Haiku Rhapsodies - (Verses from Ghana)
Haiku, as a poetry genre, originated in Japan in the 17th Century, and is traditionally written in three lines of 5-7-5 syllabic arrangement. Over the years, this form has evolved into 3-5-3 syllabic arrangement and yet still into a three-line form; short, long, short.
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Haiku, in its simplest definition, records a delightful moment in nature. According to Kaeru, it is a short poetry form written on a grain of rice. Haiku is all about the senses of taste, feel, sight, smell and touch. Haiku must also be for a brief or short moment, as short a moment as the sound of a pebble falling into a pond. This definition posits the brevity and compactness of this genre. But though quite short, there lies a moment of ‘aha’, which leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the reader.
The best known example is Basho's Old Pond. (Basho is a renowned haiku master):
Old pond a frog jumps in the sound of water
Haiku, as a genre, is less known on the Ghanaian literary landscape. However, much more recently, haiku has been adopted and nativised by haiku poets through the African Haiku Network, (founded by Adjei Agyei-Baah). Afriku as he coins it, captures thrilling African moments, the unique settings, surroundings, sights and sounds of the African continent. According to Adjei, haiku can be said to be the quickest way of telling a story be it African or elsewhere, in few words, especially in this internet age where people hardly pause to read lengthy information served daily on various social media platforms.
Against this background, the publication of HAIKU RHAPSODIES by Celestine Nudanu is very timely.
Haiku Rhapsodies is historic. The exquisitely delightful collection explores a field where no Ghanaian poet has ever published in hard print. Hence Celestine Nudanu's work distinguishes her as a trailblazer among her contemporaries such as Nana Fredua-Agyeman, Jacob Kobina Ayiah Mensah, Prince K. Mensah and other budding poets. And most notably HAIKU RHAPSODIES comes in at the opportune time to answer the world’s call for haiku to be added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Haiku Rhapsodies is structured under the following themes; Afriku, Nature, Haiku My Heart, the Divine and Death. Through these themes, the poet succeeds in transporting the reader into her world by creating very animated and serene scenes. At the same time, she draws the reader into the complex yet fascinating phenomena of what life is all about - Love, Death, the Spirituality and Life itself. The beauty lies in her skill of brevity as a haiku poet. She writes with panache, using few words which like magic are enchanting.
The poet also has that incredible ability to make you hear colours, see sounds and feel words. And those words are not always warm and fuzzy. Take for example the following haiku in which the poet is able to use words to evoke images of darkness, enough to give you goose bumps. For those of us who are visual learners, one can imagine a dark night, perhaps bats flying around and the cackle of a hyena in the distant gloom.
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Dark skie the flap of wings in a death dance
Haiku My Heart should be everyone’s Valentine! For those who have forgotten the simple pleasure of being in love, Haiku My Heart will take you right through the gamut of emotions that love brings!
Butter on toast the taste of you at breakfast
Haiku Rhapsodies also transcends the present time and space. One is taken through the different seasons, summer, winter, spring and autumn, all in one breath; The intensity of love and pain, jump out of the pages, tagging along and leaving one with very palpable emotions. Celestine Nudanu is a versatile poet who writes haiku in her own way to reflect both her immediate African setting and foreign lands.
Under the theme Afriku, the verses are light and heavy all at once, evoking nostalgia. The verses also vary in colour and taste, presenting a rich and yet delicate balance with strong sights and sounds. These ting out loudly, even in a quiet room. Imbued with details of our Ghanaian life, the colours of our childhood, the blooms on the trees we played under, the laughter of an era of hardship that as kids we skipped, jumped and laughed through. The following verse jumps out at the reader:
Fireside kids chatter fills mother’s cooking pot
The following poignant haiku describes a scene, which is very common. Here, it is not the fading sun, but the beggar who has the lead. It is a haiku in which one can easily recognise the spirit of Basho. (one of the four greatest haiku poets ever)
Empty calabash reflects the fading sun a beggar sits in gloom
The verses, arranged under the theme Divine are so exquisite, leaving one awestruck; it is refreshing to encounter God in such a simple yet very profound way.
Choir celestial waves and waves flood the earth
It is not easy to take a foreign art form, domesticate it and turn it around into a thing of beauty the way Celestine Nudanu has. It is testimony to her uncommon appetite that she has discovered this poignant literary form and has proceeded to espouse it with admirable fervour in her first publication, Haiku Rhapsodies.
I recommend Haiku Rhapsodies for those who like to enjoy poetry with a dose of the exotic, and indeed for all lovers of poetry.