Another winter hokku by Issa:
Evening snow;
People passing by
In silence.
It is not difficult to see how the elements of this harmonize. The evening and the snow are both Yin, and though there is movement, that movement takes place in silence — which is also Yin.
It calls to mind a winter verse by Yaha, this time with greater contrast:
People’s voices
Passing at midnight;
The cold!
Here it is the contrast between the voices and the midnight cold. Inside in the chilly darkness, one does not see the people passing; just the voices are heard briefly, then all returns to silence.
Note the simplicity of these verses, which is an important quality of hokku. In English, each requires only seven common words, yet each is quite effective.
David
HOKKU 