VICTORIES and FOIBLES
by David Seegal
CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY
Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan
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Published by the Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
of Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan
with editorial offices at
Osaki Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0032
Copyright in Japan, 1977
by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 77-86327
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1158-5 (ebook)
Book design & typography
by Florence Sakade & Hide Doki
First printing, 1977
Printed in Japan
To E. B. C. S.
whose strengths and victories
outshine her foibles
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE JOURNALS BELOW for permission to include in this volume the following verses:
American Haiku, for "Oasis," page 28, which first appeared in 5, no. 2:51 (1967), and for "Pallbearers," page 76, and "Ghostly," page 76, both of which appeared in 6, no. 2:38 (1968).
Journal of Chronic Diseases, for "Visitor?," page 46, which first appeared in 25:55 (1972).
Journal of the American Medical Association, for "Alone," page 22, "Tearful," page 22, and "Desiccated," page 27, all of which were originally published in 217:1071 (1971). Also for "Before the Fall," page 39, "The Good Earth," page 39, "Ghostly Fingers," page 45, and "Sonata," page 46, all of which appeared in 204:153 (1968). "Arrythmia," page 40, appeared in 208:114 (1969). Copyright 1968, 1969, 1971, American Medical Association. (In the text, asterisks next to the titles identify these copyrighted poems.)
Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, for "Warm Granite," page 22, first published in 15:114 (1971), and for "Ever So," page 40, 15:146 (1971).
The Pharos of Alpha Omega Alpha, for "Theater Vital," page 27, "Diffidence," page 34, and "Precious," page 35, all of which appeared in 32:58 (1969). Also for "Things Little," page 34, "Ten Thousand Miles," page 55, "Everlasting," page 55, "Guest," page 56, "Tree Line," page 56, and "Best," page 63, all of which appeared in 31:71 (1968); and for" Audience, page 62, "Shroud," page 63, "Neurosis Biblical," page 69, "Alarm," page 69, and "Skipping Stones," page 70, which appeared in 31:70 (1968).
THE FOLLOWING HAIKU VERSES, WRITTEN IN AN American style, are departures from the exacting nature of this Japanese poem. By relaxing the restraints upon subject and style, the American poet gains the. opportunity to experiment with and to possibly enhance the classic Eastern examples. Although Japanese savants differ about the precise poetics of haiku, they agree that these short poems, highly successful since the thirteenth century, should be composed of three lines, the first and last bearing five syllables and the second bearing seven syllables. Henderson and Blyth, among other eminent critics, expect the verses to record immediate moments of high emotional intensity in a variety of moods. The effectiveness of the poems depends largely upon the readers' or listeners' capacity to emotionally fill in undisclosed parts of the piece. It has been said that haiku-reading is indeed an art-the poem must be read and reread so that the overtones will not be lost. The ideal poetical relationship for haiku-reading arises when both the poet and the reader possess and express high degrees of associative ideation. Thus references to nature and season may be offered in countless ways to convey the poet's thoughts.
The continued popularity of orthodox haiku is evident. Hundreds of thousands of these verses are published annually in Japan alone. The classic form must perforce serve both the needs of the Japanese poet and the hunger of the readers for the verses. The Westerner, often unfamiliar with haiku, may be surprised by the popularity of an Eastern verse form that was born so long ago and that is bound by so many stylistic restrictions. In fact, in addition to adhering to stylistic rules, the great haiku poets limited their subjects. Basho, Issa, and Buson shunned sentimentality and avoided subjects like untruth, hate, ugliness, war, poisonous plants, ferocious animals, floods, and pestilence. The American haiku poet who mutely accepts these restrictions, however, forfeits many areas of literary exploration and innovation.
Although I used the traditional five -seven-five syllabic haiku structure in the poems in this volume and tried constantly to work with haiku modes of suggestion, mood, and overtones, I did not limit the subject matter. It is my belief that the never-ending conflict man has with himself, the dissonance among men, and the protean character of nature offer an infinite variety of scenes intriguing to the poet. These conflicts reflect the history of the human race, and their representation should not be
