A verse by Kitô:

Seaweed;
The forgotten tide in the hollows
Of the rocks.

Blyth, However, translated it better:

Seaweed;
In the hollows of the rocks,
The forgotten tide.

It is better for several reasons.  It follows the order of the original -- seaweed, rock hollows, forgotten tide -- and the original order is better in this case because it follows the verse from "large to small," one of the techniques of experiencing a hokku.

After the tide goes out, the rocky shoreline covered with growing seaweed is exposed.  Walking across this area, we see hollows in the rock, and in those hollows we notice that water remains -- the tide that has now departed.  So this verse starts with the seaweed seen at a distance, then moves the focus closer to see the hollows in the rocks, and then we see the water -- the forgotten tide -- in the hollows.   That movement from "large to small" is more satisfying than the mixture we find in the first translation.  More satisfying in this case, we must note, because what is best varies from experience to experience.  Sometimes we move from "small to large," sometimes from "large to small," and sometimes we mix the order.

"Forgotten" is Kitô's way of reminding us that what we see is the result of the past, and through it we feel the unity of the tidepools and the sea.

Copyright 2006
David Coomler