O Mabson Southard's Haiku
The description of haiku given in The Haiku Anthology, edited by Corvan den Heuval, accurately describes the way Mabson Southard writes. It says, “We all want to know what is real and to feel at one with the natural world. Haiku help us experience the everyday things around us vividly and directly, so we see them as they really are, as bright and fresh as they were when we first saw them as children” (xi). Southard is a master at seeing the simplicity of nature and converting his visions into wonderful haiku.
Barbara Southard, O Southard’s daughter, wrote about his life in Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight edited by herself, Randy Brooks and Brock Peoples and published by Brooks Books. According to Barbara Southard, O Mabson Southard was born into an old, traditional New England family from Massachusetts on November 29, 1911. His mother earned her M.D. from John Hopkins and his father was a professor of psychiatry at Harvard. He had one brother and one sister. Southard attended Harvard for a couple of years and was a member of their chess team. While at Harvard he contracted tuberculosis and was in a sanatorium for a year. During that time Southard “decided to resist family pressures for a brilliant career and to cultivate an independent, unconventional lifestyle” (10). His “unconventional lifestyle” ended up being that of a haiku writer. (Southard 9-10)
Southard was a haiku writer whose main focus of writing was on nature. His haiku was not symbolic, what he wrote is actually what he meant. He wrote his haiku based on actual experiences from his interaction with nature. Southard felt that by living simply we can capture the essence of the natural world. (Southard 11-12) In an interview with his daughter, Barbara Southard, she commented that he was very interested in Oriental philosophy because in O Southard’s words, “it offered an alternative to the western emphasis on the conquest of nature.” She went on to say, “O believed that human beings are an integral part of nature and that their future well-being depends on harmony with rather than conquest of nature.” She compares his writing to classical Japanese and Chinese paintings where nature is the focus of the painting and human figures “are seen going about their business along a path, drafted by a giant pine or mountain” (Barbara Southard). His philosophy is evident in his writing because it focuses on nature and only occasionally are people even involved in the haiku. When he does include people, they are not the focus of the haiku.
Southard moved around frequently and in the course of his lifetime he lived in many different beautiful places. You can see reflections of theses places in his writing. He lived in Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii and on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Each of these places left their mark on his writings. The following haiku are from a collection of his haiku, Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight.
Basking there eye-deep
the bayou’s alligator
suddenly thrashes
O Mabson Southard, Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight, 40
This haiku is from the “Deep Southeast” section of the book and was probably written during his time in Mexico since there are many bayous in that country. This haiku vividly describes the way an alligator just sits still in the water waiting for it’s prey. The reader can just feel the stillness of the swamp. There is nothing moving, not even a breeze, except for the alligator’s eyes looking for something to come along for his lunch. All that can be seen are his eyes just breaking the surface of the water. As soon as the alligator sees something move, he thrashes and takes it under. Even though the haiku ends here, the reader can still see the churning water left from the alligator and its prey. This haiku is filled with movement and suspense.
From rain-wet bamboos
aslant in the sudden breeze—
an aftershower
Southard, DSFS, 60
Hawaii seems to be this inspiration for this haiku which comes from the “Island South” section of the book. The reader can feel the warm damp air brought about the pop-up shower, see the bamboo trees weighted down by the rain drops on their leaves and hear the breeze rustling the leaves. Along comes a sudden breeze and it blows the excess water off the leaves. There is a second surprise shower for whoever is below the tree. This haiku shows a playful side to Southard.
Over the tundra
pale butterflies come streaming
through a sun-shower
Southard, DSFS, 43
It is unclear if Southard wrote this haiku while he was living in Alaska or when he was living on Vancouver Island. It is in the “Far Northwest” section of Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight. Regardless, the reader can envision a cold, barren tundra which has come to life with a flock of yellow butterflies. Their color is enhanced by the yellow rays of the sun. This haiku gives the reader a snapshot of the plain tundra brought to life by the butterflies and sunlight. I like the way he uses the word streaming to describe both the group of butterflies moving over the tundra and also the way the sun is streaming over the ground. Both the sun and the butterflies brighten up the rather stark tundra.
