Artists whose creations span the dimension of time
forever struggle with the competing needs for continuity and surprise. Composers, dancers, filmmakers, novelists, and poets all must strike a balance
between continuity with what came before
and surprise: the pleasantly unexpected what-comes-next.
To lean too far in either direction toward continuity or surprise
can lead to disaster:
a boring, predictable, "stuck in the mud" composition,
or a chaotic, unpredictable composition lacking shape, meaning, or beauty.
Poets in a renku session must walk this tightrope.
They must find ways to connect with what came before.
And they must move the poem forward.
Matsuo Bashô in the 17th century recommended several methods of linking:
- Object Linking: a connection based on the objective relations between entities.
- Meaning Linking: a connection based on semantic relations between words.
- Overtone Linking: An oblique type of connection that Basho broke down into five types:
- Scent (nioi): Nothing directly connecting the objects or even the words, just an elusive hint.
- Transfer (utsuri): A connection based on the emotion evoked in the previous verse.
- Resonance (hibiki): A connection based on some aspect of the sound quality of the preceding verse.
- Class (kurai): A connection based on social relations.
- Trace (omokage): A connection based on historical or literaray allusion.
Use Bashô's methods if they help, but above all, use your own imagination!