Kokinshuu Essay #1

I selected my sequence of poems from the books posted on blackboard. I chose poems 333 to 337 from book VI, each about winter. The Kokinshuu provides a variety of poems on each season and love, but having seen many poems on love, fall, and spring, I was curious about the messages on winter. Now is also the time I can to some extent visualize what the poets saw. Campus was recently completely covered in snow and snow still sits on lawns so the images are very clear in my mind right now. The narrative presents a conversation about winter including how it makes the environment look, the details snow conceals, and the respective authors’ feelings on winter.

Fall again blanket
All once more before you melt
And disappear for
When spring mists start to rise we’ll
Rarely see snowy beauty

This is poem 333 with the topic unknown and the author anonymous. This poem stood out for me from the others because the author invites the snow to keep falling and appreciates the snow for its own beauty rather than anticipating the coming of spring. Most poets associated beauty with cherry blossoms and lovers, both associated with spring. New love begins in spring and ends in winter while the cherry blossoms are present very briefly in spring. The author actually wants more snow to fall so he can appreciate the snow before spring arrives. The author acknowledges that snow too, has mujoo qualities since snow comes once a year and then melts away. Most winter poets urge winter to move on as seen in the next four poems. This poem also begins the pattern of referring to how snow mutes everything which is also in the next four poems. The author calls snow a blanket and blankets thickly cover everything. That thick coat of white effectively mutes colors and shapes.

The plum blossoms now
Are indistinguishable-
For snow mist the broad
Heavens and masks all below
In a whirling world of white

This is poem 334, and the topic is also unknown and the author anonymous. This and the next three poems all talk about plum blossoms. Plum blossoms are strongly associated with spring as they are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring. In talking about plum blossoms, they express their longing for spring to begin. The poem is talking about the snow’s ability to blend everything; everything’s covered in white and white is swirling around. The author calls snow a mask and masks hide identities. The snow makes it difficult to tell the landscape and trees apart let alone pick out plum blossoms. While the author is not enjoying winter, I think there is a little appreciation present. The Heian poets like natural events that blur things like mist and fog and snow does that too. The author even describes snow as “misting” the world though that may be the translation, but I believe that was intended.

The color of the
Flowers mingles with the snow
And is lost to view-
Plums trees send us your fragrance
That we may know your presence

This is poem 335; the topic is “Snow fallen on the plum blossoms” and the author is Ono no Takamura. This poem focuses on the blending effect snow has on the environment. The snow causes observers to “lose view” of the flowers thanks to the muting effect snow has on colors and shapes. Takamura requests the plums trees release some sort of sign, a fragrance in this case, that they are still present. The snow, however, like it reduces colors, also erases scents. As a result, it proves difficult to tell anything apart when flowers are so delicate when the snows covers even the distinctive smell of the blossoms. Takamura would like the reassurance that the plum blossoms are still there, that spring will come again. He is probably depressed over the winter and wishes for the comfort the scent of the flowers would bring him. He’s anticipating the coming of spring like a proper Heian poet.

Were the fragrance of
The plum blossom imparted to
The blanketing snow
Who could separate them and
Pluck the thick blossoming boughs

Here is poem number 336 and the topic is “On plum blossoms in the snow” by Ki no Tsurayaki. Tsurayaki also discusses the scent of the plum blossoms. This poem seems like a reply to Takamura’s poem. Takamura wished the plum blossoms would release their scent to reassure people of their continued presence, but Tsurayaki says that would not help. Tsurayaki makes the point that even if the blossoms did send out their scent, it would likely become the snow’s scent as well. In that case, the author wonders, who could possibly tell the plum blossoms apart from the snow they are covered by if the snow also smells like plum blossoms. Snow covers everything so everything would smell like plum blossoms. So, this poem is another example of how well snow blends all characteristic details together like shape and scent. Unlike fog or mist however, snow is a little too good at blending and because of winter, it is not admired as much.

When snow has fallen
Flowers appear on all the
Trees clusters of white
Blooms from which of them can I
Pluck the fragrant plum blossoms

The last poem is 337 by Ki no Tomonori on the topic of “On seeing fallen snow.” The yearning for spring is still present since Tomonori is searching for spring’s plum blossoms. On the other hand, Tomonori actually describes snow a little more delicately than the previous four poems. The previous four poems described snow as having a blanketing effect on the landscape, but Tomonori views it as more of a dusting. His description of “clusters of white blooms” indicates that while the flowers are covered in snow, their outline is still visible. However, Tomonori also indicates it is still difficult to tell flowers apart from each other because of the snow when he wonders at the end where he could pick blossoms from. The blanketing effect is still present, but to a lesser extent. I think a more delicate coat of snow would be more pleasing to Tomonori and the readers. As I said earlier, something more ethereal like mist or fog has more appeal than heavy snow.

While winter can possess a beauty of its own, the poets strongly prefer spring over winter. Four out of the five authors almost sigh in their poems; they clearly await the coming of spring. Winter has the unpleasant distinction of being the season where the natural world is dying or resting. The poems cover the ability of snow to blur distinctive details like shape, color, and scent, and winter also has that effect of life. Many animals do not survive the winter while others are in hibernation. As for the Japanese, the harvests are over and winter is the season where love dies. The environment may be the focus of the poems, but that extends to animals and people. Snow muffles the landscape and in turn, winter mutes animals, people, and emotions.