I noticed that a common element in many of the poems in “The Kokinshu” is the use of personification and metaphors. These literary elements help the reader visualize what each poem is trying to illustrate. It is not uncommon for poets to use such elements in their work because poetry is all about descriptive and metaphorical language.
I truly appreciate the way each poem is able to convey a different emotion even though they are written similarly. We can see that words are very powerful and can stimulate people in endless ways. Even though a lot of the poems have a common theme of nature, each of the poets is able to capture different aspects of it and express them in varying ways.
One poem that I really enjoyed reading was Ono no Komachi’s. You could feel the pain and suffering that she is facing, as she compares it to rootless shifting water weeds that drift away with the currents. This simile allows us to really connect with her emotions and feel what she feels.
Julie,
I’d like to start by first off agreeing with your appreciation of how emotionally inspiring some of these poems are. It appears that each book holds a different theme in which the poems reflect. One of which that I particularly enjoyed was poem 70, from Book 2: Spring. This poem calls for you to appreciate beauty, especially when something is destined to wither away. Although short, this poem sends a strong message to enjoy the beauty of what you have, because like flowers, most things are likely to be gone.
Like you mentioned, it was the vivid imagery that made me come to this conclusion about the aforementioned poem. No where in the poem does it directly say what I interpreted it to be, and thus, makes it even more special because each person can have a different reaction to the poem depending on the way they perceive it.
Hi,
I am really interested in your opinion that “each poem is able to convey a different emotion even though they are written similarly.” Besides, the wakas are short and concise, but they include subtle and delicate contents. It seems that each word contains a wealth of meaning, so my most loved aspect of these wakas is their aftertaste. We can feel the authors’ delicate observations and their exquisite emotions for the nature; it also reflects Japan’s delicate national character.
I will have to admit that when I first read these poems, i was saying something like “What ??” and then you read it several times again ,carefully giving meaning to each word and then you go like ” Wow” . That how this experience went for me. I was at the end amazed by this introduction to Japanese poetry. You are absolutely right about the metaphors because they make so much use of it.
Some of the poems though written by different authors seem to connect in some way. The ways the authors express themselves naturally and in multiple ways give you room to so much different interpretations about the true meaning of their writings.
I agree with you. some poems makes me feel sad when I read them. I can feel the emotion from the poems in Book 2, where the author actually tried to ask the flower not to fall of from the branch. I can feel the emotion from the author, and like you said, it’s personification. I also agree with you that the words are powerful, because the poems are very short, and it already give the reader strong emotions in just a few words, at least for me. I also wonder the reason for the author to use personification; is the author referring the flowers to a specific person? Or the author just simply sad the flowers are falling on the ground.
Nature can be described in many different perspectives, and the poet of The Kokinshu is very imaginative and has conveyed emotional points. His description truly engages the reader to imagine the points his wants to make. I think thats very important that the reader feels the emotions of the poet and can imagine it through the descriptions. “Even though a lot of the poems have a common theme of nature, each of the poets is able to capture different aspects of it and express them in varying ways”. This is very true and the poet and done an excellent job in giving us the feel of the nature. Through his poem we can see the admire he has for the nature and he wants us to know and feel that also.
I agree that each poem makes you feel a different way because that is what happened to me while I was it reading it. I especially enjoyed the poems about nature because it seemed related to other poems we have read in the past. The poetry from Book 1 are the ones that I read over and over again because of the description of nature. All together I thought these poems were a pleasure to read.
I agree each poem conveys different emotions and perpectives. Each poem has strong feelings hidden behind the meaning of the poem. I personally liked the poem 70 from Book 2: Spring. It has a strong emotion of hidden pain in it that the poet wants the reader to experience.
The poems of the Kokinshu seem to be ordered in a particular way to interact with readers. It is particularly interesting that such short verses can convey quite a bit and be moving to anyone reading them. Definitely there is an underlying connection of seasons and love elements symbolic to the culture.
Each poem taps into your emotions quite easily and effectively if you keep an open mind, despite not being immediately obvious at times. It’s particularly intriguing that each poem is 5 lines. Did not research it any further but really peeked my interest as to what the significance of using five lines of poetry could symbolize, especially with such a captivating culture. There just has to be some meaning or reason for this style being used. (???)
I also agree with your idea that each poem conveys different emotion. For example poem 638 from Book 13. Love conveys two different emotions in my opinion. The reader gets the feeling of love and longing/sorrow coming from this one poem.
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