初時雨名もなき山のおもしろき
hatsu shigure na mo naki yama no omoshiroki
first autumn drizzle
on the nameless mountains
how wonderful
—Ryokan
(Tr. David LaSpina)
(Shigure - Shufu Miyamoto)
In the overlapping time between autumn and winter, an intermittent, short and cold rain comes to Japan (shigure). There is no good English translation for this. It's not really the first autumn rain, but it is the first autumn rain to carry the chill of the coming winter. To haiku poets this cold fitful rain is symbolic of the passing of life.
As he often did, Ryokan is poking at Basho, referring to this haiku from the master:
春なれや名もなき山の薄霞
Haru nare ya namo naki yama no usugasumi
spring's come
on the nameless mountains
a layer of mist
Whereas Basho was removing himself from the scene and describing it in his somewhat apathetic way, Ryokan is stepping in and reminding us to take pleasure in the wonders of nature by telling us his feelings. This is made all the more potent by that wonder of nature being something most people would rather complain about than find joy in.
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 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. More? |
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