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この秋は 雨か嵐か 知らねども
今日の勤めに 田草取るなり
kono aki wa ame ka arashi ka shiranedomo
kyō no tsutome ni takusa torunari
I don't know if it will rain or storm this fall
Today I'll weed the rice paddies
– Ninomiya Sontoku (1787 – 1856)
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This haiku conveys the importance of steady effort without worrying about the future. At first glance, it may seem a bit trite; work hard regardless of the conditions you’re under and you’ll succeed. However, there is more depth to what the writer is trying to convey.
Ninomiya begins by telling us he doesn’t know what weather the fall will bring. Traditionally, Japanese farmers plant rice in the spring and harvested in the fall. If the weather is poor in the fall, it could potentially damage or destroy the rice crop. There is a sense in the poem that the idea of “hard work pays off” is often a lie. There are many things outside of our control that can thwart our plans and render our efforts meaningless. In spite of this, the only choice we have is to continually grind every day, working hard though we know there is a chance it will come to naught.
There is also a sense of resignation in the poem, but this resignation can actually be refreshing. Which is better, worrying about the future while working hard every day, then when our plans don’t come to fruition we become bitter, or from the outset acknowledging that your effort may result in failure and working hard without unnecessary expectations?
The feeling of the poem might change depending on how you interpret the phrase “I don’t know.” Does Ninomiya not know because he thought about it and realized he couldn’t know, so decided to carry on his work regardless, or is it an ignorant “I don’t know,” where he hasn’t thought about it at all?
Either way, our only course of action is to do the best work we can with what is in front of us at the moment. But maybe you have a different interpretation? If you do, please let us know in the comments below!
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