This haiku,
stated in simple and straight forward language, provides the
reader with a significant aha moment about valuables and
contemporary society:
grandma’s
treasures
rubies and diamonds
in a bank locker
# 02. Sandra Martyres IN
The simple
juxtaposition of "grandma's treasures--both "rubies and
diamonds" with their location "in a bank locker" is a
juxtaposition of images that results in an ironic
realization that "wealth" requires lock and key
protection to insure safety of valuables. The implication is
that for safety reasons the treasures must be kept locked up
in a bank instead of enjoyed at home; paradoxically, the
natural world valuables, "rubies and diamonds", might have
been more secure had they never been removed from the
protection of the earth where they must have originally been
discovered. Once humans have refined and processed the
"precious stones" they become both a treasure and a
liability. Although there is no written kireji, the use of a
fragment for line 1 creates a natural pause separating it
from the phrase expressed in lines 2-3.
The next
minimally stated haiku also uses simple language to express
the value of a natural object and a potential danger for a
human choosing to openly display this gem.
black
tourmaline...
his eyes
on my ankle
# 08. Vania Stefanova, BG
The lore, uses
and value of this stone are fascinating. Tourmaline has been
used as a gem for over 2,000 years; it is a borosilicate
mineral of complex and variable composition...Another name
for tourmaline is ‘schorl’. Tourmaline can be found in many
countries such as the US, Brazil, Burma and Zimbabwe (What
is Tourmaline?).
Black tourmaline is quite
hard (7 to 7.5 on the
Mohs scale). It has a
vitreous, slightly
resinous, luster and takes a good polish. Since tourmaline
has poor
cleavage, it is a very
durable gemstone as well. Black tourmaline is very
inexpensive compared to other
tourmaline colors and can
often be found in much larger sizes. Some black tourmaline
have been cut into gems over 70 carats. It is sold in
spheres and
cabochons as well as in
faceted form, but the faceted pieces display the best
brilliance for jewelry (Black
Tourmaline).
The lore surrounding
black tourmaline is that it repels negativity and protects
the wearer. It is said to be a very good stone to wear when
you're experiencing any kind of stress. Placing black
tourmaline under your pillow is thought to protect you from
nightmares. Placing a black tourmaline at the entrance to
your house will protect you from jealous neighbors.
Emotionally, black tourmaline is excellent for dispelling
fears, obsessions, and neuroses, and bringing emotional
stability. Physically, black tourmaline is alleged to
strengthen the immune system and help with heart disease,
arthritis, and gout (Black
Tourmaline).
In Vania
Stefanova's haiku, "black
tourmaline... / his eyes / on my
ankle", a naturally occurring gem is being worn
as an ankle bracelet. But notice that the haijin uses the
technique of sense switching to create an possibly
frightful Aha situation. The line 1 fragment focuses
on the naturally occurring gemstone, black tourmaline, but
the phrase in line 2-3 shifts to a sensual awareness of of
the woman's ankle instead of the gem. The resulting
juxtaposition of a valuable gem and the possible sensual
focus on the wear's all to fleshy, human ankle results in a
startling contrast. The skillful use of ellipsis kireji
(...) at the end of line one offers the reader a short
pause to contemplate the value of the gem before
deliberately using sense switching to refocus on the sensual
shape of the lady's ankle.
Harvey Jenkin's diamond haiku
is expressed in a maximum of 17 syllables.
Earth’s immense
pressure
the poor dig African mud
for flawless diamonds
# 11. Harvey Jenkins, CA
This fragment and phrase
haiku begins with the line 1 fragment; no physically written
kireji is used—the
fragment abruptly ends and is followed by the two line
phrase. It can be argued that this structure emulates the
generally acknowledged volcanic formation of the diamond
gemstone (see the following discussion ).
Most natural diamonds are
formed at high-pressure high-temperature conditions existing
at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 mi) in the
Earth mantle.
Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and
the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion
years (25% to 75% of the
age of the Earth) at a
comparatively low temperature range between approximately
900–1300 °C. Diamonds are brought close to the Earth surface
through deep
volcanic eruptions by a
magma, which cools into
igneous rocks known as
kimberlites and
lamproites...
These conditions are met in two places on Earth; in the
lithospheric mantle below
relatively stable
continental plates, and at
the site of a meteorite strike. Thus, the formation of this
gemstone is comparatively rare (Diamond:
Wikipedia).
Diamonds are thought to
have been first recognized and mined in India, where
significant
alluvial deposits of the
stone could be found many centuries ago along the rivers
Penner,
Krishna and
Godavari. Diamonds have
been known in India for at least 3,000 years but most likely
6,000 years.
The name
diamond is derived from the ancient Greek αδάμας
(adámas), "proper", "unalterable", "unbreakable",
"untamed", from
ἀ- (a-), "un-" + δαμάω (damáō), "I
overpower", "I tame".
