Time and Season -- Part 2

Time and Season: Part 2
Link and Shift

In the first part of “Time and Season” I differentiated time and season into two distinct topics. I attempted to show how they could manifest in verses so that some verses would be time verses and some verses would be seasonal verses. Here I want to focus on a larger renga context, applying the topics of time and season to the basic organizational principles of link and shift, which define the renga form.

To demonstrate link and shift as applied to the categories of time and season I will use three linked verses to show how two seasonal verses can frame a time verse, and how two time verses can frame a seasonal verse.

Consider the following three verses:

1.1

On the Aries equinox
Jupiter bright in the sky

Topic: Celestial/Time/Aries

2.1

A sudden spring chill
She’s grateful she brought her coat,
The morning felt warm

Topic: Terrestrial/Spring

3.1

The open September field
Slopes slowly to the ocean

Topic: Celestial/September

First, let’s consider how they link. Verse 1.1 is a Celestial verse with a Time topic. The Aries equinox is in April, so the calendar timing is the month of April. However, Verse 1.1 does not designate a season, it is strictly a time verse.

Verse 2.1 is a Terrestrial verse with a Season topic, the season being spring, with a secondary topic of humanity and clothing. Verse 2.1 links to verse one by adding the specific season which Verse 1.1 does not state.

Verse 3.1 is a Celestial verse, the topic is time. The time is September. So there is a shift in time between Verses 1.1 and 3.1. In Verse 1.1 the time is April, and in Verse 3.1 the time is September. Verse 2.1 functions as the link which can link to either Verse 1.1 or Verse 3.1.

How does Verse 2.1 do this? By shifting location. The shift of location is shown by the shift in time. Verse 1.1 and 2.1, when combined, yield an April Spring verse, which places it somewhere in the northern hemisphere. Verses 2.1 and 3.1, when combined, yield a September Spring verse, which places it somewhere in the southern hemisphere; perhaps New Zealand or South Africa.

To clarify let’s look at Verses 1.1 plus 1.2:

On the Aries equinox
Jupiter bright in the sky

A sudden spring chill
She’s grateful she brought her coat,
The morning felt warm

Now let’s look at Verses 1.2 plus 1.3:

A sudden spring chill
She’s grateful she brought her coat,
The morning felt warm

The open September field
Slopes slowly to the ocean

Verse 1.2 functions as a pivot. When 1.2 links with 1.1 the time is April and the location is that part of the earth where April is spring. When 1.2 links with 1.3 the time is September and the location is that part of the earth where September is spring. This example of shifting location is similar to a shift from inside to outside. Take, as an example, the following outline of three verses:

1.2

Down the street a steady wind,
Not too strong, and from the south

2.2

Snow begins to melt
Moisture on the windowpane
And pink plum blossoms

3.2

She begins crocheting squares
A new gift for an old friend

Verse 1.2 is outside. Verse 2.2 could be inside or outside and therefore functions as a pivot between verses 1.2 and 3.2. Verse 3.2 is inside, normally we think of crocheting done in a chair, inside a house. There is, therefore, a shift of location when going from Verse 1.2 to Verse 3.2. Similarly, there is a shift of geography when we move from Verse 1.1 to Verse 3.1.

It is possible to construct three verses so that the outer two verses are seasonal, while the central verse is a time verse so that the time verse functions as a pivot, linking the outer two verses. Here is an example:

1.3

A clear spring morning
Just a few patches of snow
Melting in the sun

Topic: Terrestrial/Season/Spring

2.3

Two airplanes trace their courses
Across a clear April sky

Topic: Celestial/Time/April

3.3

The first autumn wind
Catches us without our coats;
The cafe haven

Topic: Terrestrial/Season/Autumn

Verses 1.3 and 3.3 both link to Verse 2.3, with the Time Topic serving as the pivot that both unite to. Verses 1.3 and 3.3 shift away from each other by changing their seasonal reference. Both 1.3 and 3.3 link to 2.3, both have the same time, the month of April; but because of the seasonal shift verses 1.3 and 3.3 shift geographical placement.

In Part one of Time and Season I spoke of how, when time and season are viewed as different topics, a complex counterpoint of the two can unfold within the context of a renga. The above examples are meant to show how this counterpoint can work in an actual renga. But if time and season are separated and treated as distinct topics, how does this effect the overall placement of topics in the various renga forms? In my experiments with writing renga that distinguish the topics of season and time I tried various approaches. I believe, after much consideration, that retaining the placement of seasonal verses in their traditional placement remains the most efficacious approach even when time and season are treated as distinct topics. There is one change, however, which should be noted by the renga poet. That change is that seasonal verses need to be shaped in such a way that they do not include time references. This, at first, takes some effort because renga poets are used to using time words as seasonal pointers. Thus words like “April”, or words that designate certain holidays, like “Christmas”, or considered to be seasonal; April = spring and Christmas = winter respectively.

When time and season are separated and treated as different topics, words that designate time can no longer be relied upon as seasonal references. For example, “April” becomes a time designator, not a seasonal reference because, depending on the location, “April” could be spring or fall. Personally, I have found separating the two topics to be worthwhile; it opens up a whole new dimension of link and shift within the overall renga structure. But it does, at first, take some effort to mentally separate the two because we tend to automatically fall back on the habit of equating time and seasonal words.

There is a practical reason for making this effort to separate time and season in renga composition. Renga is moving into the world at large. It is no longer, strictly speaking, a Japanese form of poetry. Rather, it is a form of poetry whose origin was Japan. This is similar to understanding that the sonnet is no longer an Italian form of poetry. Rather, the sonnet is a form of poetry whose origin was Italy.

As renga moves into the world beyond the world of the country of its origin, certain associations and patterns that were efficacious where it began no longer function well in the world at large. One of these is the merging of time and season. The reason it no longer functions well is that when time and season are merged, that confines the meaning to a limited geographical extent. If April = Spring, and one insists upon that kind of equation (one of a large number in traditional renga), those areas of the world where this is not true will face a barrier to accessing renga and being able to write renga authentically; that is to say based on their actual experience. Notice that separating time and season does not exclude the traditional associations of time and season. For example, April = Spring is still true for those parts of the world where April and Spring coincide. However, when one separates time and season then other connections become available; April = Fall is now also available for the renga poet.

By separating time and season renga can step into the world at large easily, opening the path of renga to everyone, no matter where they live, in any part of the world.