. He says ‘in inventing the bivouac’ Napoleon was able to conquer Europe. 
Bivouac was from the Italian and German meaning to stay up late and watch but to the French it meant leaving your pack and equipment behind in order to go forward or camp out elsewhere further forward, to be alert like a soldier in the early morning. When I was in a Buddhist Temple in Korea the monks had green tea or barley tea available for us just before morning meditation which was before breakfast to invigorate us enough to stay awake in our meditation. Like the second part of 119:37 or 119: 37.25 “In via tua vivifica me”: In your way enliven me.  

37Avérte óculos meos, ne vídeant vanitátem;*
  in via tua vivífica me.
Turn my eyes away from frivolous things:
  let me live by following your path.

 Like following a path to a bivouac : a camp with no tents or equipment, where monks keep vigil. A monastic park in a way. We can do that for even a weekend to a temple or a monastery. Path like the Chinese word do for Daoist, a way a way of the ninja, samurai or in China Korea or Japan a way of tea.
In solitary meditation in via/ in your path/ vivifica me / enliven me that I may not grow drowsy but instead alert like the Gothic word wakan to watch. To not regard vain or frivolous things but be more down to earth. To live by meeting others over tea, away frivolous things ! We will be earnest and speak frankly with each other.  Chado the way of tea. 
Later I’ll post some of my writings on different ways of staying alert during meditation without the use of caffeine, that require internal work only from the Manual of Meditation I’ve been working on.


Saturday, December 19, 2020

Zen Christian : Opening the Seal on The Shoyeido Calendar of 2021

Recently I acquired one of my favorite calendars from one of the oldest incense stores in Kyoto. They produce the zen scroll calendars in Japan with each month’s scroll written in brush stroke by each a different temple monks selected from around Japan. This is the year of the metal ox according to Chinese astrology and the calendar’s cover page is a charcoal drawing of a man riding an ox while calmly playing the flute. 
This makes me think of how, in the lead up to the feast of Christmas Joseph must have felt finding Mary suddenly pregnant. Joseph was free to choose among many options then, yet, decided to stay and help out and see where things would lead.
The world, fate or, really all things external to us are the ox. Sometimes heavy issues can be like lead heavy metal and Joseph riding atop it all gracefully like playing a flute in the midst of it all. Bad ass heavy metal quiet toughness with a more gentle style of music while all around, a crowded city with no accommodations for the influx of people all trying to find a place, people sleeping wherever they can and in the midst of it all a newborn crying and opening his eyes for the first time.
Music to calm a storm. “The ox and lamb kept time”.

The Shoyeido calendar always contains an extra month; the December of the previous year. This months’ scroll tells us that truth is not in vain. It is what sets us free from captivity; a means of finding an off ramp to get out of the ring circus should we, as many do, find ourselves trapped up riding the beast like an ox.  It can also be a means of intimacy, asking another person for help when faced with a great challenge. And Joseph was there even when he found out from someone else something went on with Mary and someone else.
They must’ve communicated quite well after each other’s different finding out the news of a child “to be born”.

眞実: Truly Genuine
Zhen Shi
不虚 Not in vain
Bu Shui






Later I’ll interpret the writing on the left column on the scroll. It contains a sort of  Lord of the Rings reference that is shown in one of the movies.
Until then be well and keep warm this winter season of Dec.2020.

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

Untitled as yet. Posted on my FB earlier too. See under : 
Giant ATAT
blazing away at a gnat sized Luke.
Force the battery away?
The problem was the giant anger in the driver
wait till spent,
the ATAT was set at rest.
Jedi, they wait
like us all
in the rain
beneath the mighty. --MWT. fin 11:40pm 2019-09-20.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Back in the 1980s David McCann, now a professor of linguistics at Harvard University began his studies into the Korean Sijo poetic form.  While similar to a haiku, a sijo poem is slightly more complicated. In his article found here on JSTOR, he outlines the structure in full.

The Structure of the Korean Sijo by David R.McCann

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Latest Calligraphy Designs

Here are my latest designs. One is a clay stamp. I can make custom Chinese chatacter stamps for any name English or otherwise.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

A brief return to the aviary

I'd have to check my notes: it was either in 1999 or 2000 when I wrote this. I copied it from one of my small portable notebooks into my more durable hardcover notebook of selected fair poems, (Opposed to those that are either crass, garbly, indescernable or unfinished).

