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A crane flies southeast
to the green Gathering Place
where winter is warm.

Grotius asked for One
Maikarant suggested Two
So, Hakko Ichiu.

Our house has some rules
But honor is first and last;
We are two old friends.

For reasons that remain mysterious to me, the Emperor has asked me to oversee the Empire's ongoing response to the China Incident, as well as the advent of the East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. It is, of course, my duty to comply, even though I am only a humble poet (詩人) who hardly makes a living at his trade. The Emperor has given me strange tools for the coming task: a mouse that clicks, and keys that stick. I hear no bombs overhead, no soldiers outside, no warships in the port, but I trust there is a war on, and I will do my best to bring us glory. I am further hobbled by the curious fact that my Japanese is weaker than my English, as I was educated abroad; thus I hope the reader will forgive the use of English, and only occasional embarrassing ventures into 日本語 .

I will recount many events in verse, but I will also make recourse to prose, for haiku (俳句) is sometimes unduly economical with words. My honorable adversary, Maikarant, may make one appearance here to submit a haiku of his own. Then he will follow his own path.

I invite (but do not require) the reader to comment in haiku, if the spirit moves. Recall that the English form often (but not always) features a phrase with five "syllables", then one with seven, then one with five. Often (but not always) there is a seasonal reference, and often a reference to nature. But I am not fussy about such things. I also welcome ordinary conversation, as I am a rather incompetent commander, and I shall doubtless need guidance from time to time.

Our little conflict has already made some small progress, upon which I will report in due course, perhaps after Maikarant has had an opportunity to post a little poem of his own here. In the meantime, thank you for visiting me in this place.

d0mbo will follow this AAR
through all seasons warm and cold
good luck to you both


Edit: Oi, 7-7-5 instead of 5-7-5....... my bad!

Good luck Grotius! [:)]

Grotius and Maik'rant
Eagles soar towards Rising Sun
Great anticipation

And with this new AAR
wich shall shaken the earth and the air
sould the reader stop their despair [;)]

Urgh! Who let poet loose? Thought we lock him in padded cell. War for he-men, not for artists. Ugh, snurble, slurp.

日本語上手
機動部隊はどこ
にあるかなー？

Well, it almost fits.

Steel swims in water
from which wood and paint may fly
Be industrious.

I already envy you all for reading Grotius' thread in the future. I hope my own attempt which I intend to post tonight will draw as much attention, for my commanding ability is as yet completely unproven and I am in dire need of competent staff officers. From here, I bow to my adversary and wish him all the best, may I prove worthy in this contest.

Maikarant

I bow to Maik'rant,
and after he turns and leaves
I re-read his note.

1941年12月7日

The bird flies over
A nest of diamonds and pearls
And drops metal eggs.

Attack! yell Banzai
Making America Cry
Paper planes up high!

Pretty cool AAR! Grotius, do you actually know Kanji, and/or speak Japanese?

Grotius achieves surprise
And wakes the sleeping giant
He cannot win

Q-Ball-先生 (先生 means teacher, and I have learned much from your posts): welcome! I have studied Japanese off and on for years, but I'm still a beginner/intermediate. I think I could pass the lowest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, but as that test now has five levels, that's not saying much. I know kana (the "syllabary" or non-kanji alphabet, representing single-syllable sounds), the basics of grammar, and probably about 150 kanji, heh. But this AAR project has rekindled my interest, and I've been working through my old Japanese text, together with some nifty new iPhone apps, to improve.

Fletcher-さん (-san), Cap-and-gown-さん: ありがとう (thank you)!

Canoerebel-さん, krupp_88mm-さん, gladiatt-さん, Blackhorse-さん, Yubari-さん, d0mbo-さん, and of course maikarant-さん: Thank you all very much for posting 俳句 (haiku)! I wasn't sure anyone would take me up on it, and I'm glad to see there's some interest. It's surprising how much meaning one can pack into 17 syllables!

A very original idea for you AAR Grotius. I'll look forward to reading this, though as an AFB!

Fortune Samuraii
blessings of the gods upon thee
cut down yankee tree

Yeah i know, crap attempt at Haiku lol, but I am an AFB! [:D]