Diamond is the hardest known
natural material on the
Mohs scale of mineral hardness,
where hardness is defined as resistance to scratching and is
graded between 1 (softest) and 10 (hardest). Diamond has a
hardness of 10 (hardest) on this scale. Diamond's hardness
has been known since antiquity, and is the source of its
name.
In Harvey Jenkins' haiku the
images of natural elements of "Earth's immense pressure"
which produces "flawless diamonds" is juxtaposed with
an image of humanity--"the
poor dig African mud". The resulting contrast in
the juxtaposition produces an Aha moment where the
gulf between "wealthy" owners and "poor" workers who labor
to produce the wealth is empathically portrayed. The maximum
length of `this haiku is a fitting emulation of both the
process of natural diamond gemstone formation and the
painstaking mining practices used to obtain these valuable
and rare gems.
The imbalance of wealth
distribution in world societies often leads to war and
conflict.
conflict diamonds—
boy soldiers sharpen
machetes
# 187. Stella
Pierides, DE / UK
Conflict diamonds (also
called a converted diamond, blood diamond, hot diamond, or
war diamond) refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and
sold to finance an
insurgency, invading army's
war efforts, or a
warlord's activity, usually
in
Africa where around
two-thirds of the world's diamonds are extracted... The UN
has recognized the role that diamonds played in funding the
UNITA rebels and in 1998 passed
United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1173 and
United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1176, banning the purchase of conflict
diamonds from Angola. Additional sanctions have also
been adopted... (Wikipedia).
The political significance of the relationships between
diamonds and war hones the impact of Stella Pierides'
minimally stated senryu. In this verse it is a paradox that
a valuable, nearly indestructible commodity, "diamonds",
leads to a social / political situation in which "boy
soldiers sharpen" primitive and destructive weapons such as
"machetes".
The following quotes from
"Conflict Diamonds: Sanctions and War" demonstrate the
political pitfalls and human dangers of conflict diamonds:
|
"It has been said that war is the price of peace…
Angola and Sierra Leone have already paid too much.
Let them live a better life."
Ambassador Juan Larrain, Chairman of the Monitoring
Mechanism on sanctions against UNITA.
"Diamonds are forever" it is often said. But lives
are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war,
mutilations and death for the sake of conflict
diamonds."
Martin Chungong Ayafor, Chairman of the Sierra Leone
Panel of Experts |
Another expression of the
paradoxical view of diamonds is expressed in Sandra Martyres
haiku. In this verse the "kohinoor diamond" is a beautiful
"diamond" stone / gem that "sparkles brightly" in the
setting of a "queen's tiara"; but, viewed historically, the
reality of possession and ownership reveals a path of
bloodshed and death.
queen's tiara
sparkles brightly
kohinoor diamond
# 38.
Sandra Martyres, IN
To understand the elements of
this paradox it is necessary to know some of the historical
events surrounding this gemstone. The Kōh-i Nūr (Telugu:
కోహినూరు,
Hindi:
कोहिनूर,
Persian/Urdu:
کوه نور ) which means "Mountain of Light" in
Persian, also spelled
Koh-i-noor, Koh-e Noor or Koh-i-Nur, is a
105
carat (21.6 g)
diamond (in its most recent
cut) that was once the
largest known diamond in
the world. The Kōh-i Nūr diamond, along with its double, the
Darya-ye Noor (the "Sea of
Light"), originated in India in the
Kollur region of
Guntur district in present
day
Andhra Pradesh, one of the
world's earliest diamond producing regions, some time in the
1200s during the
Kakatiya rule. It has
belonged to various
Hindu,
Persian,
Rajput,
Mughal,
Turkic,
Afghan,
Sikh and
British rulers who fought
bitterly over it at various points in history and seized it
as a spoil of war time and time again. It was most recently
seized by the
East India Company and
became part of the
British Crown Jewels when
Queen Victoria was
proclaimed
Empress of India in 1877.
After
Queen Victoria's death it
was set in Queen Alexandra's brand-new diamond crown, with
which she was crowned at the coronation of her husband,
King Edward VII.
Queen Alexandra was the
first Queen Consort to use the diamond in her crown,
followed by
Queen Mary and then
Queen Elizabeth. At the end
of the 20th century
India
claimed the diamond and have said that the Kohinoor was
taken away illegally and it should be given back to India.
