美国国家公共电台 NPR Beach Adventures And Falling In Love: Summer In A Haiku

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

OK. We are back to talk summer poetry with our regular contributor Kwame Alexander. And specifically, we're talking about the haiku, which is a snapshot in time - familiar, yet mysterious. Novelist Philip Pullman says if you want to write something perfect, write a haiku.

KWAME ALEXANDER: I couldn't agree more, Rachel. A haiku is simple. It's about being in that moment and observing it solely¹ and wholly.

MARTIN: Is this something you have done before? I mean, do you write haiku?

ALEXANDER: Occasionally. I just wrote one for my daughter, who informed us that she wanted to go to sleep-away camp...

MARTIN: Yeah.

ALEXANDER: ...For two weeks by herself. So we dropped her off at camp last week. And they give you about 10 minutes to unpack², get the kids organized in their cabin, meet their mates.

MARTIN: Yeah.

ALEXANDER: And then they kick us out.

MARTIN: (Laughter).

ALEXANDER: So we're on the verge³ of crying a river, and my kid is like, see you. And she's gone.

MARTIN: Bye.

ALEXANDER: So I wrote this - she is the sun bringing delight to each day. Please, rain, don't come today.

MARTIN: That's lovely.

ALEXANDER: Yeah. It's simple.

MARTIN: Right. And it's about just this ephemeral thing...

ALEXANDER: That's it.

MARTIN: ...Right? - this moment. So this was our challenge to you guys. We asked you to write your own haiku connected to some kind of summertime memory. And Kwame, we got more than 4,000 entries.

ALEXANDER: That's a lot.

MARTIN: That's a lot. That is a lot. People were really into this. One listener even reminded us that a haiku can deviate⁴ from the 5-7-5 syllable⁵ count.

ALEXANDER: That's right. I spoke⁶ to my friend Leslea Newman. She's the author of a book called "Heather Has Two Mommies." She's a longtime student of haiku and East Asian poetry. And she says that many haiku translated from the Japanese do not have to adhere strictly⁷ to the syllable count in English. For example, a very well-known Japanese haiku, written by Basho, the most famous haiku master of all time, goes like this - old pond, frog jumps in, sound of the water.

MARTIN: And there are no rules about what a haiku can be about, are there?

ALEXANDER: Well, the one thing a haiku should have is some kind of concrete image in it. I mean, a haiku more than often refers to nature or the season or the weather. It should capture a present moment. It should express a feeling. And at the very end - that last line, Rachel - it should have an aha moment that surprises the reader.

MARTIN: OK. Let's bring the aha. You have read and listened to our listeners' haiku. By the way, I should just point out - I learned through this - haiku is singular and plural⁸.

ALEXANDER: That's right.

MARTIN: You do not say haikus.

ALEXANDER: No, you don't.

MARTIN: They are haiku.

ALEXANDER: (Laughter).

MARTIN: OK. The haiku - all right. So you did all this work for us.

ALEXANDER: I did. And I thought we'd listen to a few first, and then I'd share the MORNING EDITION summer haiku poetpourri (ph) - see what I did there...

MARTIN: I did. I did.

ALEXANDER: ...That I've compiled from all the submissions⁹.

MARTIN: OK. Let's do it. Let's start off with one from South Carolina.

MICHAEL BURGESS: My name is Michael Burgess (ph). This is called "Bug¹⁰ Thumping¹¹." Smoky Mountains night, synchronous¹² fireflies bling-bling to a silent beat.

MARTIN: I love that.

ALEXANDER: I especially love the bling-bling (laughter) - really contemporary.

MARTIN: Right, right. OK. You've got another one.

ALEXANDER: Now, this one really resonates with me 'cause I'm going to the beach this week. Yay for me.

MARTIN: Good for you.

ALEXANDER: It's from Jean Barker, who's in Chicago.

JEAN BARKER: Hot, sandy beaches - tender toes skip across the sands. Lapping waves await.

MARTIN: These people know how to write haiku.

ALEXANDER: We are good teachers - or coaches.

MARTIN: Oh, is that what we are?

ALEXANDER: Yeah, we're coaches.

MARTIN: Yeah, let's take credit. All right. We've got some more that we're going to read. You start.

ALEXANDER: And what I've done is I tried to combine them, compile them, mesh¹⁴ them, create this one long poem with a lot of different haiku.

