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"Yugen, the deep indigo twilights of dusk and dawn in ma of mu; the liminal apprehension of this mystery which surrounds us - that is the 'soul' of mono no aware. Things come to blossom and wither to pass in their season and behind these cyclical comings and goings in the vast and sublime creativity of nature (zoka) is a constancy dressed in a boundless enigma (yugen). Some call this variable invariance fueki ryuko. It is thus do we Step into the living wind's furyu of zoka as makoto in kokoro; ripples on an ancient pond." - jp©
Following on from part 1 of this open-ended discussion, vis-à-vis certain key aesthetic terms often found in the annuls of classical haiku, especially of Matsuo Basho and his school (who, by common accord, raised the opening lines of Nippon linked verse - hokku - into a sublime standalone art form); we now peer closer into a very useful word which is not at all well known and yet is quite instinctively accessible and of immense value to any sincere student of this, uniquely succinct, mystic spellbinding activity. The following two quotes should help clarify the concept of zoka:
"Those who pursue art follow zoka and have the four seasons as their companions. Nothing they see is not a flower and nothing they imagine is not the moon. If one sees no flower, he is the same as a barbarian; if one has no moon in mind, he is no different from the birds and the beasts. Go beyond the barbarians and depart from animals; follow and return to zoka." - Basho and the Dao by Peipei Qiu
ON A HAIKU BY CHIYO-NI
In one of Chiyo’s fluid (and erotic!) haiku, we can follow the syntax to locate the sections in this translation: lines 1 and 2 make a unit, then there’s the prepositional phrase that completes the sentence.
Reading this haiku is like watching a figure emerge from the brush of a painter! Except that it’s a rare painting that becomes so up close and personal—or is it?
Before we try to answer that question, we need to define a key term: zoka. In her invaluable Basho and the Dao, Pipei Qiu writes in her glossary under this term: “A poetic ideal advocated by Basho. Inspired by the Daoist principle for following the zaohua, or the natural flow of the universe, it emphasizes naturalness and spontaneity, and the unity of the poetic mind and the external world, in haikai creation” (223).
As for the analogies informing the poem: The “hem” is to Zoka as the kite is to the poet: zoka consciousness “takes in” the hem the way a person “takes in” a kite — with a “tie”; otherwise it will fly away in the (Spring) breeze.
Zoka sees the hem of the kimono as full of energy and independence, perhaps as an embodiment of the spirit of the lovely “you” addressed by Chiyo.
Seeing the hem in light of zoka saves the poem from being merely sexy, though it is delightfully that: zoka as The Creative loves to see “things” in their act of being, and this hem must fly!
If only I could tie
The string of my kite
To the hem of your kimono
Chiyo-ni, trans Patricia Donegan
"Step into the living wind's furyu of zoka as makoto in kokoro; in the indigo twilights of yugen; ripples on an ancient pond. Betwixt stimulus and response, enter unto boundless silence of ma of mu. Thus, by sacrifice of thine petty ego, thine empty heart may know the object of contemplation. Be brave and assume that these things are as they are and thus immaculate." - jp©
Comment on technical terms used in the opening and final quotes will be part of this open-ended series as it develops.
jp© 09-09-12
This musing is a living document and as such will develop - so, be sure to return regularly to this page, if you like. Not just to note any changes, but also to review the material in the light of your own understanding.
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