an egret flares
to a dramatic landing
in a sunny grass patch.
Dramatic Entrance [Haiku]
1
Category Archives: Poetry
BOOKS: “The Banished Immortal” by Ha Jin
The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai by Ha JinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Li Bai is considered to be one of China’s best poets of all time, writing during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD,) a time swole with poetic greats. However, it’s not just a prolific collection of extant masterpieces that make Li Bai worthy of a biography intended for a general audience. Li Bai was also a compelling character. He was, at once, a drunk and a genius; a swordsman of some skill and a card-carrying Daoist. It’s not just that he could edit drafts into brilliant poems, but he was said to be gifted at spontaneously spouting clever verse. He was constantly struggling to gain a post in government, but failed time and again. Even when his poetic renown became so great that he was given a post in the Imperial court, he was disappointed to find that it was largely ceremonial and that he would have no great impact on anything. He had a stunning fall from grace when he aligned with the wrong side during a civil war and was lucky to have been exiled rather than executed.
Ha Jin, a prominent present-day Chinese author best known for the novel Waiting, does an excellent job of exploring Li Bai’s life. What I particularly enjoyed is that Ha Jin (a poet himself) discusses how events in Li’s life spurred some of his great poems (which are often included in whole or in part.) Ha Jin is also careful to make clear when biographical accounts diverge, and there are many unknown or disputed details of Li’s life. In fact, there is a bit of a mythology around Li Bai, as one might guess from the title – which refers to a nickname bestowed upon the poet based on the belief that he was a Daoist immortal.
I’d highly recommend this book for readers of biography, those interested in Chinese history, or those who are intrigued by rebellious poetic souls.
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Muscular [Haiku]
a muscular tree
poses with limbs outstretched;
shrubs are unimpressed.
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Braided Roots [Haiku]
twisted root piles
stretch across the walkway,
reaching like amoeba.
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Blue Water [Haiku]
deep in winter,
the blue water makes it
Caribbean summer.
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Yin & Yang [Haiku]
the sunny side
of the mountain falls into
a cloud’s shadow.
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Last Hangers On [Haiku]
the last few leaves
tenaciously hang on
into mid-winter.
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Hidden Ridges [Haiku]
even the small mountains
hide their tops in the clouds:
rainy winter day.
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Ema [Haiku]
prayer placards
ring a Chinese banyan:
weathered wishes hanging.
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Union [Haiku]
roots held up the wall;
the wall supports the tree.
now, they’re one & same.
