Yugen
The Nothing
That is Not There*
after the shadows pass
the motion of stillness
the melting snow furrows
a new wind crossing the land
spent cherry blossoms fall
an elegance beyond shape
this ming vase with chrysanthemums
the sound of her pruning sheers
*The
"Nothing that is not there" from
Wallace Stevens "The Snow Man".
John
Daleiden, US—Ekphrastic
Free Verse: A Holy Place
John
Daleiden, US—Rondelet:
The Guile of A Beleaguered Heart
Additional Commentary about Yugen
Yūgen
(幽玄?) is an important concept in traditional Japanese
aesthetics. The exact translation of the word depends on the
context. In the Chinese philosophical texts the term was
taken from, yūgen meant "dim", "deep" or "mysterious". In
the criticism of Japanese waka poetry, it was used to
describe the subtle profundity of things that are only
vaguely suggested by the poems, and was also the name of a
style of poetry (one of the ten orthodox styles delineated
by Fujiwara no Teika in his treatises).
Yugen suggests that beyond what can be said but is not an
allusion to another world. It is about this world, this
experience. All of these are portals to yugen:
"To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander
on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon
the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind
distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese
seen and lost among the clouds. And, subtle shadows of
bamboo on bamboo."
Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami was the originator of the dramatic art form Noh
theatre and wrote the classic book on dramatic theory (Kadensho).
He uses images of nature as a constant metaphor. For
example, "snow in a silver bowl" represents "the Flower of
Tranquility". Yugen is said to mean “a profound, mysterious
sense of the beauty of the universe… and the sad beauty of
human suffering”. It is used to refer to Zeami’s
interpretation of “refined elegance” in the performance of
Noh.
from
Wikipedia:
Links to
Yugen Published in Sketchbook
Sketchbook: November / December 2011:
Yugen: Georgi Milev, BG; Vania Stefanova, BG
Sketchbook: May / June 2011:
Yugen: Radostina A. Angelova, BG; Vania Stefanova, BG
Sketchbook: September / October 2011:
Yugen: Vania Stefanova, BG
Sketchbook: Vol. 6, No. 1 January / February 2011: "About
Yugen"
