Japanese haiku. Japanese haiku about nature. haiku poems

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The beauty of poetry enchants almost all people. No wonder they say that music can tame even the most ferocious beast. This is where the beauty of creativity sinks deep into the soul. How are the poems different? Why are the Japanese three-line haiku so attractive? And how to learn to perceive their deep meaning?

The beauty of Japanese poetry

The light of the moon and the fragile tenderness of the morning snow inspire Japanese poets to create three lines of unusual brightness and depth. Japanese haiku is a poem that is distinguished by lyricism. In addition, it may be unfinished and leave room for imagination and thoughtful reflection. Haiku (or haiku) poetry does not tolerate haste or harshness. The philosophy of these creations of the soul is directed directly to the hearts of the listeners and reflects the hidden thoughts and secrets of the writer. The common people are very fond of creating these short poetic formulas, where there are no superfluous words, and the syllable harmoniously passes from folk to literary, continuing to develop and give rise to new poetic forms.

The appearance of the national poeticshapes

Original poetic forms, so famous in Japan - five lines and three lines (tanka and haiku). Tanka is literally interpreted as a short song. Initially, this was the name of folk songs that appeared at the dawn of Japanese history. In the literature of Japan, tankas were replaced by nagauts, which were distinguished by their excessive length. Epic and lyrical songs of variable length have been preserved in folklore. Many years later, Japanese haiku separated from tanka during the heyday of urban culture. Hokku contains all the richness of poetic images. In the history of Japanese poetry there have been periods of both prosperity and decline. There were also moments when Japanese haiku could disappear altogether. But over a long period of time, it became obvious that short and capacious poetic forms are a necessity and an urgent need for poetry. Such forms of poetry can be composed quickly, under a storm of emotions. You can put your hot thought into metaphors or aphorisms, making it memorable, reflecting praise or reproach with it.

Characteristic features of Japanese poetry

Japanese haiku poetry is distinguished by its desire for conciseness, brevity of forms, love for minimalism, which is inherent in Japanese national art, which is universal and can create minimalistic and monumental images with equal virtuosity. Why is Japanese haiku so popular and attractive? First of all, this is a concise thought, reflected by the thoughts of ordinary citizens who are wary of the traditions of classical poetry. Japanese haiku becomes a carriercapacious idea and responds most of all to the needs of growing generations. The beauty of Japanese poetry is in the depiction of those objects that are close to every person. It shows the life of nature and man in harmonious unity against the backdrop of the changing seasons. Japanese poetry is syllabic, with a rhythm based on the alternation of the number of syllables. Rhyme in haiku is unimportant, but the sound and rhythmic organization of the three-line is primary.

Poem meter

Only the unenlightened think that this original verse has no parameters and limitations. Japanese haiku has a fixed meter with a certain number of syllables. Each verse has its own number: in the first - five, in the second - seven, and in the third - only seventeen syllables. But this does not limit poetic liberty in any way. A true artist will never reckon with the meter in achieving poetic expressiveness.

The small size of haiku makes even a European sonnet monumental. The art of writing Japanese haiku lies precisely in the ability to express thoughts in a concise form. In this respect, haiku bears a resemblance to folk proverbs. The main differences between such proverbs and haiku lie in genre features. Japanese haiku is not an edifying saying, not a well-aimed witticism, but a poetic picture, framed in a few strokes. The task of the poet is in the lyrical excitement, the flight of the imagination and the detail of the picture. Japanese haiku has examples even in the works of Chekhov. In his letters, he describes the beauty of moonlit nights, stars and black shadows.

Requiredelements of Japanese poets

The way of creating Japanese verses requires maximum activity of the writer, complete immersion in creativity. It is impossible to simply skim through the collection of haiku without focusing attention. Each poem requires thoughtful reading and philosophical reflection. A passive reader will not be able to feel the impulse inherent in the content of creation. Only with the joint work of the thoughts of the reader and the creator, true art is born, just as the swing of the bow and the trembling of the string give birth to music. The miniature size of the haiku does not at all make it easier for the creator, because it means that you need to fit the immensity into a small number of words, and there is simply no time for a lengthy presentation of your thoughts. In order not to expound the meaning hastily, the writer is looking for a climax in every phenomenon.

