Harvest moon: around the pond I wander and the night is gone.
Matsuo BashoRead
When composing a verse let there not be a hair's breath separating your mind from what you write; composition of a poem must be done in an instant, like a woodcutter felling a huge tree or a swordsman leaping at a dangerous enemy.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of immediate and intense focus in the art of poetry composition.
Matsuo Basho conveys the idea that when writing poetry, the poet should strive for an intimate connection between their thoughts and written words. This connection must be so strong that there is no space or hesitation, akin to the swift actions of a woodcutter or swordsman. The essence of great poetry lies in its spontaneity and the deep engagement of the poet's mind in the creative process.
In practice
In a workshop on creative writing, a teacher might quote this to inspire students to write with conviction.
Harvest moon: around the pond I wander and the night is gone.
Now the swinging bridge Is quieted with creepers ... Like our tendrilled life.
Winter solitude- in a world of one colour the sound of the wind.
The moon and sun are travelers through eternity. Even the years wander on. Whether drifting through life on a boat or climbing toward old age leading a horse, each day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
Ballet in the air... Twin butterflies until, twice white They Meet, they mate
Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
One of the attractions of translating 'Heroes' is that it's not the kind of play that I write. If it had been, I probably wouldn't have wanted to translate it. There are no one-liners. It's much more a truthful comedy than a play of dazzling wit.
Without dance, a man can do nothing.
Novel-writing is, for the novelist, a game of let's pretend.
I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was going to be interesting to other people. But I guess it was...I've never had any discipline whatsoever. I just wait on a song like I was waiting for lightning to strike. And eventually-usually sometime around 3 in the morning-I'll have a good idea. By the time the sun comes up, hopefully, I'll have a decent song.
I always did what I thought was interesting. I always just did what caught my fantasy. Looking like a woman, that was never the criteria for me. It was always to do drag. And drag is not gender-specific. Drag is just drag. It's exaggeration.
Whether it's a painter finding his way each morning to the easel, or a medical researcher returning daily to the laboratory, the routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more.
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