Haiku Highlights: “Awakening of Insects and Rousing a Child,” by 青木かよ子

Today, let’s go through a haiku written by Yumi’s mother, 青木(あおき)かよ子(こ)!  Here it is:

So, combining these, the haiku connects the “waking up” of insects in spring (the season) to (attempting) to wake a sleeping young child who hasn’t slept enough.

If you are a parent, I think you can understand the meaning of this haiku very well.

This haiku came to her when working in the garden in early March. While digging she uncovered a slumbering frog. So, her original meaning for this poem was rousing the frog from its winter sleep too early, when it still needed more sleep.

However, haiku can mean different things to different people. What does this haiku mean to you?

What is the difference between 子(こ) and 児(こ)?

Both 子(こ) and 児(こ) mean “child” but 子(こ) is the most common kanji for “child.” 児(こ) is used mainly in formal or legal contexts. It is often seen in compounds and legal terminology, such as in 児童(じどう) (meaning "children" or "juvenile"). In daily conversation, "子(こ)" is much more frequently used.

Here, Yumi’s mother not only chose 児(こ) for a slightly more formal or poetic feel, but because that kanji is used with 乳児(にゅうじ) (infant; suckling baby) and she wanted the image of a small child to come to mind.