a historian's winter

Gwanjitsu
-Basho

Gwanjitsu ya
Omoeba sabishi
Aki no kure

in English...

New Year's Day
-Basho

Ah, the New Year's Day reminds me
Of a lonely autumn evening

in this Haiku by the great Haijin Basho, the Kigo or seasonal reference is winter... winter, as in any literary piece, portrays death and sorrow while autumn refers to dying; but for the Japanese, the New Year is something special because it means new beginnings that one can and might encounter... in this haiku, one remembers a lonely thought (modern day emo) in the midst of happiness... it is a mixture of happiness and sorrow... "to be happy, one must have encountered loneliness..."

i call myself "the historian", and "Winter" is my second name; but this blog is entitled "a historian's winter" because i feel great sorrow, and with reference to the Haiku, i also feel a great deal of happiness... i am a modern day clown...happy to show others, but lonely behind their back...i often remember things that aren't worth remembering...