The Voices of Flowers
WHR December 2011
The Voices of Flowers
by
Moussia Fantoli
Moussia Fantoli is one of those rare haiku poets who have distinct styles and ideas. Rare, indeed, is the time when her haiku poems look imitative or following the predominant trend in the contemporary world haiku. In this sense alone her haiku should be read, studied and appreciated by as many haijin in the world as possible. She is an apt model to prove that one does not have to follow the dominant trend to write good haiku. On the contrary, one must almost buck the trend in order to produce anything original or coming from the local soil.
She is obviously an Italian with the background of glorious and rich cultural and literary heritage. This has been augmented by her being a classicist. It is safe to assume that each of her haiku has stories of a long Italian tradition behind it. Our world haiku is in a state of flux. That is not necessarily a bad thing because it could well be creative chaos, at least in places. The more haiku poets like Moussia we have, the better for the world haiku community.
Here are ten examples of her haiku in Italian and English.
Voci dei fiori – Flowers’ voices
1)
tutta la notte
ho sentito parlare
il gelsomino
all night
I have heard
the jasmine talking
2)
mi desta all’alba
la fanfara dorata
dei tromboncini
at dawn
the daffodils’ golden trumpets
wake me up
3)
sotto la pioggia
si scambiano segreti
i ciclamini
in the rain
exchanging secrets
the cyclamens
4)
un nuovo mese -
rimane solo un foglio
sul calendario
a new month -
only one sheet remains
in the calendar
5)
luna nel pozzo
mi sporgo a contemplarci
una nell’altra
moon in the well
I lean to gaze at us
one in the other
6)
giorno di nebbia
m’imbavaglia la bocca
e le parola
foggy day
it gags my mouth
and words
7)
castagne arrosto
se bruciano la bocca
scaldano il cuore
roasted chestnuts
if they burn the mouth
they warm the heart
8)
dentro lo specchio
tra le foglie d’autunno
anche il mio viso
in the mirror
among the Autumn leaves
my face too
9)
cielo di nubi
la stanchezza degli occhi
offusca il volto
cloudy sky
the eyes’ tiredness
darkens my face
10)
dentro lo specchio
da un anno all’altro emerge
un nuovo inverno
in the mirror
from one year to another
a new winter