Regarding the presentation of the emotion‑object in haiku—that is, the crow, the nightingales, the song, and the dragonfly mentioned above—I find it especially significant that the naming of such objects is always direct. Haiku avoids metaphor, simile, or personification. In the most successful haiku, nothing is likened to anything else. As Bashō said: “Learn about the pine from the pine; learn about the bamboo from the bamboo.” Learn what a pine is, not what it resembles—this seems to have been Bashō’s intention. I feel that this avoidance of metaphor or comparison stems from the poet’s need to convey directly and concretely the vision—and only the vision—that he experienced.
(Keneth Yasuda - The Japanese Haiku)
To name directly—that is, not through a figure of speech. Simply evoke things, don’t distort them by turning them into literature. Rely on the unaltered impact of their presence.
However, it’s important to note that the word avoids is used, not eliminates. That nuance is a welcome one. It’s not a prohibition.
The emotion-object must not lose its objective impact. Any intervention upon it weakens and diminishes it.
This also means that the author isn’t necessarily aiming to convey, with sincerity, what they usually think they felt—their subjective, momentary impression. The vision must carry objectivity.
Comment by Corneliu Traian Atanasiu
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