Divinity in the Mundane

The Haiku is a famously concise form of poetry. Founded by Matuso Bashō, Haiku is thought to be his “quest for divinity in the mundane” (Finch 217). The form is brief, almost always following the 5-7-5 syllable pattern consisting of only 3 lines. Throughout time writers of various civilization have played with the syllable form, sometimes using a 4-4-7 pattern. These poems often portray powerful messages regarding the natural world, using imagery to paint concise moments. But being only 3 lines one can’t help but wonder; how can the “mundanity” of these few lines be “divine”?

To dive deeper into the meaning of Haiku, we’re going to look at Gary Snyder's Haiku. This poem goes as follows:

A great freight truck

lit like a town

through the dark stony desert

These 15 syllables, 13 words, and 3 lines come together to create a piece that can spark a story tailored the reader. One can take this poem at face value: just a truck in the desert and that in itself can obviously seem mundane. But looking deeper into the poem, you’ll find a world of stories between the lines. This poem being so concise can give the reader more time to think into it and indulge in the piece. And the more you think about it, the more the story and emotions form around it.

For instance, to me this poem gives off an overarching mood of loneliness. The truck seems to be so bright it lights up the sky, but being alone in a “dark stony desert” can make any flicker of light feel like the sun. Also, the rhyming of “great” and “freight” seem to put emphasis on each other, as if we’re lead to think this truck is larger than life itself. I’d gather that this poem is the journey of a lonely truck driver. It doesn’t matter where they started and it doesn't matter where they’re going. All that matters is the journey they’re currently on. The lights, the vast mass that is the truck, and the darkness around them come together to create this moment. And the fact that this tale can be gathered from 15 syllables, 13 words, and 3 lines proves that this form can in fact bring the divinity out of the seemingly mundane.

Snyder, Gary. “A Great Freight Truck.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art, Edited by Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes, U of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 217–222