In Narrow Road to the Deep North, Japanese poet Basho expresses himself masterfully through traditional forms of haibun, addressing themes of nature, folklore, of faith and travel. physical and spiritual. All of these stories and feelings are contained in a haibun – a short piece of prose that tells the story and sets the mood – and meaningfully condensed into three lines in the haiku. The form appears simple---a short narrative, then three lines with a five-seven-five syllable pattern---which has led many readers to consider it a "children's form." Yet it is this simplicity that testifies to Basho's genius. Such strict and simple parameters require precise and focused word choice --- there is no room for flowery embellishments. Each syllable must contribute fully to the meaning of the work, and Basho makes deliberate choices to convey the depth of his feelings poignantly and accurately. In this way, it demonstrates the value of haibun as an art form, for children and adults alike. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayIn the selection titled “IN TSURUGA: Second Year of Genroku”, two folk tales appear: first the ancient ritual of transporting sand to the Kei Shrine, and later a story told by an innkeeper at Tsuruga Harbor about a temple bell, knocked off a boat by a dragon into the depths of the sea. These folk tales plant the setting, creating a contextual background over which Basho can drape moments of emotional clarity. In a few brief sentences, he explains the folklore and expresses how it adds to the sacredness of the place. The phrase “With the sanctity of the shrine and the light of the moon pouring through the trees, a deep sense of reverence seeped into my bones” (Basho) seamlessly draws on tradition to heighten the the importance of his emotional reaction to it; combining his pre-existing knowledge, “the holiness of the sanctuary,” with his immediate experience, “the light of the moon pouring forth.” Nature and knowledge come together to convey a poetic intention, unmistakable in English although it was translated from Japanese. The simplicity of the language also allows the haibun to remain concise and impactful; “There is a temple bell at the bottom of the sea” (Basho), for example, sets the scene effectively. Here the reader must infer the poet's emotions, but clues in the haiku itself point to Basho's uncertainty. With “The Sunken Temple Bell / At the Bottom of the Sea,” Basho makes it clear that the story is alive in his consciousness, which runs through his mind as he composes the haiku, and the question he writes in the first line, “Where is the moon?” ”, echoes his feelings about the story. The moon is obscured by rain clouds; Basho wonders where it is, as if the fact that the moon is not visible means that it is no longer in the sky. Together, these lines raise an interesting question about belief. Basho knows that the moon is still in the sky, even though it cannot be seen --- does this mean he knows that the mythical temple bell is still at the bottom of the sea, even though its only experience with the bell was a popular innkeeper story? Can we assume that all folk tales are true once they cannot be disproved? All of these questions can be drawn from three simple lines, once the stage has been properly set, and Basho does it expertly. By continuing to express..