The Pillow Book

The art of poetry is one of Shonagon’s great fixations. “Tension” will be “thick in the air” when individuals or groups are challenged to compose poems for one another (103). Even in response to a private note, the pressure to compose a beautiful poem can be great. It can feel “impossible” to complete a poem, especially under such pressure (68). This is why Shonagon seems to prefer seeking sudden inspiration, often by reflecting upon nature.

Combining a beautiful landscape with excellent light can be one of the best ways to access the art of poetry. While Shonagon often meditates on the sound of words, thinking through the way that sound relates to meaning, she meditates even more on the way that humans connect to the earth around them. This is the fodder for poems, whereas gossip and even human relationships do not fuel her poems. When writing a note to a lover or a friend, she often uses natural metaphors in order to describe a less tangible emotional connection.

Shonagon is embarrassed to “hear someone proudly reciting to others a poem of theirs that really isn’t much good, or bragging about the praise they’ve received for it” (96).