July 18 21.30–22.30

Alari Allik "Trees of the soul".

Free

How Many Lives Do Trees Have? Trees in Japanese and Estonian folktales

Famous haiku poet Matsuo Bashō (1644-94) has written a slightly sad poem: gazing at the sawn / end of a freshly felled tree / Tonight’s harvest moon. The image of the freshly felled ancient tree might not seem so tragic when we think about how it will live on in various objects made from its beautiful trunk. Patterns in wood grain can lend their beauty to elegant musical instruments and go-boards. When a skilled musician plays a song or go-master hits the table with a stone, its spirit is resurrected under the bright moonlight. In this lecture I will discuss various Japanese end Estonian folktales and stories which talk about how the life of the tree might carry on throughout its various metamorphoses.

Alari Allik (PhD) is the Associate Professor of Japanese Studies. He has studied in Tōkyō and Ōsaka and teaches courses on Japanese literature, religion and philosophy. His research deals with biographical and autobiographical writings and the ways the identity of the authors was constructed in Medieval Japan. Alari Allik has also translated and commented on classical Japanese literature. His translations of Saigyō’s “Mountain Home” (Sankashū) and Sei Shōnagon’s “Pillow Book” have been published by Tallinn University Press.