Yes it does – sometimes. I love this haiku so much,can feel the rain on my face and the wild freedom of it. And the photo- amazing! Thanks for the beauty of it all.
Mary
Western/Westron Wynde … yes, the beautiful and fearsome messenger for us living in North Western Europe. A lot of sorrow bound up in it especially in the Western Jutland (Denmark) where the sea and wind have taken many a fishing man.
The song served as basis for some great renaissance composers who built some beautiful masses from it. You should def listen. John Tavener, Christopher Tye and John Sheppard – all 16th century.
Wow, thanks so much for the history and the music recommendations, Johannes. That poem has always haunted me but I didn’t realize there were so many other musical references to the western wind.
Yes, I’m thankful for this bit of history too. I knew it had to be from North Western Europe but had always thought of the British Isles…
Around here the Western Wind brings clear weather, albeit a bit cold when it comes a bit from the NW in winter.
oh, but it is a British song, but we that shares
the Wester winds do have something in common. Alas, Denmark didn’t have an exploding renaissance; we are – and have been since the Vikings – a tiny country inhabited by peasants and rather poor. It took – and takes – a certain size in population to carry a flourishing cultural/artistic development. We even borrowed John Dowland for a while … only a few composers of our own still “survives” to this day and only historians know about them. But English renaissance music has a tone of its own quite different from the dominant music styles from the Netherlands. In Denmark most of “folkmusic” has been forgotten … sad, but evidence of our poor state (even then) 🙂
You might find examples of Western Wynde and Dowland (very beautiful songs) on youtube
Denmark owned Orkney and Shetland, archipelagos in the far north of Scotland, until 1468 when they were given to James III as part of Margaret of Denmark’s dowry. The last speaker of Norn, a version of Old Norse, died in the 18th century. Don’t go taking them back, now, i love them the way they are, neither here nor there. oof, running out of room…
had to look up a date and name. I’ve spent several summers in that part of the world and am fascinated by the local history and languages. Yes, go. Bring warm clothing.
Red Dragonfly 
Yes it does – sometimes. I love this haiku so much,can feel the rain on my face and the wild freedom of it. And the photo- amazing! Thanks for the beauty of it all.
Mary
Thanks much, Mary! Yes, I love this photo, I knew it was perfect for this haiku when I found it on Flickr.
strangers
in the night fog
fence posts
Thanks again for sharing your amazing poetry, Martin.
The emotion in the photo of the clouds speaks volumes for this haiku….
Yes, I agree, Merrill. They really work well together, I think.
the west wind is so often personified that you don’t have to work hard to find alternate meanings if read with juxtaposition(s)
I like the placement of the words and the font
and for the same reason could be read different ways without a juxtaposition
Thanks, Mark. This haiku is actually loosely inspired by the 16th century anonymous poem/song:
Western wind, when wilt thou blow,
The small rain down can rain?
Christ! if my love were in my arms,
And I in my bed again!
ah, that explains a lot
…your talent for the open heart
stay true
beautiful image ~ lovely haiga :))
Thanks, Sandi. 🙂
Western/Westron Wynde … yes, the beautiful and fearsome messenger for us living in North Western Europe. A lot of sorrow bound up in it especially in the Western Jutland (Denmark) where the sea and wind have taken many a fishing man.
The song served as basis for some great renaissance composers who built some beautiful masses from it. You should def listen. John Tavener, Christopher Tye and John Sheppard – all 16th century.
Oh, and the haiku ain’t bad either 😉
Wow, thanks so much for the history and the music recommendations, Johannes. That poem has always haunted me but I didn’t realize there were so many other musical references to the western wind.
Yes, I’m thankful for this bit of history too. I knew it had to be from North Western Europe but had always thought of the British Isles…
Around here the Western Wind brings clear weather, albeit a bit cold when it comes a bit from the NW in winter.
oh, but it is a British song, but we that shares
the Wester winds do have something in common. Alas, Denmark didn’t have an exploding renaissance; we are – and have been since the Vikings – a tiny country inhabited by peasants and rather poor. It took – and takes – a certain size in population to carry a flourishing cultural/artistic development. We even borrowed John Dowland for a while … only a few composers of our own still “survives” to this day and only historians know about them. But English renaissance music has a tone of its own quite different from the dominant music styles from the Netherlands. In Denmark most of “folkmusic” has been forgotten … sad, but evidence of our poor state (even then) 🙂
You might find examples of Western Wynde and Dowland (very beautiful songs) on youtube
Thanks for the tip about Western Wynde on youtube- very beautiful.
Does any one remember the Old Mother West WInd stories?
Denmark owned Orkney and Shetland, archipelagos in the far north of Scotland, until 1468 when they were given to James III as part of Margaret of Denmark’s dowry. The last speaker of Norn, a version of Old Norse, died in the 18th century. Don’t go taking them back, now, i love them the way they are, neither here nor there. oof, running out of room…
Wow. Did you just have this information at your disposal, Mark, or did you Google it? I must go to those islands now…
Mary — the only children’s book my grandmother had in her house was Old Mother West Wind, so I probably read it a hundred times in my childhood. 🙂
had to look up a date and name. I’ve spent several summers in that part of the world and am fascinated by the local history and languages. Yes, go. Bring warm clothing.
I enjoyed your haiga very much and I found this that you might enjoy…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_western_wynde
Thanks for the link, Martin….
Great links, Martin! Thanks!