Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
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Many people arrive at Matsushima on ferries. We cross the Umikawa and Himekawa Rivers
The ferries sail past Niwo Island, whose shape where they run into the sea. Basho called this
55 resembles a submarine, then past Kane Island region “the most perilous7 place in the north.”
with its four water tunnels, and others. Moments 80 Today there’s a road, of course, high up along
off our own ferry, looking around at the shops, the steep cliffs with concrete supports and wire
hotels, and restaurants of Matsushima, my guide netting to keep the rocks from crashing down.
declares that the town is unpleasant to look at. But the names of the passes retain their old
60 “Too much concrete,” he says. warnings, such as koma gaeshi, which means
85 “send back your horses.” What happened here?
To escape present-day reality (and daydream
Basically, about 800 years ago a woman tried
of the past), I sit down on a bench and read
to flee from a powerful official with her small
how Basho described Matsushima:
child along the cliffs. Crashing waves threw
“Now, though it’s been only too often them into the sea. Someone observed this
65 observed, Matsushima presents a 90 and reported that at one terrible moment the
magnificent vista3 . . . All sorts of islands currents tore the woman from her child, and
gather here, steep ones pointing to sky, suddenly they were pulled in opposite
others creeping4 upon waves. Or some directions, then drowned. It is the saddest
are piled double on each other, or even place I’ve ever been.
70 triple, and some divided at one end and 3
vista is a view from a particular place, especially a beautiful
A
overlapping at the other. Some bear others view from a high place.
4
To creep somewhere means to move there quietly and slowly.
on their backs; some seem to embrace 5
If you caress someone or something, you stroke them gently
them, as if caressing5 their offspring6 . . . and affectionately.
6
You can refer to a person’s children or to an animal’s young
The feeling: one of intense beauty . . .” as their offspring.
7
Something that is perilous is very dangerous.
Today along the Nagara River I watch 120 I see the man closing up shop. He notices
how three fishermen in wooden boats have that I am still there. “It’s good to say a prayer.
tightened string “necklaces” around six It’s up to you which one.” He bows to me,
cormorants’ necks. Cormorants are birds that and then bows to the gravestone. “I’ll wait
100 can be trained to dive and catch fish, which to lock the gate.”
the fishermen retrieve by reaching into the 125 In the centuries since his death, Basho has
cormorants’ throats. This demonstration of an become many things to many people—wise
age-old fishing technique is both for tourists man, outsider artist, wanderer, and, above
and to feed their families. I watch this for an all, a great poet. His Narrow Road contains
105 hour or so, until finally the cormorants are fed humor (even about himself), details of his
the fish they themselves caught! 130 trip, religious wisdom, artistic descriptions,
We are anxious to get to Genjyu-an, the peaceful and even complaints. At the same time, his
shrine near Lake Biwa where Basho’s remains book provides a kind of timeless spiritual map
lie. A man steps from the modest gift shop to for the traveler. Linguist Helen Tanizaki once
110 show us the grave itself. Incense is burning. In described Basho this way: “He’s like a quirky9
the small pond there are two turtles. I dip the 135 philosopher tour-guide who pretty much leaves
long-handled wooden dipper in a bucket and readers alone to experience traveling in those
pour water over the gravestone.8 The basho remote places for themselves.”
tree (a kind of banana tree from which the poet
115 took his name) is flowering. There is the song
of insects and, as if welcoming the evening, the 8
gravestone is a stone that marks a grave, the place
A
cry of a bird. The train station is close by; there where a dead person is buried.
9
Something or someone that is quirky is odd or
are noises of car traffic, students on bicycles, and unpredictable in appearance, character, or behavior.
crowded streets.
1A A Writer’s Journey 13