autumn leaves
quietly blowing
on the nose flute
Mr. Mei sent also an exegesis :
« Autumn Leaves is a very famous jazz standard, most notably linked to one of my heroes, Chet Baker, who with his distinguished soft tone in trumpet & vocal actually was quite popular in Japan. Autumn leaves obviously represent the colouring on the trees, preferably in one of those wonderful Japanese gardens, but also means that winter is around the corner, as the beauty of autumn makes place and gives way... 'Autumn leaves' also literally means 'Autumn goes away'. ('leaves' is then used as a verb, 'to leave'). When Autumn has gone, winter comes. Winter symbolises the end of life itself, the last stage of someone's life. The nose flute is traditionally played at life's end, at funerals and wakes. However, the nose flute is also played during courting and wedding ceremonies. Nose flute play therefore covers and marks all important stages of life. After Winter there will be a new beginning: there will be another Spring. This haiku contains the traditional number of phonetic sounds (morae), not words or syllables. To me, the used phonetic sounds of the words sound in keeping with the atmosphere of Autumn and the last quiet, beautiful day before the weather turns really nasty. The haiku can be read in many ways as each line can be combined in whichever order. It was intended to be as sparse yet as meaningful as possible at the same time. It depends on the reader what to see in it.
« Blowing not only means the wind blowing and the brass or wind instrument being played, but also messing something up, giving something away, which autumn does in a quiet way, such kitchen sink drama!!! The leaves are being blown off the trees and the song is being blown on the horn and in this case the nose flute; it could also imply that the wind/sound coming from the wind instrument makes the leaves fall off the tree...! Another meaning: the wind goes right through the nose flute, making wind tones, the very earliest of wind instruments, often hung in trees(!); this is regarded as the 'voice of the spirits'.... The leaves possibly cover the nose flute as they fall on the ground, and methaphorically, it means that the season has come to an end, being put away, stored, 'the party's over'. Also, the song on the noseflute marks the end..., as in my poem 'Last goodbye'. Actually, it ends in exactly these 4 words. 'On the nose flute also means that it is written on the nose flute as a tribute on the noseflute and written to be played on the nose flute as well.... DEEEEEEEP;-) »
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