Poetry Comparison. The Haikus

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Poetry comparison
The Haikus; Heat-lightning Streak by Matsuo Basho and on the One-ton temple bell by Taniguchi Buson
Poets’ Biography Summary
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) the author of the Heat-lightning Streak haiku lived in Japan during the Edo period. He is one of the greatest masters of haiku. Professionally, he was a teacher and he came to have may disciples and inspired generations with his mastery to compose haiku and other literary works. He liked to lead a solitary life outside the city in the wilderness where he gained his inspiration for his works from nature CITATION Mat10 \l 1033 (Basho). Basho also travelled extensively to gain inspiration for his writing. He died in 1694 in Tokyo. The subject or theme of his works is mainly about the natural environment.
Taniguchi Yosa Buson (1726-1783) also lived during Japan’s Edo period and is regarded as one of the great masters of haiku. His works are likely to have been influenced by Matsuo Basho. He was introduced to poetry at a young age and when his teacher passed on, he travelled extensively and continued writing. When he settled aged about 40 years, he published his travelling notes and started poetry while living in Kyoto Japan. Professionally, he was also poetry teacher.
Haiku’s Meaning
The Heat-lightning Streak haiku is inspired by nature and speaks about some elements of nature. The haiku describes a lightning strike that strikes at night and causes the Herons to call out of fear. Whenever there is lightning, the clouds have already obscured any light from the moon and the darkness is intense. It is also very likely that it is very quiet in the dark. In this pitch-black darkness, the lightning brings light though in an instance which drives out the darkness momentarily. The darkness of the night is like a canvas for the lightning. The bright line drawn on the sky in that darkness is a beautiful sight in the darkness. It also prompts the herons to shriek because of the lightning. The shriek pierces through the silence of the night just like lightning pierces the darkness of the night sky.
This One-ton temple bell haiku is set probably in a temple with a big bell. The bell weighs approximately a ton and because of its size it is likely that it is stationary. A big bell here signifies how humans have come a long way in civilization and the continued sophistication of man-made products. One moth from a species that is usually active in the night is resting on the bell. The moth has probably rested after the moon has set because their activity in the night is probably connected to the presence of light and specifically moonlight. The spot it has chosen to relax is a temple bell which probably early the morning will be rung and the moth will be forced to flee. The haiku seems to insinuate that nature can co-exist very well with our civilization but eventually, we’ll disrupt it without activities and push it away.
Similarities
One of the most important aspects of any haiku is diction. Packaging the message in three lines is not easy and requires very good dicti...