Yesterday we discussed emotion in hokku, and how it is better not to present it openly but rather indirectly, through the objective elements of a hokku.
There are certain old hokku, however, where direct mention of an emotion is found, for example in Rōka’s
Kanashisa ya shigure ni somaru haka no moji
Sadness ya winter-rain at/by dyes gravestone ‘s written-characters
We may translate as:
Sadness;
Winter rain dyes the letters
On the tombstone.
Even though the emotion “sadness” is stated directly, this is a far more reserved and objective verse overall than the overlong and overdramatic verse of Bashō,
A night of the sound of oars striking waves,
And of freezing bowels;
Tears.
What do we learn from all this? That in hokku emotion should either be indicated by use of certain objective elements in a hokku, or else it should simply be stated directly and objectively, simply and undramatically, as in Rōka’s hokku — which is far better as hokku than the awkward example of Bashō given here.
One further thing to notice in Rōka’s verse. We talk much about Yin and Yang here, because they are important to the aesthetics of hokku. You will remember that winter is the most yin season, and that water is yin as well, as are cold and darkness as opposed to light. Look again at Rōka’s hokku:
Sadness;
Winter rain dyes the letters
On the tombstone.
The winter rain, the darkening of the letters, both of these are yin and in harmony with one another, as is the lifelessness of the tombstone. It is this overwhelming yin effect that contributes to the sadness.
David
HOKKU 