Salad Anniversary - I enjoyed this reflection, and it spoke so highly of the author’s poetry that I am motivated to read it for myself. This reading immediately reminded me of Emma Ramadan’s discussion of domestication, especially when Carpenter wrote about how the tension between classical and contemporary language is difficult – or “impossible” – to translate. I thought of how Clarice Lispector’s work lost so much of its uniqueness in translation, which emphasizes the importance of reflections such as these, to properly contextualize the work and preserve its cultural significance. The concept of blending old and new is paramount to Tawara’s work, and the translator has explained this in depth.
Yosano Akiko - I think it’s incredibly interesting to piece together different phases of someone’s life through their art; witnessing Akiko’s shift from erotic poetry, to anti-war, to pro-military is unexpected. The podcast focused mostly on her feats as a feminist poet in a Japan that was still relatively conservative. She personally portrays the idea that feminism is about personal agency, since she maintained her belief that women could have identities separate from motherhood while being a mother herself.
Matsuo Basho (Shirane reading) - The idea of “mitate”, or “seeing by comparison” was central to this reading, and also encompasses all other materials from this week. This term refers to the integration of classical and modern elements in discussed forms of poetry, and elucidates the success of these poets. Although preserving the structural integrity of a poem is necessary, we must eventually use our creative freedom to shape the genre into a more relevant one. Making these edits allows us to continue to appreciate the antiquated versions, as opposed to forgetting them when they fall out of popularity.
Janine Beichman - I enjoyed the way Beichman read these poems, and her discussion of the mindfulness the Basho experienced. Listening to this talk emphasized the way that poetry can reach all types of people. Merging classical and contemporary accommodates more people, and drawing upon Tawara’s poetry, we can see that a core element of these works is their universality. Regardless of style or language, being able to communicate a set of experiences that are common to the general audience gives a genre meaning.
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