summer haiku d’été – see the cat sashay = voilà le chat

summer haiku d'été - see the cat sashay =  voilà le chat





how the cat flounces
over the cumulus cloud -
she'll never fall through

voilà le chat
qui bondit sur le nuage -
elle en chute ? jamais

Richard Vallance

photo public domain

“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.  A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” (Jules Verne 1850-1905)

" Je crois que les chats sont des esprits venus sur terre. Le chat, j'en suis convaincu, pourrait marcher sur un nuage. " ( Jules Verne 1850-1905 )

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senryu – her soul is hers no more = son âme n’est plus la sienne

senryu – her soul is hers no more = son âme n’est plus la sienne

my Maine Coon has died - 
her soul is hers no more
though mine is hers



ma Maine Coon est morte - 
son âme n’est plus la sienne
mais elle est la mienne

Richard Vallance

This senryu is inspired by the following senryu by the author of Pi-Ku poetry, on twitter here:

summer haiku d’été – fox snoozing = renard endormi

summer haiku d’été – fox snoozing = renard endormi

fox snoozing
on a tombstone –
angel sans souci 



renard endormi
sur une pierre tombale –
ange sans souci !

Richard Vallance

eternal summer haiku de l’été éternel – sweet cat passed away = chère chatte trépassée

eternal summer haiku de l’été éternel – sweet cat passed away = chère chatte trépassée

sweet cat passed away,
you dash through heaven’s forests –
my wee free spirit



chère chatte trépassée
dans les forêts du ciel –
pet’t esprit libre

Richard Vallance

in memory of my beloved Maine Coon chat, Argentée
à la mémoire de ma Maine Coon chérie, Argentée 

winter haiku d’hiver – an eagle’s visit = l’aigle qui visite

winter haiku d’hiver – an eagle’s visit  = l’aigle qui visite     

an eagle’s visit
could be from a spirit guide –
I know so little



l’aigle qui visite
est-il un esprit qui guide ?
je n’en sais rien

Regis Auffray

translated into French by Richard Vallance

traduit en français par Richard Vallance

Canadian winter haiku – the wendigo’s fangs = les crocs du wendigo

Canadian winter haiku – the wendigo’s fangs = les crocs du wendigo

the wendigo’s fangs
tearing into flesh  – 
flash-frozen heart



les crocs du wendigo
déchirant la chair –
coeur congelé

Richard Vallance


Kigo or season words in Japanese and Canadian haiku:

Traditional Japanese and Canadian haiku share at least a few kigo or season words. But there are many Canadian kigo which are not found in Japanese haiku at all, and one of these is the Canadian winter kigo, wendigo. But what is the wendigo? The Wendigo is said to be a Algonquian native legend. There are many different stories associated with this mystic being. Is it a spirit? or was it once a human being who was transformed into this being as a result of eating human flesh? The Algonquian native legend states, "It is usually described as a giant with a heart of ice; sometimes it is thought to be entirely made of ice. Its body is skeletal and deformed, with missing lips and toes." And yet another version of this story is retold by the Ojibwa First Nation and it states, "It was a large creature, as tall as a tree, with a lipless mouth and jagged teeth. Its breath was a strange hiss, its footprints full of blood, and it ate any man, woman or child who ventured into its territory." 

In Japanese traditional haiku, The three main strategies (among others) are the use of season words (kigo), cutting words (kireji), and objective sensory imagery. In Japanese haiku, the 500 most common kigo or season words are found here:
http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html

Just a few of these are:

for spring:
spring night
cherry blossom(s)
tranquil
hazy moon
last frost
spring tide
plow
pinwheel
frog
butterfly

for summer:
hot
summer moon
fragrant breeze
thunder
rainbow
drought
rice planting
silk worm
kingfisher
eel
mosquito

for autumn:
autumn dusk
chilly
fleeting autumn
scarecrow
reed cutting
quail
sandpiper
salmon
apple
grapes

for winter:
short days
clear and cold
freezing
winter moon
frost
snow
ice
icicles
grebe
bed bugs

But while Canadian share at least a few of these kigo or season words, it is more than apparent that most Canadian kigo are not the same as the Japanese ones. For instance, we have:

for spring:
umbrella(s)
pouring rain (especially!)
purple loosestrife
polar bear cubs
geese
tundra
midnight sun


for summer:
midnight sun
maple trees
dappled maples
shooting stars
bald eagle
canyon
stray cat
fireflies
wilderness
gray crane
Wild Rice Moon


for autumn:
MacIntosh, Spartan, Courtland, Royal Gala etc. apples
picking apples
falling leaves
leaves, especially maple leaves
rustling leaves
cabins
mist(y)

for winter:
snow storm (even though this exists in Japanese haiku, it is far more common in Canadian ones)
snow flurries
spruce trees
fir trees
ice storm
icy lake
Blood Wolf Moon
polar bears
wolves
wolverines
Arctic fox
Snowy Owl
(Canadian) lynx
snow hares
chickadees
Northern Lights = Aurora Borealis
wendigo

Bahai’ = the latest Dispensation from God = Progressive Revelation

Bahai’ = the latest Dispensation from God = Progressive Revelation

Imagine my astonishment when I happened across the teachings of the Bahai’ Faith, which came into being in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Its teachings are revolutionary. It allows one to keep the faith of one’s birth, in my case, Christian, but it opens up so many avenues to a faith greater than all religions, including itself. The Bahai’s firmly believe that theirs is not the last revelation, that more are to come. This sets them apart from all past religions.  Unlike all previous religions of the past, the Bahai’ faith firmly counsels universal education, the education of women and the equal rights of women and men, the promotion and teaching of technology and science, and the list goes on and on. This sort of religion truly appeals to an intellectual such as myself. I shall be posting the tenets of the Bahai’ faith on a regular basis here on Minoan Linear A, Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae.

Here are the first three observations from the faith:







They are real eye-openers!

POST 1,400: another sonnet of mine, based on the previous 2 haiku in Mycenaean Greek

POST 1,400: another sonnet of mine, based on the previous  2 haiku in Mycenaean Greek:


Never fear



Matthew 14:27
But Jesus immediately spoke to them, saying, Take courage; it is I:
do not be afraid.




The Temple of Bahai’, Tel Aviv, Israel


While you are so afraid of your own life,
never fear for me, for I fear as well
as well as you for every scrap of strife
we shall have all endured by spiting hell:
and it’s just as well, heaven willing earth
shall allow Bahai’ the inspiration
to distance wisdom of our precious worth,
our spirit His, His imagination
ours the “forever Was”,  forever shared
with every single soul, however ill:  
We’ll know the love of God has always spared
us all and embraces us in his Will...
... and it’s just as well I can hear Him spell
     his Word on us to see us faring well.


Richard Vallance,


January 10, 2017