2018-01-19

sleigh ride / kulig hokku

The Haiku Foundation’s Seventh Renku Session started a week ago. Sabaki renku - Lorin Ford chose my hokku, which opens this Jûnicho renku.

sleigh ride
the road ahead shimmers
in moonlight

kulig
skrzy się droga przed nami 
w świetle księżyca

Lorin Ford says: This hokku has continued to enchant me since I first read it. Sleigh rides (kulig) in Poland have a long history of tradition and to this day are a celebratory outing for locals and tourists alike. Thank you, Marta, for taking me there. I can imagine being on this moonlit sleigh ride, gliding through the countryside, all rugged up and warm in the fresh open air, seeing the white breath of the sturdy little horses, hearing the muffled sound of their hoof beats in the snow, the sounds of their well-polished harness ,tinkling harness bells and a snort now and then. I imagine chatting sometimes with my fellow passengers as we glide through the crisp air and the indescribable scent of snow, but mostly just feeling the exhilaration and excitement of being there. And the anticipation! What lies ahead on this shimmering road of snow?

Metaphorically, it’s the rest of our renku that lies ahead. Marta Chocilowska’s hokku invites us all along for the ride. Very nicely done, Marta.

Historically, the hokku was written by the most important guest, (i.e. usually, the Renku Master) and the wakiku was written by the host (i.e. the one who supplies the venue, the snacks and the booze.) Only when we have the hokku and wakiku in place can we say the renku party has truly begun.

Sleigh Ride A Jūnicho Renku

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