Beyond the Binary: Haiku and the Whole Self

Beyond the Binary: Haiku and the Whole Self

Meghan Miraglia

As I engaged with this week’s readings, I was struck by several realizations/observations about haiku and haikai; I had a few questions arise, too. Haikai’s intention to bridge popular culture with classical allusions leads me to wonder about the lasting/futility of a poet and their words. If one is writing about popular culture, how will those references endure or fade? Is there a balance one must strike between engaging with “the current moment” and being “universal”? Should this even be a concern for poets and translators?

I am drawn to Beichman’s fan metaphor: the poem functions as the handle of a fan, and each interpretation is a blade emerging from its center. There is more than just the right interpretation/wrong interpretation binary. I am struck by the thought that, with haiku, the reader has to bring something to the table. They are asked to participate, or co-create, the poem along with the poet. For instance, the reader must picture the coxcombs; they must mindfully engage with the images rather than passively accept them. I find this a pretty feminist idea, too - and one that connects to concepts around education theory (passive vessels waiting to receive information vs. active beings who already have worth and are bringing it to the table).

I am excited to center my whole-body experiences of and with the poems we’ll be translating for this week. Instead of letting a poem/poet/reader fall on either side of the binary (analyze/intellectually engage with a poem OR "love"/emotionally engage with the poem), haiku and haikai allow for the opportunity to do both.