After the Death of His Wife
Kakinomoto Hitomoro is regarded as one of the best poets in the history of Japan, and his work “after the death of his wife” expresses a lot of sorrow, showing the author’s remorse after the passing his wife. The poem expresses the despair that the author had and regret after their love is held back. He is separated from his wife, but he continues loving her and hopes that one day they will be together (Commons, 2009). The poet is filled with despair after he learns about the death of his wife and regrets the lost love never to be found again. The poems indicate how difficult it is for an individual to lose their wife or husband.
In the poems, sorrow is magnified after the poet and his wife are forced to live separately, creating some form of mystery in the relationship as after marriage, people are expected to live together. Marriage is expected to be public and acceptable by the law and God. The poet has a huge desire to meet his wife and wanted to be with her. They had to keep their love as a secret and hope that one day they will be able to live together. At the time when the lover’s wife was alive, they would go to the embankment hand in hand where they would view the elm trees and cultivate their love for each other.
The death of the poet’s wife leaves him broken and wonders which way is best to grief her death. After he receives the death of his wife, the poet does not know what to do or say. He does not want to believe that his wife is dead and travels to the market where his wife would be to prove that his wife is not dead. He listens for her voice in the market place but does not hear her voice. It is an indication of the state of denial that the poet was. Finally, he accepts that her wife is truly dead, and he cries.
The poet spends most of his days broken-hearted and longing to be with her. Although he misses her, he does not receive any form of help until he is informed that her wife is in the mountains of Hagai. He, however, does not know how to get to the mountains, but the urge to meet his wife is overwhelming. He then makes arrangements and moves to the mountains hoping to meet her wife. His sorrow continues as he does not meet his wife in the mountains as he had expected. It indicates how desperate the poet is to meet his wife and is willing to sacrifice anything for her.
As he lives the graveyard at the mountain, his sorrow increases, and he feels as if he is not living. He feels sorry for himself as love has held him hostage. He remembers how their life was filled with love and how she leaned on his soul. Eventually, the author comes into terms with his wife’s death as he agrees that no one evades mortality. He compares her death with the flying away of the early morning bird and believes that his wife is dressed in a white scarf. He then takes the child that he had with his wife as it cries and clamors, and although he has nothing to offer it, he sees it as a blessing that his wife has left him.
References
Commons, A. (2009). Hitomaro: Poet as God. Brill.