Even though Southard was well educated (he attended Harvard for two years and then earned a degree in anthropology at University of Alaska) he did not actively pursue a career. When he and his family needed money, he would work for a while and then go back to his writing. He believed it impaired the writer’s imagination and ability to see clearly if the writer was ambitious toward gaining material possessions. Simplicity is a constant theme in his haiku as can be seen below.
Still sunlit, one tree;
into the mountain shadow
it lets fall a leaf
Southard, DSFS, 34
This haiku is beautiful in its simplicity. The reader can see a single leaf floating to the ground. It has the seasonal element of late autumn or early winter. The days are getting shorter and winter is close at hand, however, there is still a little sunlight left in the day, enough for the mountains to cast their shadow on the forest below and for Southard to see the leaf fall. This haiku shows how Southard can take an everyday experience that we might not notice and turn it into something special.
Regardless of the topic of Southard’s poems, he used the 5-7-5 technique. He was a master at this technique. His use of punctuation and the 5-7-5 technique makes his haiku have a natural rhythm that is enjoyable and relaxing to read.
Into a wave, out—
and into the next, and out—
a school of dolphins
Southard, DSFS, 50
In this haiku the reader can feel the rhythm of the dolphins as they swim gracefully and effortlessly through the ocean. Since it is a school of dolphins, not a single dolphin, the reader can envision one dolphin after another swimming through wave after wave in the ocean. By using the 5-7-5 technique and using the commas wisely, we can not help but read the haiku with the cadence Southard intended. The reader feels like as if they are out on the ocean viewing the dolphins themselves. The way this is written makes is a very relaxing haiku to read.
Cloud-free, now, the sun…
Sipping at the puddle’s edge—
a new butterfly
Southard, DSFS, 57
O Southard uses many punctuation marks in this haiku to make it effective. By using the punctuation marks as he has, he controls the way the poem is read. The reader can see many clouds in the sky, and pause to enjoy them. But now, just a few moments later, the sun is shining brightly and the clouds go by unnoticed. Peacefully getting a drink nearby is the new butterfly at the edge of the puddle. He compares the cloud-free sun with the brightness of a new butterfly. Since the butterfly is sipping at the puddle’s edge, we can assume it has just rained and the air is now clean and fresh, just like the butterfly.
Dark pad to dark pad—
one pond-lily’s frog describes
an arc of moonlight
Southard, DSFS, 67
O Southard is gifted in writing haiku that has a vivid imagery. In this haiku he paints a picture of circles and arcs. The reader can picture a frog leaping from lily pad to lily pad and the arcing motion that action represents. By just reading the first line, our eyes even move in an arcing motion as they jump from “dark pad to dark pad”. He reinforces the impression with the image of the arc of moonlight. The moonlight adds a sense of mystery and natural element to this haiku.
Occasionally Southard wrote haiku with his wife, Malia. According to Barbara Southard, O Southard met his future wife while she was a graduate student at Radcliffe. She later went on and earned a masters in education at Barnard University in New York. Malia was interested in ecology while Southard was interested in literature. (9-10) Below is a haiku that they wrote together combining their talents and interests.
Close to ocean-doom
the river whispers farewells
to its drowning banks
O and Malia Southard, DSFS, 97
This haiku is a statement regarding the future of the ocean and the erosion of riverbanks. There has been pollution getting into the ocean and our water supplies and the Southards are making a statement regarding that pollution. There has also been an increase in soil erosion that comes from cutting down trees and natural foliage and that seems to be what the drowning banks refers. As an ecologist, Malia Southard would have been concerned about the ocean and the eroding banks. She is voicing her concerns in this haiku. In this haiku the reader can see someone standing on shore looking at the ocean and the pollution floating there as well as watching as the river flowing from the ocean. The moving water makes the sound of whispering as it moves along its path. In this case it is springtime and the water level is high, making the riverbanks seem smaller than normal.
