05-03-2012, 08:26 PM
Technically no. That is a misconception, at least in terms of Japanese poetry. I grabbed this from Wiki as it alludes to this idea that it can be placed in different spots, although it is most commonly used at the end of a line.
"A large number of hokku, including many of those by Bashō, end with either -keri, an exclamatory auxiliary verb, or the exclamatory particle kana, both of which initiate such a circular pattern. Placed elsewhere in the verse, a kireji performs the paradoxical function of both cutting and joining; it not only cuts the ku into two parts, but also establishes a correspondence between the two images it separates, implying that the latter represents the poetic essence (本意 hon'i) of the former,[9] creating two centres and often generating an implicit comparison, equation, or contrast between the two separate elements"
"Cobalt" preforms both of these functions as it signals a distinction (cuts) between the darker ground water, and the water of the sky, but also joins the two image groups by equating the water of the ground to the sky, which further brings about the comparison of the cloud, to the rice paddy (the cloud floats in the sky as the paddy floats in the pond), thus it enacts a comparison of equals between the two image groups. This also alludes to the biblical saying, "as above, so below," or "on earth as it is in heaven". Also, one of the connotative features of cobalt is the aspect of heaviness, which contrast with the lightness associated with the sky, so there is also the implied division of weight or substance.
So in the truest term of the word, it acts as a fulcrum between the two images as it is generally understood in Japanese poetry, and less in the sense of a function in the form as we tend to incorrectly perceive it in English, although that is understandable as there is really nothing in English to compare it to, partly owed to the extreme density of the Japanese language due to their long isolation, and the codification of historical and cultural features within the language.
Of course I am somewhat iconoclastic in terms of what forms (in my mind) occur naturally in English, and therefore am not a fan of trying to import forms that do not really make sense in terms of how the language is structured. I do think such forms as this can be valid teaching tools as they teach brevity within a very simple and non-demanding form, beyond that I think they are very limited, and cannot approach what they are capable of in Japanese.
Dale
"A large number of hokku, including many of those by Bashō, end with either -keri, an exclamatory auxiliary verb, or the exclamatory particle kana, both of which initiate such a circular pattern. Placed elsewhere in the verse, a kireji performs the paradoxical function of both cutting and joining; it not only cuts the ku into two parts, but also establishes a correspondence between the two images it separates, implying that the latter represents the poetic essence (本意 hon'i) of the former,[9] creating two centres and often generating an implicit comparison, equation, or contrast between the two separate elements"
"Cobalt" preforms both of these functions as it signals a distinction (cuts) between the darker ground water, and the water of the sky, but also joins the two image groups by equating the water of the ground to the sky, which further brings about the comparison of the cloud, to the rice paddy (the cloud floats in the sky as the paddy floats in the pond), thus it enacts a comparison of equals between the two image groups. This also alludes to the biblical saying, "as above, so below," or "on earth as it is in heaven". Also, one of the connotative features of cobalt is the aspect of heaviness, which contrast with the lightness associated with the sky, so there is also the implied division of weight or substance.
So in the truest term of the word, it acts as a fulcrum between the two images as it is generally understood in Japanese poetry, and less in the sense of a function in the form as we tend to incorrectly perceive it in English, although that is understandable as there is really nothing in English to compare it to, partly owed to the extreme density of the Japanese language due to their long isolation, and the codification of historical and cultural features within the language.
Of course I am somewhat iconoclastic in terms of what forms (in my mind) occur naturally in English, and therefore am not a fan of trying to import forms that do not really make sense in terms of how the language is structured. I do think such forms as this can be valid teaching tools as they teach brevity within a very simple and non-demanding form, beyond that I think they are very limited, and cannot approach what they are capable of in Japanese.
Dale
How long after picking up the brush, the first masterpiece?
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.