March 6th, another day in the seasonal chinese calender, with the another poetic name “The awakening of insects”. The sky is clouded, and only drinking tea and reading poetry can lift ones spirits. Reading about seasonal words used in the japanese tea-ceremony this month (kigo), deeper feelings and thankfulness arise, despite the fog. Or – because of the fog, with the fog, in the fog.
The sensitivity of japanese poets and tea people is simply amazing. In haiku, the pure description of what is, weather phenomena, birds or other things worth noticing, brings your awareness to them, small things, one normally might overlook. But in their language, japanese seem to have a larger range of words at their hand, that capture some of these phenomena in just one short word. The fact, that these words have been developed by them, shows their sensitivity. And the fact, that we lack them in our western languages, shows, that we havn´t even developed the sensitivity to feel them at all, in the first place. Look at them! For example:
“Ururaka” – the sky clearing up, the sunshine being mild and everything feeling bright and beautiful (reading this, the sky actually clears up!)
“Nodaka” – an awareness of time and the spring day being slow, long and balmy
“Shun-gyo” – in the spring the dawn is the most beautiful, the air being “bewitching”, as mentioned in the “Pillow Book” by Sei Shonagon
“Shun-getsu” – “Because there is much water vapour in the atmosphere, the spring moon looks as though it is veiled in light silk; sweet and charming.”
“Haru-sama” – a soft rain, the makes grasses grow and cherry buds swell
“Sako-hime” – the princess of Sako, the godess of creation, “who veils mountains with mist and causes flowers to bloom in spring”
“Haru no yama” – a poem by Ryota: “The spring mountain BEAMED as I stood before them, brush in hand”
The feeling that the mountains BEAM, the feeling of the energy present, lingering in front of it, no, IN it. This sensitivity is in all this. Out of that: the awareness of BEAUTY.
Blyth was worried about, that the poetry-reading part of the population was getting smaller, both in Japan, and in England. Can it be, that that part of the population can understand the more complicated philosophies of life, because they ‘work themselves around’ all the intellectualism and theory? Because they perceive ‘the truth’ directly through their senses, through their being. Nature just IS. Haiku, or all poetry, says Blyth, is best, when it also IS nature. And not only understanding poetry should come naturally: Also the writing of them should. Thoreau is said to having written in “A Week on the Concord”, that like an acorn develops on an oak, a poem should develop naturally, popping out of a human being, just like that. Naturally.
Poetical sensitivity, Blyth says, “needs to be cultivated to be able to open up for it, you need to know to empty yourself (…)” The question is: IF we should have a chance at all in the west of developing just a bit of this sensitivity – where would it come from? Is it in our upbringing, our education? Is it up to coincidences, books we fall over, poetry books we get recommended? Or is it from extended walks, from observing natures phenomena, with an empty mind, encouraged by meditation and mindfulness? A bit of both?
I will now go for a walk, and see for myself…
(March 6th, 2021)
PS. Have been drinking GABA Oolong from Stéphane Erler, a very meditative sesshion, enjoying the pussy willows and a piece of bark, I found in an enchanted forest yesterday…
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