Review of the "sparrows fly" haiku of Sazanami

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sparrows fly
from scarecrow
to scarecrow . . .

— Sazanami

This is a balanced haiku that weaves two sets of distinct elements into unison: the flora being the birds and the fauna being the scarecrows representing the presence or preexistence of plants, almost always maize or rice; the second set being the captured moments of restlessness displayed by the spiral and nearly stringy movements of the sparrows on the one hand and the motionlessness of the scarecrows on the other hand.

Scarecrows are objects of autumn and they manifest the depth of the season by their eventual poverty, weakness and decomposition. In substance, they are set up in the shape of human to scare birds away from a field where crops are growing. They are worn with human garments and caps or hats with their arms stretched into the air, as if ready to whip any intruder.

Ironically, this verse provokes the reader to query if scarecrows really scare the birds. The answer is that scarecrows don't really scare birds on their own, it is the scent on their garments that do the job of scaring birds. Also, it is the harshness of autumn that disfigures the scarecrows and reveals their true identity as it has denied them of their clothing and/or suckled their strength, thereby making them appear frail. Consequently, the movement of the sparrows is like ones that are celebrating the 'fall' of an antagonist – the scarecrows.

This behavioral attitude displayed by the birds is found in human's life where people or places or organization lose their power and authority, and those who are afraid of them or were once threatened by their charisma begin to take them for granted. In fact, there are a number of events in history where the oppressed were found celebrating the downfall of their oppressors. This is the overall feeling underscored in this verse.

Note also the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound and the rhyming elements in the ‘row’ sound present in the three ku which collectively emphasize the subtlety (hosomi) and continuity of the bird's celebration. This display gives a sense of excitement that lightens the partial pale feeling invoked by the scarecrows' helplessness.

Finally, the absence of natural pause which gives the verse a free flow and smooth ride to the last line, due to the single image technique (ichibutsu jitate) alongside the ellipsis in the last ku, establishes the continuity of action in the sparrows' flying which probably caught the attention of the poet. In the end, this is a haiku that impresses with its simplicity, continuity and spontaneity.

—Taofeek Ayeyemi