triveni spotlight: 5th April 2025

triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY hosts: Anju Kishore and Mohua Maulik GUEST EDITOR: Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

5th April 2025

triveni spotlight April 2025

on a mountain path 

where something might charm you

a wild violet

Basho

(Tr. By Jane Reichhold)

Note: This haiku was written by Basho in 1685—spring. The sumiregusa (wild violet) is a 3-inch (7.5 cm) high perennial with deep purple flowers that blooms in April and May.

Theme: Mountains

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Mountains are mighty chunks that rise all over the world. The tallest mountain ranges form when pieces of the earth’s crust, called plates, smash against each other and buckle up like the hood of a car in a head-on collision. While the formation of mountains is a geological process, they have a special place in many religions. They are treasuries of high biodiversity and rich in endemic species.

While we find haiku on mountains by modern English haiku poets occasionally, there are numerous haiku by masters and other traditional Japanese haiku poets. Taneda Santoka, a wandering haiku monk, adopted a pen name called Santoka which can be rendered in English as burning mountain peak. In his words:

“Westerners try to conquer the mountains. People of the east contemplate the mountains. For us, mountains are not an object of scientific study but a work of art. Patiently, I taste the mountains.” 

This month, let’s savor the taste of haiku on the mountains. As many of these poems are from traditional Japanese poets, some of the translations may not follow the rules that we believe to be right in the modern ELH. Please bear that in mind while reading.

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

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Many thanks to our guest editor Srinivasa Rao Sambangi for this month’s selection and theme. Poets, we look forward to your company on this journey inspired by the mountains.

_()_ triveni spotlight team