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Yotsumono

Four Things

John Carley

 

conventional
hokku ki au au [mn] sp sp [bl] su wi
wakiku sho au au [mn] sp sp [bl] nssu (fl) nswi (mn)
daisan ten ns ns ns ns ns ns
ageku ketsu ns ns ns ns snns (fl) snns (mn)

 

unconventional
hokku ki ns au mn ns sp bl ns wi (fl/mn/rk)
wakiku sho au ns sp ns su (fl/mn/rk) ns
daisan ten sn ns sn ns sn (fl/mn/rk) ns
ageku ketsu ns sn ns sn ns sn (fl/mn/rk)

 

anti-conventional
kiku ns muns ns ns mu sn
shoku muns ns mu ns sn ns
tenku muns ns mu sn ns ns
kekku ns muns sn mn mu mu mu

 

Notes

The Yotsumono is a four verse sequence for two voices. Poets alternate. The verses may be understood as hokku, wakiku, daisan and ageku. There are no tonal or topical exclusions

Season and fixed topic choices may be governed by mainstream renku conventions, or largely independent of them. Equally the sequence may rely largely or wholly on mukigo, or none.

In all cases uchikoshi no kirai (reversion to the last-but-one) and kannonbiraki (double doors) are avoided.

In order to ensure that the work remains non-thematic all discussion of a poem's meaning should be deferred until the piece is completed.

au - autumn position
sp - spring position
su - summer position
wi - winter position
ns - non-season position
mu - mukigo position
muns - mukigo or non-season position
nssu - where the hokku is set in summer authors may use summer for the wakiku, in which case ageku will be non-season
nswi - where the hokku is set in winter authors may use winter for the wakiku, in which case ageku will will be non-season
snns - where hokku only takes summer or winter, ageku will take any other season
sn - any season (where a designated season has already occurred: any other season)
mn - moon position
bl - blossom position
[mn] - moon position (either/or) - only one moon verse per sequence
(mn) - optional moon position (only where season selected) - only one moon verse per sequence
[bl] - blossom position (either/or) - only one blossom verse per sequence
(fl) - optional flower position, (only where season selected) - only one flower verse per sequence
(fl/mn/rk) - optional topic position (either/or) - topic may be flower, moon or rock (per Rokku)


The Yotsumono - notes and exemplars