Natsume Soseki - The lamp once out
Ivan M. Granger July 4th, 2008
The lamp once out
by Natsume Soseki
English version by Soiku Shigematsu
The lamp once out
Cool stars enter
The window frame.
— from Zen Haiku: Poems and Letters of Natsume Soseki, by Natsume Soseki / Translated by Soiku Shigematsu
/ Photo by George Lu /
It’s the Fourth of July, Independence Day here in the US. I loved fireworks and firecrackers as a child. Anything with fire and sparks and explosions, well that was just fine by me. The bigger the bang the better!
This haiku, however, is one that leaves me in silence. It makes me think a little more about what independence and freedom are really about…
On the most literal level, Natsume Soseki is giving us the image of a lamp going out. When that strong, close light is no longer there, our eyes can then see the stars in the night sky through the window. Just three lines is enough to give us that beautiful moment.
But, of course, the meaning expands, with several possible meanings. One way to read it is that the lamp light could suggest the ego. That is the familiar light we normally live by. It is useful in that it allows us to interact effectively with the immediate environment. But we forget that it also affects our focus and limits our full vision. It is only when it finally goes out, that we can see vastness of the night sky and its glistening, heavenly stars…
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Natsume Soseki
Japan (1867 - 1916) Timeline |
Natsume Soseki is probably best known as a novelist, sometimes referred to as the Charles Dickens of Japan. He wrote stories with both humanity and an unflinching eye. But he was also a teacher, a cultural critic, a Zen practitioner, and an author of haiku.
Soseki was born in Tokyo and graduated from Tokyo University. He then became a middle school and high school teacher of English language and literature.
In the early 1900’s several of his stories were published in serialized form in magazines, establishing his career as a writer.
Around this time, Soseki also started showing signs of tuberculosis, an illness he never fully shook off. This illness and other stresses contributed to a state of depression. To cope with his depression, Soseki began to practice Zen meditation. You can perceive the reflection of his deep practice within his poetry.
Natsume Soseki died at the age of 49.
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a perfect haiku–and, for me, one of your most powerful
Thoughts for the Day:
We aren’t so much individual beings
as individual points of perception
within one immense being.
That opens up space inside . . .
Just thought to say thanks for taking the time and effort to send what you sent. Its great.