When
Elizabeth II made a state
visit to India marking the 50th anniversary of Independence
in 1997, many Indians in India and Britain including several
Indian MPs demanded the return of the diamond. Sandra's
haiku is a a fine example of ironic understatement; on the
surface level the "diamond" is an object of beauty, but on
the level of implication, the precious "kohinoor
diamond" is also an object of war spoils. The diamond is
alleged to be cursed:
It is believed that the
Koh-i-Noor carries with it a curse which affects men who
wear it, but not women. All the men who owned it have
either lost their throne or had other misfortunes befall
them. Queen Victoria is the only reigning monarch to
have worn the gem. Since Victoria's reign, the stone has
generally been worn by the British Queen Consort, never
by a male ruler. The possibility of a
curse pertaining to
ownership of the diamond dates back to a
Hindu text relating to
the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in
1306: "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but
will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a
woman, can wear it with impunity" (Wikipedia).
A similar negative view of "a
diamond" is expressed in Neal Whitman's minimal haiku:
my life
a diamond in the rough
crushed under the weight
# 98. Neal Whitman, US
Through metaphor "life" is
viewed as being "a diamond in the rough", an uncut gemstone
with the potential to be shaped and faceted into an object
of worthiness; yet, paradoxically, in line 3 the uncut
gemstone is "crushed under the weight" of life. The
circular structure of this haiku is noteworthy because it
suggests that the object of high potential worth also
carries with it the possibility of a crushing destruction.
Diamonds have long been
associated with human passion and the intimate affairs of
the heart. Tracy Davidson echoes the sentiments of the
previous writers who believe the diamond is a perverse
object—that
though it "glitters", it also hides a dark side:
diamond
ring
behind the sparkle
your flawed heart
# 193. Tracy Davidson, UK
In this minimal haiku line
one is the fragment; no written kireji is provided, yet the
structure of the following two line phrase provides a
natural pause following the word "ring". The image of the
"diamond ring" suggests the traditional and familiar notion
of a gemstone as a object of financial value. The concept of
financial value spills over into line two and is enhanced
with the word "sparkle", however, the adverb qualifier,
"behind" introduces a contrary image, an opposite cause or
condition, a latent feature which is confirmed in line
three, "your flawed heart". The word "sparkle" is a pivotal
word in which the images of financial value in lines one and
two, suddenly shift to a negative human trait, "your flawed
heart". Davidson is aptly applying the technique of
image sense shifting to create a memorable if not
frightening Aha moment.
On a decidedly different note
a number of haijin take an opposite view of diamonds,
preferring the notion that diamonds are worthy objects and
that when they are compared with other nature images and
human situations, the positive value of the diamond is
transferred and in fact increases the value of the related
images.
The New Zealand Bellbird (Anthornis
melanura), also known by its
Māori names Korimako or
Makomako, is a
passerine
bird
endemic to
New Zealand...the explorer
Captain Cook wrote of its
song "it seemed to be like small bells most exquisitely
tuned". (Wikipedia).
bellbird song
each note
a flawless diamond
# 23. Margaret Beverland, AU
In this minimally constructed
haiku, Margaret Beverland, compares the "note(s)" of the
"bellbird song" with the qualities of a "flawless diamond";
here, the technique is a juxtaposition of the first line
fragment which spills over into the two line phrase, and
compares the images in a positive, quietly, understated and
positive metaphor. The technique of associative image values
and meanings creates a memorable Aha moment that is
dramatically different than the previously discussed haiku.
Air, water, and
the sun—the elemental building blocks of earth's nourishing
environment. These positive image components of Duško's
minimal haiku provide a simple Aha moment that is easily
recognized, a common experience. The two line phrase in
lines 2-3 providing the image of "dew" (water) and "a
sunray" is directly equated with the
phenomenon of light being
reflected and passing through a diamond gemstone--the line
one fragment. The beauty of these natural elements is
powerful. A written kireji at the end of line one creates a
long pause in which to glimpse the image that becomes a
metaphor when combined with the ensuing phrase.
flashing
diamond—
the drop of dew
in a sunray
#28.
Duško Matas, CR
Mavis Gulliver
captures a glimpse of beauty in her haiku when she
associates a unique landscape with diamonds:
Far from
city lights
Island skies are bright with stars
Diamonds on velvet
# 175. Mavis Gulliver,
Scotland
Scotland (Scottish
Gaelic:
Alba ([ˈalˠ̪apə]),
a
country that is
part of the
United Kingdom, occupies
the northern third of the island of
Great Britain, sharing a
border with
England to the south and
bounded by the
North Sea to the east, the
Atlantic Ocean to the north
and west, and the
North Channel and
Irish Sea to the southwest.
In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over
790 islands including the
Northern Isles and the
Hebrides. The line 2-3
phrase captures and remarks on the unique geographical
isolation that distinguishes this beautiful landscape from
other locations. The line three metaphor, "Diamonds on
velvet" favorably compares the night sky of stars with
"diamonds" displayed on a "velvet" background. Who dares to
say metaphor should not be used in haku? Using the maximum
length for each haiku line is an appropriate visualization
of scanning a starry night sky in a panoramic 180 degree arc—from
horizon to horizon. The unwritten kireji after stars causes
the reader to pause and contemplate the image before reading
the final metaphorical line.
