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Lecture on a selection of Hai-cu poems
I. Outline of Presenting Selected Hai-cu Poems
1. Introduction
- Brief overview of Master Baso and his distinctive writing style.
- Concise overview of the unique artistic content of Hai-cu poetry.
2. Body of the Poem
a. Poem 1: 'The Wanderer's Return to Homeland':
- The author leaves Athens and returns to his homeland of Mycenae after a decade of separation. This provides an opportunity to reassess the definition of homeland.
- Confronting the contrast between the past and the present, Mycenae and Athens, amidst the vastness of space, time, and the limitations of human life, the author discovers a profound truth, a universal law of human emotions. Simply by being connected to any place, it inevitably becomes a 'homeland.'
- The poetic language in the poem is encapsulated in the phrase 'season of mist.'
b. Poem 4 'The Melodious Call of the Gibbons':
- While passing through the forest and hearing the melancholic cries of gibbons, accompanied by the chilly autumn breeze, the poet envisioned the fleeting human existence.
- Compassion for the fate of abandoned children in the forest left a 'numbing' sensation in his heart.
- The poetic language in the poem revolves around the term 'autumn.'
c. Poem 6 'From the Four Corners...the Bi-oa Lake':
- The contrasting technique between the vastness of the heavens and earth in the 'four distant directions,' juxtaposed with the delicate and ordinary aspects of human life, such as cherry blossoms and the rippling surface of the lake.
- The contrasting technique employs dynamic descriptions of stillness, evoking the essence of Zen philosophy, the harmony of all things in life, highlighting one by making the other stand out, subtly, quietly, and gently.
- The poetic expression subtly conceals the 'cherry blossoms' hinting at the arrival of spring.
3. Conclusion
Highlighting General Observations on Hai Cu Poetry.
II. Exemplary Essay Analyzing Several Hai Cu Poems
Masuo Baso (1644-1694), a prominent Japanese poet of his time, expressed his poetic inspiration through Hai Cu poems, drawn from his extensive travels across the country. While Chinese poetry of the Tang Dynasty is known for its strict form, expansive themes condensed within 28 characters, Japan gained fame for Hai Cu poetry, consisting of only 17 syllables due to the multi-syllabic nature of the Japanese language. Hai Cu poetry, akin to Tang poetry, focuses on a specific scene or object, punctuating it with glimpses of contemplative emotions. It can be likened to simple yet powerful ink wash paintings, imbued with Zen philosophy and steeped in East Asian culture. In Hai Cu poetry, the interconnection between humans and all things is emphasized, with natural phenomena undergoing transformation through contrasting pairs such as 'universe - human, infinite - finite, space - time, tangible - intangible, existence - non-existence, black - white, stillness - movement, darkness - light, ephemeral - eternal...'. Additionally, in terms of aesthetic perception, Hai Cu poetry values qualities like Gentle, Serene, Simple, Mysterious, and Tender,... To elucidate these unique characteristics, we delve into the analysis of selected Hai Cu poems by Baso.
As introduced earlier, all eight poems featured in the textbook share a common characteristic—the presence of contrast in each poem, encompassing the duality of 'universe - human, infinite - finite, space - time, tangible - intangible, existence - non-existence, black - white, stillness - movement, darkness - light, ephemeral - eternal...'. This distinctive contrast, unique to Hai Cu poetry, prominently highlights and evokes the emotions embedded by the author. While anyone can read Hai Cu poetry, understanding requires readers to possess a deep understanding of the circumstances surrounding the poem's creation, coupled with an open and imaginative mind. The profound emotions conveyed by the author can be sensed from just a few lines. Compared to Tang poetry, Hai Cu has achieved the pinnacle of condensation, even though there are areas where comparison is challenging due to the broader scope of Tang poetry.
Baso's hometown was originally in Mi-e, and later, he left for the capital city of Edo (modern-day Kyoto). It took him a decade to return to his native land. Upon returning, the author reevaluated his life, reflecting on what was lost during the years away. Suddenly, Baso discovered that Edo had seemingly become his second homeland.
'A stranger's land, ten seasons of mist
Returning to visit, looking back
Edo is now the homeland'
After many years away from home, as age advanced and standing amidst two different spaces and time periods—between the foreign land of Edo and the ancestral land of Mi-e, between the past and the present, amid the boundlessness of time and space—Baso realized that regardless of where he had formed connections, every period of living and experiencing was immensely precious. People need to cherish it more. Gazing at Mi-e, once thought to be familiar and beloved, his heart now yearned for Edo, echoing the sentiment expressed by Che Lan Vien in The Song of the Ship: 'When we stay, it's just a place to live/When we depart, the land transforms our souls.' Faced with the vast expanse of space and time, Baso encapsulated a profound philosophy, a law of human emotions, stating that merely being attached to any place naturally turns it into a 'homeland' in our hearts. This Hai Cu poem also exhibits another characteristic of this poetic form, known as 'quy ngu'—words indicating the season, specifying the time within the poem. The term used here is 'mua suong' (season of mist), the exact nature of which may differ from Japan to Vietnam. However, it likely refers to the period between winter and spring. When the author says 'ten seasons of mist,' it signifies the passage of ten years, a concept easily understood. At times, one might infer that the author is subtly referring to his own aging, where winter symbolizes old age.
This is a poetic reflection on a return to one's homeland. During such a visit, the poet may also wander into a forest and suddenly hear the cries of abandoned children, infants left in the woods by parents too impoverished to care for them. In these moments, the author experiences certain emotions that inspire the creation of a poem.
'The mournful cries of gibbons
Or the cries of abandoned children resonate
In the autumn breeze, chilling and haunting'
The poet's ears catch the sorrowful howls of gibbons, and within him, a transformation occurs—a contemplation of the life of the people of Japan during that era. Poverty and hardship lead them to abandon their children in the woods. Hearing the gibbon cries, the poet confuses them with the cries of infants. Upon seeing the forest (a tranquil setting) and the dynamic sounds of gibbons, it easily evokes thoughts of the brief and precarious human existence of abandoned children. The poetic elements of 'autumn,' along with the gibbon cries and the cries of children, paint a melancholic picture, numbing the hearts of the audience. Autumn, inherently somber, and the chilly autumn wind deepen contemplation and reflection on life.
Or when witnessing the arrival of spring, cherry blossoms falling gracefully, the poet experiences new emotions, crafting a unique Hai Cu poem within the contrasting characteristics of this poetic form.
'From the four distant directions
Cherry blossoms falling gracefully
Rippling waves in Lake Bi-oa'
