Poetry

Poetry (sources; Dr. Oyler, Royall Tyler’s Heike introduction)

Poetry is a common device throughout the tale, but it is especially important in Book 4 due to its importance as a facet of Yorimasa’s character. At the time, most warriors were nobles, so their value was often determined by how well-balanced their pursuits were. That is, a “good” warrior wasn’t someone who could just fight well; a good warrior was also an intellectual and an artist. The ability to compose quality poetry demonstrated mental acuity and artistic sensibility.

Most poetry in the Tale of the Heike is in the traditional Japanese waka form, which was comprised of thirty-one syllables. Poetry often serves to convey emotion and provide a glimpse of humanity in times of brutality. In this book, it serves both purposes.

For example, examine Yorimasa’s final words (pg. 235):

This forgotten tree

never through the fleeting years

burst into flower,

and now that the end has come,

no thought but turns to sorrow.

He came up with this poem right before he committed suicide; the text even makes note that most warriors wouldn’t have thought to do so at such a time. It is a testament to Yorimasa’s character that he is able to develop something so elegant under duress. Note the vivid imagery and comparison of human life to that of a bloom on a tree; beautiful but brief. The solemnity provides a momentary break from the violence of the tale and makes no illusions of Yorimasa’s humanity until the end.

Works cited:

Miller, Earl. An Introduction to Japanese Court Poetry. Stanford University Press, 1968.

Tyler, Royall, translator. The Tale of the Heike. Viking, Penguin Group, 2012.