One of my favorite haiku authors is Peggy Lyles. She also loves nature and I would like to compare her haiku with that of Southard’s. Her haiku is from a collection of her work, To Hear the Rain edited by Randy M. Brooks and Lidonna Beer and published by Brooks Books.
stillness
in the storm’s eye
stars
Peggy Lyles, To Hear the Rain, 92
Snow no longer falls;
left in the sky, this morning—
a scatter of stars
Southard, DSFS, 18
Even though both of these two haiku are about stars, they are very different in both content and form. Lyles uses very few words in her haiku, however, this haiku is still full of meaning. The reader can feel the stillness in the air from being in the eye of the storm. She looks up and sees the stars are still in place, regardless of the storm that is still raging here. There is security in knowing that some things are unchanging in this hectic world even when your own world is not secure. On the other hand, Southard’s haiku has many more words while probably reflecting the same amount of meaning. In his haiku the reader can imagine waking up in the morning, looking out the window and realizing the storm is over. He can see the stars and know the sky is clear for a new day. This gives the reader a secure feeling.
Makoto Ueda writes in Matsuo Basho, that one requirement of a good haiku, according to Basho, was that the haiku did not explain everything but that it left some thing to the imagination (162). Ueda writes, “deliberate ambiguity increases a poem’s evocative power” (162). That ambiguity is seen in Lyles’ haiku. At first this haiku seems to be about a real storm that occurs in the springtime. The nature element is common in haiku poetry. However, after reflecting on this poem, it seems the storm could be a personal storm in someone’s life. In this case, the stillness could just be the waiting period before something else happens and the stars could be the encouraging light at the end of the tunnel. Regardless, Lyles’ poem has ambiguity while Southard’s poem is rather straightforward. The reader knows in this haiku that the storm is over and the coming day will be clear. This is a beautifully written poem, but the ambiguity is not here.
According to Bahsho’s “lightness” principle, “a poem should present a picture of life objectively in familiar words, avoiding intensely emotional expression” (160). Both of these haiku fit that criteria. The words the poets have used are familiar ones and they are not overtly emotional. The emotion comes from the reaction of the reader to each haiku. Lyles’ haiku has a feeling of anticipation of what is yet to come while Southard’s has a feeling of peacefulness that comes with the blanket of fresh snow.
Basho was a successful haiku writer because he felt that good haiku “is made by combining things” (165). Lyles does a good job of combining the stillness of the storm with stars. These terms really don’t go together at all, but the way Lyles has used them is effective. She begins and ends her haiku with words that are quiet and calming, however, she adds the “storm’s eye” and the haiku suddenly doesn’t feel as relaxing as it would have. On the other hand, Southard is more consistent with his terms. The tone of his whole haiku is calm and he doesn’t stir up other emotions by writing about a storm.
I really like both of these haiku, but I would have to say that Lyles’ is my favorite. She can say so much and evoke so many feelings with just a few words. While she says so much, she also leaves much to the reader’s imagination. This is the mark of a truly gifted haiku writer.
The simplicity of nature is so well captured in Southard’s writing it will long be remembered. He did an excellent job of writing snapshots of things experienced every day. Many of these snapshots are unnoticed by the average person, but Southard was aware of their beauty and recorded that for all of us to appreciate.
Works Cited:
Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight. Ed. Barbara Southard, Randy Brooks & Brock Peoples. Decatur, Illinois: Brooks Books, 2004.
To Hear the Rain. Ed. Randy M. Brooks & Lidonna Beer. Decatur, Illinois: Brooks Books, 2002.
Southard, Barbara. E-mail Interview. 24 April 2007.
Southard, Barbara. “The Life and Work of Ordway Southard.” Deep Shade Flickering Sunlight. Ed. Barbara Southard, Randy Brooks & Brock Peoples.
Decatur, Illinois: Brooks Books, 2004.
Ueda, Makoto. Matsuo Basho. Tokyo: Kodansha International 1982.
Van den Heuval, Cor, Ed. The Haiku Anthology. New York: W. W. Norton, 1999.
|