MARTIN: All right. Let's do it.

ALEXANDER: Up early to walk along the murmuring brook¹⁵ where green leaves whisper. (Speaking Spanish). Bronzed moms lounge poolside. Children laugh, splash, jump, dive, shout, eat plastic-wrapped treats. Neighborhood hydrant sprinkling water in the air cools my child's warm skin. Finally - green grass for acrobats¹⁶ and laughter, somersaulting glee.

MARTIN: Fireflies dancing - newborn smiles of heart's delight. Oh, look. It's pure joy. Cotton candy smiles and merry-go-round horses in soft, sudden rain. The smell of hot earth permeates¹⁷ the wooded shores as mosquitoes binge. Never have I felt closer to insanity¹⁸ than covered in bugs¹⁹.

ALEXANDER: Set a reading goal - library trips twice a week. How much can I read? Bare feet to the beach. We race, chasing wild roses to the cheering seas. Child of immigrants - ripe tomato, fresh basil, old flavors, new world.

MARTIN: Captain calls, fish on. Wrestle²⁰ the rod, grab the neck - fresh salmon²¹ tonight. Anticipation²² - first dive into chilly²³ sea - invigorating. I love the ocean. I like making sandcastles. I like jumping waves. Independence Day - I struggle to free myself from a wet swimsuit.

ALEXANDER: Cooked by leather seats, thick air like a wool sweater - night brings no relief. Iced tea on the porch - cicadas sing a sweet song, welcoming sunset. But, Mom, it's light out. Honey, it's time to sleep now. Daylight Savings²⁴ sucks.

MARTIN: Late night adventures in the ocean, looking up, constantly dreaming. The sweetness of dates, Allah at your fingertips - Ramadan Kareem.

ALEXANDER: Too hot to cuddle, fan on high near my pillow, only touching²⁵ toes. Embers are our light, lost in smoke dancing close. Warmth surrounds our heart.

MARTIN: Oh, I'm always amazed at what our listeners can produce and the creativity and the writing and the soul they put into these things.

ALEXANDER: I think those are all the things that we need right now in our lives that we always need. They help us to become more human.

MARTIN: Yeah, totally. So to find out who wrote these beautiful poems that we just read, you can go to npr.org. We've got all the authors there. This was a lovely way to kick off summer. Thank you so much for doing it with us.

ALEXANDER: I don't know about you, Rachel, but I'm really missing my childhood now...

MARTIN: Yeah.

ALEXANDER: ...And my kid a lot more.

MARTIN: Well, enjoy the beach.

ALEXANDER: Yep.

MARTIN: Don't forget your mosquito spray. Can you write a haiku about mosquito spray next time?

ALEXANDER: (Laughter) Here's to all the custard and sweet tea that we can handle. Good times, Rachel.

MARTIN: Indeed. Kwame Alexander, the author of the new children's book "How To Read A Book," which is just in time for your summer reading.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOOD TIMES")

CHIC¹³: (Singing) Good times, these are the good times. Leave your cares behind...

1 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

2 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

3 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

4 deviate   

v.(from)背离，偏离

参考例句：

• Don't deviate from major issues.不要偏离主要问题。
• I will never deviate from what I believe to be right.我绝不背离我自信正确的道路。

5 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

8 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

9 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

10 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

11 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 synchronous   

adj.同步的

参考例句：

• The message can be used only with synchronous operations.消息只能与同步操作一起使用。
• Synchronous machines do not easily fall out of step under normal conditions.在正常情况下，同步电机不易失去同步。

13 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

14 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

15 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

16 acrobats   

n.杂技演员( acrobat的名词复数 )；立场观点善变的人，主张、政见等变化无常的人

参考例句：

• I was always fascinated by the acrobats at the circus. 我总是着迷于马戏团里的杂技演员。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The acrobats' performance drew forth applause from the audience. 杂技演员的表演博得了观众的掌声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 permeates   

弥漫( permeate的第三人称单数 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• Studies show that water vapor quickly permeates plastic packaging material. 研究证明水蒸汽能迅速渗入塑料封装材料。
• Democracy permeates the whole country. 民主主义（的思想）普及全国。

18 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

19 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

21 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

22 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

23 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

24 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

25 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。