The Darkness, The Light, A Gift

An Ode to a 17th Century Poet

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The above haiku was written by Basho (1644–94) and translated by Lucien Stryk for the book “On Love and Barley – Haiku of Basho”. The painting is my own, in watercolor and gouache.

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Dear friends,

As a person who lives in Minnesota, I look forward intensely to the Winter Solstice. December is one of our darkest months, both in coverage of night and of clouds. I often hunger so much for the slow returning of sun that I hurry along the darkness without appreciation.

I wanted this newsletter to be a small gift for you in celebration of light, and I turned to my favorite poet, Basho, to see if he might have something to say on the matter (he often does). I appreciate how succinctly he manages to tie together the sublime with humor, as in the above haiku… I picture him so deeply attentive to the moonlit pond at night that the coming of dawn catches him by surprise! Aha! And therein, my lesson.

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To make the painting, I cut a small square stencil (roughly 1/4”) and painted through it to build the image one square at a time. This is not the most efficient way to make a painting. But it was the right way, for me, this week. Perfectly imperfect, many many squares of night. A slow painting for a slow time of year. :-)

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I wish you warmth, wellness, and comfort this solstice season.

Much love,
Sara