Part 17 (1/2)
This is nature poetry at its finest, full of all the detached reverence and affection of Zen. It is also impa.s.sive and accepting: nature is there to be enjoyed and to teach the lessons of Zen. Basho's Haiku discover an instant of heightened awareness and pa.s.s it on unaltered and without comment. The poem is as uncolored with emotion as is the world it so dispa.s.sionately describes. It is up to the reader to know the proper response.
It hardly needs to be said that Basho's poems must be interpreted on several levels: not only do they describe a moment in the life of the world, they are also symbols or metaphors for deeper truths, which cannot be stated explicitly. Underneath a vivid image of a physical phenomenon is a Zen code pointing toward the nonphysical. Not only was Basho j.a.pan's finest lyric poet, he was also among the finest interpreters of Zen.
Basho left a large following. The Haiku was established as j.a.pan's foremost poetic form, and to touch upon every Haiku poet would require an encylopedia. However, three other Haiku masters were outstanding.
The first is Buson (1715-1783), also a well-known painter, whose blithe if somewhat mannered style reflected the gradual dissolution of severe Zen ideals in favor of the lighter touch preferred by the prosperous merchant cla.s.s.
Buson was also master of the cla.s.sical double entendre so beloved by the aristocratic poets of the cla.s.sical era. The first example given here is a subtle reference to the theme of transience, set in the context of an exchange of love poems, while the second is a somewhat ribald jest about the one-night stand.
_Hen-ka naki
_No poem you send
_ao-nyobo yo
_in answer--Oh, young lady!
_kure-no haru
_Springtime nears its end.10
_Mijika yo ya
_The short night is through:
_kemus.h.i.+-no ue ni
_on the hairy caterpillar,
_tsuyu-no-tama
_little beads of dew.11
Buson could also be serious and moving when he tried, as with the following, one of his most admired works.
_Mi-ni-s.h.i.+mu ya
_The piercing chill I feel: