Basho's Heike
click to enlarge
Below we have a fine example of the turning pages of history, folded into a haiku through the use of kigo (a seasonal reference which includes cultural artifacts as well as natural history in the round):
summer grass
all that remains of warriors
dreams
— Basho
The Tale of the Heike begins thus:
"The sound of the Gion Shôja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sâla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind."
Leaving us in no doubt as to the ephemeral nature of people and things and establishing the ethos of what is to follow in this 500 page epic:
The 14th century epic poem "Heike Monogatari," which has been translated into English several times, usually as "The Tale of Heike." Up to 500 pages in length, the English translation is considered along with the "Tale of Genji" as one of Japan's classics of literature. Japan Times
Carl Sagan provides a nice synopsis of the prequel to The Tale of the Heike (which Basho's haiku honours), making a twist in the tale which, although disputed, is a wonderful thought:
cumulus clouds
kings and their armies sweep
over the cornfield
— jp
TALE OF THE HEIKE
By Helen Craig McCullough (Google Books)
Sample it ---> here
jp
30-12-11.
NOTE
As a mashup we can more clearly understand Matsuo's poignant and vivacious intertextual allusion:
"The sound of the Gion Shôja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sâla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind. . . ." Tale of Heike
summer grass
all that remains of warriors
dreams
Basho