It was while I was in the monastery knowing I'd be going back. Either that or just after I got back. I was inspired by Br.Rene with whom I'd discuss the upkeep of the aviary. First time I'd seen an aviary. I was also inspired by Kathleen Norris' rare volume of poetry entitled How I came to drink my Grandmother's piano and her style of using science 
to explain that theres stuff more science can seek to explain.......

We the birds of the aviary

Friction occurs
as objects move through time
and space,
though our desire
is to stay at rest.

As there is time, there is motion
as there is motion, pain
Ah the ache of the spiritual growth
that comes with our decay!

Oh but that we were among
"the million spiritual creatures / that walk the earth unseen
singing their great creator" !  -- Milton

Though not to embrace our material states to the full
would be a sin of ingratitude
to others than our God
who stand by so near
as to peer over our shoulders
and dream of lips, tongues
and taste
while we eat our daily bread.

Our gift
Our glory
is that with our clunky clay feet
trodding upon the base of this valley of tears
amidst the midsts of our follies and infirmities
we may
with our dirty hands raised to the clear blue sky
sing
with all the wisdom of the birds in the aviary
that know
one day
they will all fly free.


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.


Ad similis prima nivis (Like the first snow
caderemus (we fall
subungulam bisculam (under the hooves

Ad similis nonsapientia arborus   (like the unwise tree
in hortum deus,  (in God's garden
saepe ad similis avii in aviarim, (sometimes like the birds in the aviary
omnis gentes caderamus (all peoples fall
saepe (sometimes

O Deo Sanctus
O Deo Misericordius
Rex Tremendae Majistasis

Principae Pacem

Nunc cumque carmena et hoc angelis panem, (now with this song and bread of angels
consurgeramus de profundis (we rise from the depths
ad cantaramus:             (to sing

Cum avii in aviarium    (with the birds in the aviary
quod cognitant haberant (who have the knowledge / who know
unum dies avolarabimus, omnis liberum (one day we will all fly , all free

Cum avii in aviarium  (with the birds in the aviary
avolarabimus omnis liberum...    (we will all fly-free
--Matthew Thivierge fin 7:29 Sun Jan 27/2000

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

I've been busy studying over the last several months back here in Canada. I have also been writing brief zen poems in Chinese along with reading lots of haiku.  I do indeed enjoy the non-traditional haiku that are shorter than the standard 5-7-5. Often times those with the shortest closing lines are the ones that prove to be most striking in the impact of their imagery. I shall post some of my seasonal zen poems for autumn and winter later. Until then, here's a poem for the upcoming New Year :  


