There is only one moon, but there are thousands of reflections, each body of water in each drop of dew.There is only one ultimate experience, but there are a thousand ways of expressing it. It is in the culture of ancient Japan, a special emphasis was placed on the expression of different emotions of the soul, through the picturesque and poetic metaphors and awakening love lyrics.
In Japanese poetry, keen ear and sharp eye. The poet hears the rustle of a dress of his wife, you want to leave, going on a long journey, sees between the wings of geese flying in the sky, slid to the ground white frosting. Of special importance of poetry gives a precise gesture to his eyes pinned sleeve favorite in a moment of parting, melting snowflake on a cheek or a mysterious old man's opinion.
Traditional Japanese poetic style grew out of daily life, celebrations, struggles, and ceremonies of hunters, fishermen, farmers, ancestor worship and the forces of nature. All living space of time has been deified.Gods themselves were the mountains, roads in the mountains, trees, grasses, rivers, and lakes. Powerful cheerfulness, reverence for nature-giver of the harvest, the fruits of the earth and the sea was filled with a Japanese song.
These properties are inherited folk melodies first anthology of Japanese poetry "Manesyu" - "Meeting the myriad leaves". (The Japanese have long been identified with the word leaves of plants). "Manesyu" is the most vivid expression of culture Nara period. It is the name this time in the history of Japan, named its first permanent capital. Created "Manesyu" about, for decades the VIII century. The exact time of its completion is unknown. In "Manesyu" twenty books, scrolls (containing 4496 songs). Some compiled in chronological order, in other songs of various lands in the country, the third-containing songs of the four seasons. Here in the complex unity coexist more than four years of the poetry of ancient Japan, according to many scientists' Manesyu "are songs of V-VIII centuries. It is in this anthology is formed, but not always strictly maintained, given the size of the verse in the century and major poetic forms depending on the number of verses: nagauta "long song" with an indefinite number of five-and seven-syllable verses, sedoka "songs rowers' shestistishiya-built scheme 5.7.7.5.7.7. syllables. And finally, the tank" short song ", pyatistishiya where the alternate verses in 5.7.5.7.7. syllables. Tanka is a very ancient poetic form. Five poems, perhaps, in their old magic even, the possibility of which instinctively guessed the national genius.
A new era. At the end of VIII century capital of Japan was the Heian (Kyoto). In the literature, about one hundred years reigned poetry in Chinese. However, the influence of "Manesyu" not dying. The creators of this anthology of poetry in opposition to the Chinese national. Custodian of its spirit has become a tank. Although the theme of "moon", for example, in Japanese poetry was inspired by Chinese culture and has become one of the major in classical poetry.
Poets of the IX century produced a new flowering of Japanese poetry, which became the embodiment of the anthology "Kokins" ("Kokin Vacas"). It was created by decree of the emperor by the Committee of poets, headed by poet and scholar Key Tsurayuki but one of the biggest figures in the history of Japanese culture.
" Kokins" - "Izbornik old and new songs Yamato"-is, as "Manesyu" of twenty scrolls. His word is preceded by Tsurayuki about the meaning of Japanese poetry.
The tank was not only high art, it was part of everyday life. The Japanese love poetry contest, utaavase. Tank during this period was the universal way of expression, love madrigals, a joke, just a note, but the true poets knew how to breathe life into the familiar words. The pinnacle of classical poetry of the tank were found fascinating and touching Sikisi-naysinno, Fujiwara Sadaie, along with poems Saiga. Sadaie, chief compiler of an anthology of the last great tank "Sinkokinsyu" ("New Kokins").
Many of the tank late classical era censorship resistant sharply divided the poem into two hemistichs: three and two lines. As time evolved the custom of folding a poem together. Next to these three-line couplet, and began to attach all the new ones. Thus was born the renga.
In the XVI century renga became "shuteynoy", sometimes parodic. Shuteynuyu renga (Haikal-renga) love in the circles of the Third Estate. The initial stanza renga is the first tercet "haiku" healed their own lives. Haiku was on top of a low genre. The lyrical hero genre of poetry were Haikal citizen, a joker or street wit.
In the XVII century wandering monk Matsuo Basho created a new style tercet, it became a mix of the best achievements "shuteynoy" serious and haiku. He drew a lot of the classic tank. The poet-wanderer Saiga was his teacher in poetry and life. The wisdom of Confucius, the high humanity Du Fu, a paradoxical idea resonated Chuang Tzu in his poetry. Basho was a Zen Buddhist. The doctrine of "Zen" had a great influence on Japanese art at the time. According to this doctrine, the truth can be grasped as a result of a push from the outside, when suddenly the world is seen in all its nakedness, and any individual part of the world, gives rise to the moment of realization.
Love for all living things, the deep sadness of separation and sorrow, all the earthly world with all its everyday life, rituals, taboos and jokes are still material for haiku poetry.