English Original
deep in rank grass,
through a bullet-riddled helmet:
an unknown flower
Selected Haiku, 1988
Nick Virgilio
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
從茂密的草叢深處
透過佈滿彈孔的頭盔:
一朵不知名的花
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
从茂密的草丛深处
透过布满弹孔的头盔:
一朵不知名的花
Bio Sketch
Nick Virgilio (28 June 1928 – 3 January 1989) was an internationally recognized haiku poet, and he played a vital role in popularizing the Japanese style of poetry in the United States. His first haiku was published in The American Haiku in 1963, and he wrote thousands, many unpublished, during his career spanning over 20 years. His 1988 book of poems, Selected Haiku, was one of the most important books ever published by an American haiku poet. For more about his influence on American haiku, see Cor van den Heuvel's 1990 essay, “Nick Virgilio and American Haiku: Creating Haiku and an Audience,” which was prepared for the International Haiku Forum held in Matsuyama, Japan
This haiku is the only of this selection that actually states that the haiku is about Virgilio's brother. While the rest are assumed, this is the only one that Virgilio acknowledges in his book. Thus, this haiku, specifically to Virgilio, must be important. When first reading this haiku, I thought the "unknown flower" was Lawrence's body. The Vietnam War was terrible with a lot of casualties. I thought perhaps all these casualties were represented by flowers in this haiku. It being unknown marks just how common these casualties were. It was simply one among many. Nothing in particular stuck out about this unknown flower—about another body. However, Virgilio talks about this haiku in his interview. Virgilio saw a picture in The Courier Post of a bullet-shattered helmet with a flower sticking through it. Virgilio already had the first two lines written, but did not complete the haiku until he saw that picture almost a year later. What that flower represented for himself, though, he never said... excerpted from "Nicholas Virgilio: Haiku of Emotions," written by Rachel Mudd and accessed at https://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/MillikinHaiku/courses/globalFall2013/RachelMuddOnVirgilio.html
ReplyDeleteNick Virgilio also wrote a lot of "'blood-less yet gory, i.e., less popular/less known haiku," about the Vietnam War, This haiku is one of my favourites about the "man-nature" relationship, echoing the following remark:
In a war situation or where violence and injustice are prevalent, "poetry is called upon to be something more than a thing of beauty."
-- Seamus Heaney, an Irish poet, playwright and translator who received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.
One of my favourite haiku by Nick Virgilio, one of my first ELH Haiku Heroes! My absolute favourite one of his is this one:
ReplyDeletetelegram in hand
the shadow of the marine
darkens our screen door
Nick Virgilio
This one made me think of the just as poignant motion picture "The Messenger". Trailer: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8hmrn6
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and for Virgilio's visually and emotionally poignant haiku.
DeleteAnd I watched the movie, "The Messenger," and published a tanka prose, "The Message," which was inspired by the movie:
The Message
at my friend's door
two military officers
in morning chill ...
his son and mine battle
with rows of toy soldiers
A long, heart-piercing scream shakes the living room. My friend's son starts crying uncontrollably in fear, and my son does, too. I am tongue tied and feel frozen in time.
In my mind's eye, I see my friend in a West Point cadet's uniform. His girlfriend, now his wife, stands by his side. His youthful, proud face mingles with his wife's tear-streaked face.
Cattails, April, 2024