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Author's
Books
Published
posthumously,
The Tree As It Is includes new
and selected poems as well as new poems from the Japanese, which
Professor Einbond translated before his death in 1998. Red Moon
Press.
Coming
Indoors and Other Poems,
1979.
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Reader
Response Essay
The
majority of Professor Einbond’s haiku focus around the zen
idea of "nothing special" which deals with the everyday,
as opposed to big ideas and grand moments. His haiku portrays moments
of simplicity from looking at his daughter’s hair to unfastening
his wife’s dress. The beauty of everyday things is very evident
in his work.
the
thousand colors
in her plain brown hair—
morning sunshine
Often
Einbond’s haiku is contrasted with that of Japanese poet, Basho.
Perhaps his most well known haiku is usally presented along with
Basho’s "old pond" haiku to indicate the opposites
contained within the two. Einbond’s version deals with the
silence and serenity of the place, whereas Basho’s mirrors
action in a seemingly dead place.
an
old pond
a frog jumps in
the sound of water
—Basho
frog
pond . . .
a leaf falls in
without a sound
—Einbond
Finally,
as Einbond deals with aspects of simple beauty either with people
or in nature, he does have some haiku that combine both. The moon
haiku deals with the age-old question of optimism versus pessimism
without in nature being too abstract. It represents the principle
of humanity in pondering a natural element.
the
moon
half full
half empty
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