Don'T Imitate Me Comments
Don't imitate me;
it's as boring
as the two halves of a melon.
...
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- - Do not resemble me, Never be like a mush melon Cut in two identical halves Matsuo Basho [Translated by Makoto Ueda ] - - poets must have a fresh voice and be original.. or they become 'clones' writing ''zappai'' [**] - not true haiku.. [ ** ''we might say that 5/7/5 poetry, which exhibits uncategorized ‘haikai taste’, defines zappai.'' (Gilbert) ]
Interesting point Mark! The ambiguity is very effective! Though Matsuo wants to portray the blandness of imitation, and really how an imitator will take away from the original work, and his own, the image of a halved fruit seems very menacing and suggestive!
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7/20/2025 2:21:26 AM # 1.0.0
(Don'T Imitate Me by Matsuo Basho.) **True humility.