If a spider goes up, no spider thread remains. Only the afterglow of the thin one is there.

Hikaru Koike

 

 

A spider uses the mucus secreted from the body to twist the thread, knitting an elaborate net, and prey on the caught insects. The tanka poet feels deeply for the spider, thinking what a hard time he has to eat something. Moreover, the spider disappears, with most of the thin thread put into the body again. What a well-mannered way of life, elegant behavior! From an essay about animals used in tanka, "Animals In Tanka.”

 

"December 4  2019

from “Oriori no Kotoba” by Kiyokazu Washida, The Asahi Shimbun"