I'm taking a Tanka culture class | Lesson 4
I attend a Tanka culture class once every two weeks.
This time, let's start with the poem I submitted.
Even for stubborn and difficult words, I find companions in the thesaurus
They found the perspective interesting, but Mr. Kimihiko Takano was concerned about the expression "atsukai-zurai" (difficult to handle).
He mentioned that it sounds harsh with the voiced consonant, and more importantly, "atsukai-nikui" is the proper, traditional term.
The opening of Natsume Soseki's "Kusamakura" is also written this way.
If you work with wisdom, you'll get friction. If you lean into emotion, you'll be swept away. If you insist on your own way, you'll feel cramped. In any case, the human world is hard to live in (suminikui).
Hard to live in (suminikui).
Admittedly, I might have thought of the other one first, or perhaps considered "nikui" a little, but I might have intentionally used "zurai" because it felt more formal, whereas "nikui" felt more colloquial and childish.
From now on, I will use "nikui".
[Revision]
Even for stubborn and hard-to-handle words, I find companions in the thesaurus
Also, today we talked about enjoying wordplay.
For example, the fragrant wood "Ranjatai," which became a topic at the Shosoin Exhibition.
There was a poem that sang about how the kanji for "Todai-ji" are hidden within this name.
Upon learning that, Mr. Takano said, "It's also interesting to try making a poem that includes someone's name."
For instance, making a poem by hiding Mr. Takano's name "Kimihiko" in "Okina no kao" (old man's face)...
How playful!
And, jo-kotoba (preface words) and makura-kotoba (pillow words) are also a type of play.
Jo-kotoba is defined as "a decorative part used as a preamble to introduce a certain phrase"... but that explanation alone is a bit confusing.
A famous one is
Like the drooping tail of a mountain pheasant in the foot-dragging mountains, will I sleep alone through this long, long night?
[Translation: I will sleep alone through a night as long as the drooping tail of a mountain pheasant]
The part "ashibiki no yama-dori no o no shidario no" serves as a preamble to "naganagashi" (long, long), emphasizing just how long the night is.
Mr. Takano suggested (or gave us homework?) that we try creating our own jo-kotoba.
It's difficult, but I'll give it some thought...
◆ Points to ponder ◆
・When ginkgo leaves turn color, they are written as "koyo" (yellow leaves) rather than "koyo" (red leaves). (Both are read as "koyo" or "momiji"; in historical kana usage, they are "kuwauefu" and "momiji")
The top image this time is a photo of a cute azure-winged magpie that I borrowed from Soni-sama. Thank you very much.
I would be happy if you could also read my previous posts about the Tanka culture school.
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
チップがいただけるような書き手になれたら、次なるステップのため「枕詞辞典」か「うたことば辞典」を購入したいと思っています