the great temple bell
sound surrounds the silent crowd
New Year. monk smiles

photo credit : J.Labrado
~~~



Friday, July 8, 2016

Korean Summer Poems for Rainy Season

With rainy season upon us these days I've been spending my leisure time back here in Thunder Bay Canada reading and drinking tea. Lapsang Souchong with milk is usually my rainy day tea, most especially when it's a bit on the cool side out.  

I have recently started a new venture doing tea ceremonies here in Thunder Bay a few times each month in various locations around town. Mostly outdoors in summer in local park where you can drop by and see and even sample some tea if you like. Details for which can be found at my Where Wisk Way Blog or better still on my FaceBook group page Travelling TeaTime also to be found in the sidebar on this page.  

Pondering the various parks in town and talking with my friends about their favorite park places and experiences I'm reminded of this poem below about this poem below written about a peach orchard high up in the mountains that a Korean poet had discovered :  

Only white gull and I
Know about the thirty-six peaks of Mount Chung-Ryang.
White gull will never tell anyone
But I am suspicious of you, peach blossom.

You might fall into the stream
And, floating by, tell the fishermen about our secret place.
--Yi Hwang  


Upon my moving back to Canada I had come across a Tea Ceremony water container online. I was window shopping :-) It reminded me of the poem below

When a shadow appeared on the water,
I looked up to see a monk crossing the bridge.
Stay, I said, so I could ask
Where he was going.

But, pointing at white clouds, he moved on,
Answering without words. 
--Anonymous

(Both the above from Sunset in a Spider Web Sijo Poetry of Ancient Korea Virginia Olsen Baron, Minja Park Kim)

Here are two poems for a rainy day : 

Rainstorm at a Mountain Temple

The gale howling in the valleys
tears out the trees by their roots.
The downpour washes over every peak,
loosening rocks to tumble down the slopes.
The boom of a temple bell
opens the air, in waves.
-- Cho Eun 1900-196?

It is Raining

It is raining, incessantly falling
like tears streaming over sorrow,
Thinking you will be coming
soaked in the rain,
I push my window open
and hold a potted plant in my arms.

It is raining, incessantly falling
while I am expecting you.
I imagine seeing you
smiling in the misty woods 
before I am sent to sleep
by the sound of rain dripping from the eaves. 
--Yi U-Chul 1923-1984

(Both of the above taken from Modern Korean Verse in Sijo Form by Jaihiun Kim)

Well now I'm off to sip more tea and read away until I drift off recalling the rain dripping from the eaves of the garage I'd seen earlier today.... Best wishes and until next time, stay youthfully minded : for that is where inspiration often comes.




Thursday, January 28, 2016

Gisaeng Postcards near Seoul City Hall

Rose scented postcards featuring a Gisaeng on each! Each with a sijo poem in English and Korean and a short bio on each Gisaeng written by Brother Anthony of Taize a.k.a An Sonjae.

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

Much like the more famous Japanese Haiku Korean Shijo poems (also spelled Sijo) are syllable based but are a bit longer and a tad more challenging than haiku. Shijo poems are like higher level haiku poems if you will. If you're in South Korea now the English bookstore whatthebook.com (located online as well as brick and mortar physical form in Seoul) has two sijo books on offer one of which is a children's book entitled Tap Dancing On the Roof by Linda Sue Park.


As Tap Dancing on the Roof @ WhatTheBook Bookstore's site explains :

"Sijo is a traditional Korean form of poetry. Sijo is syllabic, like Japanese haiku, with three lines of 14 to 16 syllables each: the first two introduce the topic, the third and fourth lines develop it, and the fifth and sixth lines contain an unexpected humorous or ironic twist. This collection contains 26 sijo, half on "Inside" and half on "Outside" themes, many humorous, all appealing to a child reader. The simplicity and accessibility of these poems will encourage children to try their hand at writing sijo".

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 !

Well,  I've got an online Ebay store now : East Sea Scrolls Ebay Store .
In the next few days I shall be selling a Geisha Basket
with a nodate teaset inside also with a Ukiyo-E print that matches the basket. As pictured here in this post. Although the lighting may be a bit off in the picture you get everything as pictured minus the tatami mat and the fireplace in the background. If you have any questions regarding the product you can Email me : JackieTango@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Moonless Night Haiku

These days I'm in Gwangali and getting ready for the rainy season. I'm also researching the Korean Matcha Tea Ceremony that existed long, long before the Chosun Dynasty. More on that later. Suffice :

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 :

Title: A Hundred Views of Musashi: Moon Beyond Shinagawa


Title: Autumn Moon at Ishiyama Temple (Ishiyama shûgetsu), from an untitled series of Eight Views of Ômi (Ômi hakkei)














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.

 My post "Tales of a Gisaeng" is almost over 1,500 pageviews versus the mere 100-200 page views for my other posts. Thus I bring you more Gisaeng poetry!

 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

Last week I wrote several haiku on tea. Enjoy!

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"




The Captain ordering tea, Earl Grey, hot in various episodes.


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

In Jinju every May they have a Non-gae festival. Named after the Gisaeng who embraced a Japanese General and took him plunging to their deaths. This is apparently where the Busan, Igidae legend of the two gisaeng jumping off a cliff to kill a Japanese General.
 In Jinju Castle there is a shrine dedicated to her with a plaque telling her story:




A portrait of Non-gae in the shrine




















Children can draw pictures of gisaeng to post on a wall display there in the castle. They also can dress up in gisaeng clothes. 
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...



After Nongae plunges into the water with the General, there is a brief memorial dance. Some may call it an exorcism dance for Non-gae.











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 ?)

Friday, May 25, 2012

University Festivals in Busan

Yesterday night Pukyong National university had its school festival and rock concert. Today in the evening the neighbouring university Kyungsung dae had its festival on the beach at Gwangan. I snapped this photo of the event and wrote this haiku commemorating the monent :                   Hazy sun / Geumyeonsan Gwangan / Kyungsung Dae rock concert.
Hazy sun
cool wind gasps out
dying breath of spring

Via facebook I've been getting news of the violent thunder storms in my hometown Thunder Bay. I was surprised to hear of the lightening strike that shattered the stonework on a tall building there.
I was reminded of the times I'd take tea during storms, enjoying the sound of the rainfall. Here are a few articles on it. Ironically it was the hydro building that was hit, destroying one of the terra cotta turrets on the top corner of the building.

Thunder Bay
whole sky rumbles
kettle matches then whistles