Haiku - potential of its brief form
Takaki Okubo - Professor of Japanese Literature
Tokyo Woman's Christian University
Excerpts from a
speech delivered at the international conference of Haiku in Lithuania.
First, let me tell you a little about my background. I began by
studying nineteenth century French symbolism literature, such as Rimbaud
and Mallarme. I then went on into comparative literature, comparing the
literature and culture of Japan with those of other countries,
especially those in Western Europe. As for haiku, I am not a specialist,
but I have long been fascinated by the literary and cultural
possibilities represented in the unique form of the haiku poem. Today, I
would like to talk about haiku from this point of view.
As you know, the outstanding characteristic of haiku as a poem is its
extremely brief form. What meaning does this form hold as an art?
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Roughly written Haiku |
As is well known, haiku was born around the sixteenth century out of
a previously existing traditional form known as tanka. Tanka is a short
poem made up of thirty-one syllables and five lines. Haiku cuts this
form almost in half - seventeen syllables and five lines.?In the
background behind this drastic change, we can find a new aesthetic sense
based on the philosophy of Tao and Zen. An awareness rose of the limit
of words, colors, forms, and sounds as artistic expression; with a keen
awareness of these limits, art attempted to go beyond these boundaries
of expression by highlighting what cannot be expressed.
An extreme example of this aesthetic sense can be found in black ink
paintings, where the unpainted blank spaces are full of meaning. Take
for example a painting by Tohaku Hasegawa called Shorinzu, or Pine
Trees. This painting is considered one of the masterpieces of Japanese
painting. One is immediately fascinated by the pine trees drawn with a
delicate touch, but what is perhaps even more intriguing to the viewer
are the blank spaces left between one tree and another. These blank
spaces invite vast, rich aesthetic visions. In these spaces, we can
experience the movement of constantly changing wind and light.
The same aesthetic sense can also be found in traditional Japanese
music, where equal importance is placed on notes produced by instruments
or voices, and the silence between these notes. Haiku, in its highly
abbreviated form, strived for this same aesthetic.
Let's take a look at Basho's haiku, which everyone is familiar with:
Furuikeya / kawazutobikomu / Mizunooto
The old pond / a frog jumps in / the sound of water
Most interpretations of this poem point to Basho's intent to convey
loneliness and stillness with this scene. As we can see, Basho left
these emotions to be expressed in the blank spaces. By doing so, he has
surpassed the boundaries of words.
Another way of looking at these blank spaces is the role they play in
releasing the haiku from the ownership of the poet and passing it along
to the reader.
Similar to the viewer of the Pine Trees, the reader of the haiku is
given freedom to roam creatively among endless variations in the blank
spaces.
Let me introduce two interesting illustrations of the rich potential
of these variations.
One such example is the book entitled One Hundred Frogs. This is a
collection of English translations and interpretations of the haiku I
mentioned earlier that begins, "an old pond". It begins with a
translation by the founder of modern haiku, Shiki Masaoka, and continues
with the likes of a children's story with the frog as the main
character, and even includes an upbeat folk song by the famous Beatnik
poet Ginsberg.
If Basho were to see these translations and interpretations, his
first reaction would probably be to laugh out loud. Even so, I believe
he would have no choice other than to welcome these interpretations. Why
do I say so? Because Basho and his disciples were constantly having fun
with haiku in the same manner. Perhaps everyone is familiar with the
form of linked poems called renku.
The excitement of renku is found in the thrilling process of having
one's poem interpreted in unexpected ways by another poet. The process
goes beyond an individual's expression and opens up a new communal
poetic world. We can say that the collection One Hundred Frogs is, in
essence, an English version of renku. This is why I believe Basho would
have readily approved.
In this way, the briefness of the haiku poem lends itself to open up
vast creative worlds and carries the potential to open up a communal
poetic world. This International Haiku Festival is none other than one
manifestation. It is my sincere wish that we can use this week to
explore the ability of haiku to open up new worlds and potential. |
