Kassandra Mckibben
Courtesy of mypoeticside.com
BLOSSOMS BLOOMING
By: Ono no Komachi
Blossoms blooming
Yet making no seed areThe sea-god's
Garlanded
Whitecaps offshore.
WAS I LOST
By: Ono no Komachi
Was I lost in thoughts of love
When I closed my eyes? He
Appeared, and
Had I known it for a dream
I would not have awakened.
The image of blossoms on the water's edge symbolizes the flowers and how they eventually become lost after they have fallen off of the tree and into the water. "Love" that is mentioned in the second poem, I Was Lost, appears in the color pink; which has a romantic essence and is incorporated in the photo above.
Ono no Komachi was a woman who composed many Japanese poems during her lifetime. She may have been the most talented at incorporating kakekotoba into her pieces. Kakekotoba is the use of phonetic readings of groups of Chinese characters to create or suggest many different interpretations. Serving as a persuasive device, kakekotoba allows for the poet to convey messages without aggressively pushing one onto the audience. Her works indicate that of great passion towards nature and beauty. Knowing that her final days may have ended very poorly, the cause being poverty, her inspiration for her poetry may have come from finding beauty where there is none. Her poetry limited from only 833-857AD outshone that of Ise, another famous poet around the same time period. Perhaps another reason for inspiration came from a competitive spirit; thus, challenging her to become as skilled as she could at the rhetoric or literary device mentioned above.
Biographical Information found here:
Temca. “Ono No Komachi.” Waka Poetry, www.wakapoetry.net/poets/early-heian-poets/ono-no-komachi/.
The first poem, Blossoms Blooming, speaks of blossoms and their bloom, as well as, the ocean and how the few blossoms all the way out in the middle of the ocean are not blooming. Imagine, waves, the deep blue of the water, so far out where no person, no creature, no land can be spotted for miles. All that can be heard is the gentle crash of waves, and as each wave crashes white foam is created. Staying Afloat is one strand of blossoms strung together in the form of a necklace. It has since fallen apart from its original appearance, yet they have stayed relatively connected. Back on land, however, fields of blossom trees are in bloom, as they coat the ground with pink petals. Men purchase bouquets to give to their women, and the women rejoice at the thoughtfulness expressed by their men. Now recall that deep blue again, that solitary strand, alone, rotting and forgotten among the white foam that swallows them whole each time a new wave crashes.
Now reread both poems to better understand them along with the analyzation following.
The sea-god's
Garlanded
Whitecaps offshore.
Ono No Komachi is not specifically speaking of blossoms and the ocean, rather a greater metaphor for the lives of those centered around royalty compared to those whose lives revolve around staying afloat. Within the biographical information, uncovered was the thought that she was very poor thus leading to a death caused by poverty. The saddened identity, as well as, attitude of the speaker impacts the reader in an emotional way that is progressed by the figurative language used. Both poems listed are metaphors in their entirety, however, they also contain other examples of figurative language. The use of rhetoric is used, as mentioned in the biographical information; as well as, careful word choice. In the second poem, Was I Lost, the words: "dream", "not", and "awakened" were specifically chosen for the reason of progressing her rhetoric used. Meaning that her diction used is to express the struggle that she is going through, as well as many others. Her struggle with poverty and lack of wealth creates the dark undertones within her works. In all of the poems by Ono No Komachi, none of them had more than five lines. Perhaps the reason behind her line configuration is the idea of less is more. Further conveying how she must make the most of what little she has, and yet how big of a voice she can have. There is also the thought of "having nothing and making something", potentially being the cause behind her line configurations. Mentioned previously are the dark undertones carried throughout all of her works. Sadness, anger, and zeal are some that appear several times. In Blossoms Blossoming there is a feeling of emptiness and submissiveness conveyed; whereas, in Was I Lost the feelings are more of anger and zeal. In the second poem she Ono No Komachi appears to be angry that she has "aw[o]ken" from her sleep and taken away from the man in her dream, only to be brought back into a reality she doesn't want to be a part of. The first poem has further indications of emptiness when she speaks of lost blossoms at sea that cannot bloom. In both poems, Blossoms Blooming and Was I Lost, the theme, of how escaping reality through the mind cannot be the savior for the inevitable crashing of reality, is carried throughout her works.
When I closed my eyes? He
Appeared, and
Had I known it for a dream
I would not have awakened.
The image of blossoms on the water's edge symbolizes the flowers and how they eventually become lost after they have fallen off of the tree and into the water. "Love" that is mentioned in the second poem, I Was Lost, appears in the color pink; which has a romantic essence and is incorporated in the photo above.
Ono no Komachi was a woman who composed many Japanese poems during her lifetime. She may have been the most talented at incorporating kakekotoba into her pieces. Kakekotoba is the use of phonetic readings of groups of Chinese characters to create or suggest many different interpretations. Serving as a persuasive device, kakekotoba allows for the poet to convey messages without aggressively pushing one onto the audience. Her works indicate that of great passion towards nature and beauty. Knowing that her final days may have ended very poorly, the cause being poverty, her inspiration for her poetry may have come from finding beauty where there is none. Her poetry limited from only 833-857AD outshone that of Ise, another famous poet around the same time period. Perhaps another reason for inspiration came from a competitive spirit; thus, challenging her to become as skilled as she could at the rhetoric or literary device mentioned above.
Biographical Information found here:
Temca. “Ono No Komachi.” Waka Poetry, www.wakapoetry.net/poets/early-heian-poets/ono-no-komachi/.
The first poem, Blossoms Blooming, speaks of blossoms and their bloom, as well as, the ocean and how the few blossoms all the way out in the middle of the ocean are not blooming. Imagine, waves, the deep blue of the water, so far out where no person, no creature, no land can be spotted for miles. All that can be heard is the gentle crash of waves, and as each wave crashes white foam is created. Staying Afloat is one strand of blossoms strung together in the form of a necklace. It has since fallen apart from its original appearance, yet they have stayed relatively connected. Back on land, however, fields of blossom trees are in bloom, as they coat the ground with pink petals. Men purchase bouquets to give to their women, and the women rejoice at the thoughtfulness expressed by their men. Now recall that deep blue again, that solitary strand, alone, rotting and forgotten among the white foam that swallows them whole each time a new wave crashes.
Now reread both poems to better understand them along with the analyzation following.
BLOSSOMS BLOOMING
By: Ono no Komachi
Blossoms blooming
Yet making no seed areThe sea-god's
Garlanded
Whitecaps offshore.
WAS I LOST
By: Ono no Komachi
Was I lost in thoughts of love
When I closed my eyes? He
Appeared, and
Had I known it for a dream
I would not have awakened.
When I closed my eyes? He
Appeared, and
Had I known it for a dream
I would not have awakened.
(Jordan Baines' comment. . . ) I love how you chose two different poems instead of one. You did a really good job comparing and contrasting the two poems. Both are very positive and beautiful. The first poem is more about nature and a deeper meaning and the second is more about love. I can relate to the second one with needing to open my eyes and see the reality of things.
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