Heroes of Japanese haiku

Many poets express their thoughts and emotions in haiku by giving the main role to a specific object. Some poets reflect the people's worldview with a loving depiction of small forms and the assertion of their right to life. Poets stand up in their creations for insects, amphibians, simple peasants and gentlemen. Therefore, the examples of Japanese haiku three-line examples have a social sound. Emphasis on small forms allows you to paint a picture of a large scale.

The beauty of nature in verse

Japanese haiku about nature is akin to painting, as it often becomes the transmission of the plot of paintings and a source of inspiration for artists. Sometimes haiku is a special component of a painting thatserved as a calligraphically designed inscription under it. A vivid example of such a work is Buson's three-line: "Curse flowers around. The sun goes out in the west. The moon rises in the east."

Describes wide fields covered with yellow colza flowers, which seem especially bright in the rays of sunset. The fiery solar ball effectively contrasts with the pallor of the rising moon. There are no details in haiku showing the effect of lighting and a palette of colors, but it offers a new look at the picture. The grouping of the main elements and details of the picture depends on the poet. The laconic manner of the image makes Japanese haiku related to the color engraving of ukiyo-e:

Spring rain is pouring!

Conversation along the wayUmbrella and mino.

This Buson haiku is a genre scene in the spirit of ukiyo-e prints. Its meaning is in the conversation of two passers-by under the spring rain. One of them is covered with an umbrella, and the second is dressed in a straw cloak - mino. The peculiarity of this haiku is the fresh breath of spring and subtle humor, close to the grotesque.

Images in the poems of Japanese poets

The poet who creates Japanese haiku often prefers not visual, but sound images. Each sound is filled with a special meaning, feeling and mood. The howl of the wind, the chirping of cicadas, the cries of a pheasant, the singing of a nightingale and a lark, the voice of a cuckoo can be reflected in the poem. This is how haiku is remembered, describing a whole orchestra that sounds in the forest.

The lark sings.

With a ringing blow in the thicket

The pheasant echoes him.(Basho)

Beforereaders do not have a three-dimensional panorama of associations and images, but the thought awakens with certain directions. The poems resemble a monochrome ink drawing, without unnecessary details. Only a few skillfully selected elements help to create a brilliant picture of late autumn in its brevity. One feels the pre-wind silence and the sad immobility of nature. The light contour of the image nevertheless has an increased capacity and fascinates with its depth. And even if only nature is described in the poem, the state of the poet's soul, his painful loneliness is felt.

A flight of the reader's imagination

The appeal of haiku lies in the feedback. Only this poetic form allows one to have equal opportunities with writers. The reader becomes a co-author. And he can be guided by his imagination in depicting the image. Together with the poet, the reader experiences sadness, shares anguish and plunges into the depths of personal experiences. Over the long centuries of existence, ancient haiku have not become less profound. Japanese haiku rather does not show, but hints and prompts. The poet Issa expressed his longing for the dead child in haiku:

Our life is a dewdrop.

Let it be just a drop of dewOur life is still…

Dew at the same time is a metaphor for the frailty of life. Buddhism teaches the brevity and ephemeral nature of human life and its low value. But still, the father cannot come to terms with the loss of a loved one and cannot treat life like a philosopher. His silence at the end of the stanza says more than words.

Hokku inconsistency

An obligatory element of Japanese haiku is reticence and the ability to independently continue the line of the creator. Most often, the verse contains two significant words, and the rest is formalities and exclamations. All unnecessary details are discarded, leaving the bare facts without embellishment. Poetic means are selected very sparingly, since, if possible, metaphors and epithets are not used. It also happens that Japanese haiku poems are an extended metaphor, but the direct meaning lies in the subtext.

From the heart of a peony

A bee slowly crawls out…Oh, reluctantly!

Basho wrote this poem at the moment of parting with his friend's house and clearly conveyed all the emotions.

Japanese haiku stance was and remains an innovative art that belongs to ordinary people: merchants, artisans, peasants and even beggars. Sincere feelings and natural emotions inherent in every person make people of different classes related.