Each of the next
three haiku portray explore the effect of a diamond ring on
a female recipient:
my
engagement ring
Spring’s open cluster
of stars
# 133. Karin Anderson, AU
Karin Anderson
compares "my engagement ring" to an "open cluster / of
stars" in Spring. The vastness of the Spring sky suggests
that for her, the "engagement ring", most certainly a
diamond, is impressive. This use of hyperbole is an
effective exaggeration.
In a similar way
Chitra's haiku employs hyperbole to show that the recipient
of the diamond ring is so impressed with the gem that "her
radiant eyes / outshine her diamond ring. Here too,
hyperbole—exaggeration
is effectively used to accomplish an Aha moment.
her
radiant eyes
outshine her diamond ring:
first love
# 29. Chitra Rajappa, IN
In Stella's
"diamonds" haiku the gemstones are so overwhelming that the
girl's eyes are "glazed" over:
diamonds—
the glaze on this girl’s
eyes
# 189. Stella
Pierides, DE / UK
In each of the
three previous haiku—Nos.
133, 29, and 189—"diamonds"
are used in an associative manner to show an extreme effect
on a person.
In closing the
last three diamond haiku selected show a positive
relationship to current English Royalty, to an annual
religious celebration, and to moral rectitude.
The Diamond
Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II takes place in 2012, marking
60 years of The Queen’s reign. The Queen came to the throne
on 6th February 1952 (her Coronation took place on 2nd June
1953).
diamond
jubilee—
a girl practices
her curtsies
# 191. Stella Pierides, DE / UK
In this minimal
haiku Stella celebrates the 60 year reign of Queen Elizabeth
II. In the United Kingdom
Commonwealth realms,
(formerly the
British Empire), there have
been two Diamond Jubilees.
Queen Victoria held
hers on 20 June 1897, while
Elizabeth II (Queen of
several independent realms including the
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Jamaica and her
others), will celebrate her
Diamond Jubilee between 2
and 5 June 2012.
The "diamond
jubilee" image in the first line fragment establishes the
celebration as one of uniqueness and high value in its
association with this gemstone. The celebration itself is a
positive symbol of success and longevity—a
celebration which is an uncommon occasion in human life
cycles. The em-dash kireji at the end of line one creates a
full length pause appropriate to the momentous event; the
image suggests the elevated status of the event, a Royal
occasion. The ensuring line two and three phrase
introduces a contrasting image, that of a youthful, female
who "practices / her curtsies". The phrase image offers a
suitable contrasting image; read in juxtaposition we see
Royalty and commoner relating to each other in a positive
setting—an interesting Aha moment.
In this Haiku
Thread the haijin have used the "diamond" image to honor
many different themes associated with human life; the
religious aspect of life is one theme among many. Marion
Clarke's haiku commemorates the Madonna and the life of
Christ in this haiku:
holy week
procession—
the Madonna's tears
are real diamonds
# 188. Marion Clarke, IE
Holy Week is the
week which precedes the great festival of the Resurrection
on Easter Sunday, and which consequently is used to
commemorate the Passion of Christ, and the events which
immediately led up to it. In Latin is it called hebdomada
major, or, less commonly, hebdo inmada sancta, styling it he
hagia kai megale ebdomas. Similarly, in most modern
languages (except for the German word Charwoche, which seems
to mean "the week of lamentation") the interval between Palm
Sunday and Easter Day is known par excellence as Holy Week (New
Advent). In a note sent on March 25, 2012, Marion
Clarke relates that "the incident was real and happened
during 'Semana Santa' in Estepona, Southern Spain. An old
man involved in the procession told me that the Madonna's
tears were real diamonds".
In this nearly
maximum length haiku Marion introduces the topic with the
fragment "holy week procession—";
she ends the fragment with an em-dash creating a full stop
which results in a suitable contemplation of the religious
image. The following two line phrase introduces two
associated images—"the
Madonna's tears" which are said to be "real diamonds"; the
assertion of line three can be read as a metaphor, or
perhaps Marion is referring to a local celebration where the
procession does include a statue of the Madonna with real
diamond tears. Either way, the reference to "diamonds"
indicates the high worth of this religious event.
Having been
raised in a large family who practiced Catholicism I would
like to close this discussion of my Choice Haiku with my own
offering:
diamonds,
rubies
and pearls pale in beauty—
Your glittering
soul
# 216. John Daleiden
In reviewing
these "diamond" precious stone haiku it is obvious that the
value of "diamonds" is clearly in the eye of the beholder. The various views offered are often conflicting but they are
none-the-less interesting, therefore, I have arranged these
haiku into the following sequence entitled "Perspectives":
