Emotions in Haiku

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Emotions in Haiku

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topics
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


A sense of melancholy ... wabi　侘び　 and sabi 寂び　...


さびしさ　寂しさ

淋しい　/　淋しさ　

sabishii .. lonely, sad ... the dictionary

悲しい kanashii .. sad, miserable, sorrowfull ... the dictionary


SABISHISA and Japanese Poetry / some LINKS

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Strong emotions like this or sadness (kanashisa 悲しさ) and others are usually not used in traditional Japanese haiku, which tend to simply descibe the scene but not interpret it in human terms.


Shasei .. 写生 sketching from nature

EGO and how not to anihilate it in haiku



There are however exceptions from these guidelines (yakusokugoto), as we will explore below. These words are usually used in context with a season word.

The composing of a Japaese haiku depends first and foremost on the situation experienced by the poet and his choice of vocabulary or style which suits that situation.

Gabi Greve

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Question
How does one produce work on negative subject matter such as loss, anger, melancholy. Its not that I am a pessimist, its just I want to know if haiku cover the full the range of existence.

Answer:
Absolutely -- all flavors of experience have been approached through haiku.
However, as with any emotional content, dark emotions need to be evoked indirectly, by choice of words and images.
very strong emotions tend to be hard to express well in these subtle ways, and probably do not make good subjects for haiku. but there are plenty of examples of sorrow, loneliness, regret, and nostalgia being conveyed beautifully by way of the observations being made of "external" things.

©　acm / Shiki Archives

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The beauty of Japanese haiku poetry, inspired by Zen Buddhism, lies in the brevity of expression which conveys a world of meaning and emotions.

Dr Satya Bhushan Verma

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longing for a person, longing for one's mother
haha koishi


いかなごに　まづ箸おろし　母恋し　　　

to eat sand lance
first I put my chopsticks down -
I long for mother
　　　　　
Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子 and ikanago fish haiku
Tr. Gabi Greve


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淋しさの底ぬけて降るみぞれかな
淋しさの底拔けて降る霙哉
sabishisa no soko nukete furu mizore kana

this sleet !
right through the bottom
of loneliness

OR

this sleet !
falling right through the bottom
of loneliness
Tr. Gabi Greve

Joso (Joosoo) lived as a Zen monk in a remote small hut and might have felt this endlessly falling sleet as falling right thoughthe bottom of heaven on his reed roof and onto his cold body. He felt the powerlessness, weakness and loneliness of his own body and personal situation even stronger. "through the bottom" is an expression of his humor on this bleek cold day, since there is nothing he can do but yield to his miserable situation and write poetry about it.
He died at the age of 43.

Read the full discussion of this translation HERE
Naito Joso 内藤丈草


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a sparkling sight, dazzeling sight, kirabiyaka


獅子舞の橋に行き会ふきらびやか
shishimai no hashi ni yuki au kirabiyaka

the lion dance
performed at the bridge
how dazzling a sight

Kume Santei, 久米三汀
© lib.virginia.edu


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KIGO use

kigo for late autumn

"loneliness in autumn" autumn melancholy,
aki sabu 秋寂ぶ (あきさぶ)
SABU, means also "getting rusty", autumn is rusting. It may alos hint to the color of the autumn leaves.

Autumn Melancholy Europe


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


More haiku about human emotions
Archive of Haiku about Human Emotions
Compiled by Larry Bole, Kigo Hotline


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lying spread-eagle
cool
lonely

dai no ji ni nete suzushisa yo sabishisa yo

by Issa, 1813
Tr. David Lanoue



©　Haiga and Renku by Nakamura Sakuo


lying spread-eagle
aa, this coolness !
aa, this loneliness!

Tr. Gabi Greve

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淋しさや汐の干る日も角田河
sabishisa ya shio no hiru hi mo sumida-gawa

loneliness--
even on a low tide day
Sumida River



淋さを鶴に及ぼすかがし哉
sabishisa o tsuru ni oyobosu kagashi kana

making the stork
feel lonely...
the scarecrow



淋しさは得心しても窓の霜
sabishisa wa tokushin shite mo mado no shimo

also consenting
to my loneliness...
frost on the window


Tr. David Lanoue
Issa and more haiku about loneliness !

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寂しさや須磨にかちたる浜の秋
sabishisa ya Suma ni kachitaru hama no aki

Lonelier even than Suma -
Standing on this beach
The end of autumn

Basho - The Narrow Road to the North
Tr. John Tran ＆ Tamiko Nakagawa

Suma, Iro no Hama and Basho

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さびしさや 岩にしみ込 蝉のこゑ
sabishisa ya iwa ni shimikomu semi no koe

oh this loneliness !
only the shrill of cicadas
seeps into rocks

Matsuo Basho

(Tr. Gabi Greve)

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手毬歌かなしきことをうつくしく
temari uta kanashiki koto o utsukushiku

ball bouncing song -
such a sad thing
said so beautifully

Takahama Kyoshi



Temari uta is a song that Japanese children sing to count while bouncing or catching a small ball ten times, each time saying the name of a deity or famous temple or shrine.
After counting to ten, the next verse goes a bit like this:

I believe very much in all these Buddhas and Gods,
and yet, my dear child is very ill and wont heal, my husband has to go to war and might not come back ! I cry and cough blood ... hototogisu!

Here is the Japanese version of this song:

一番初めは一の宮
二また日光中禅寺
三また佐倉の宗五郎
四また信濃の善光寺
五つは出雲の大社(おおやしろ)
六つは村村鎮守様
七つは成田のお不動さん
八つは八幡の八幡宮
九つ高野の弘法様
十で東京泉岳寺

これほど信(神）願　かけたのに
浪子の病はなおらない
武夫が戦地に行くときは
白きま白きハンカチを
うちふりながらも　ねえあなた
はやくかえってちょうだいね
泣いて血を吐く　ほととぎす hototogisu

Regional Versions of this Song



WKD: Priest Ryokan and the Temari balls
More links about the wonderful TEMARI balls.



Temari hand balls and temari songs 手毬唄
kigo for the New Year !


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初富士のかなしきまでに遠きかな
hatsu fuji no kanashiki made ni tooki kana

first Mt. Fuji
until I have become sad
at such a distance

Yamaguchi Seison 山口青邨

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remembering the Niigata earthquake

nochitsuki no kanashiki hodo no shirosa kana

October full moon
moonshine is too white
for sadness

etsuko yanagibori


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Related words

***** Joy, pleasure (ureshisa, tanoshisa)

***** Wabi, sabi, Japanese Aesthetics

***** Haiku Theory Archives


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