We have seen that hokku avoids the use of the words “I,” “me,” and “my” unless it is awkward to do so. That means there is no emphasis on the “I” as ego, but that does not mean those words are never used in hokku. They are used when they are needed and when it fits the aesthetics of hokku.
We find such a use in this winter hokku by Chora:
Kaze no yuki tatazumu ware wo furimeguru
Wind ‘s snow standing me wo blows-around
The windy snow,
Blowing about me
As I stand.
In English that has both “me” and “I,” but they are used in keeping with the spirit of hokku. Chora writes about himself the same way he would write about the snow blowing about a rock or a tree — objectively.
Hokushi wrote a verse that is very satisfying, yet it applies far more to Japan than to America:
Karakasa no ikutsu sugiyuku yuki no kure
Umbrella ‘s many pass-by snow ‘s evening
Many umbrellas
Passing by;
The snowy evening.
One sees the paper umbrellas held up as the snow falls delicately onto and around them — a very Japanese scene. But in the United States, people use umbrellas when it rains, not when it snows. Somehow it just does not seem right to Americans to obstruct the falling snow with an umbrella as one walks through it.
Old hands here will recognize the simple structure of this verse, a standard hokku having setting (the snowy evening), subject (many umbrellas) and action (passing by). It is not only one of the best forms for those beginning to learn hokku, but also one of the best forms no matter how advanced one happens to be.
David
HOKKU 