A very old autumn hokku by Teishitsu (c. 1609-1673):
A solid lump
Of coolness;
The midnight moon.
In English today we would likely say,
A solid ball
Of coolness;
The midnight moon.
You will recall that the sun is very yang, but the moon is the opposite, yin. And seeing it in the middle of night (a very yin time) amid the darkness (also very yin), the moon seems as though all the yin coolness of the autumn and the night has gathered together and solidified into one round piece of gathered coolness.
This is an example of how hokku often goes with a perception, accepting it at face value without question.
David
David
HOKKU 