noh theatre opening night

To smile is shallow,

we’re far deeper when we’re sad,

more intelligent.

 

Our stage is bare wood,

painted green pinetree backdrop;

our art is to break

 

this monotony

with flute,  bass drum and chanting,

the sounds of our songs.

 

More important still

is the space between music;

life lives in these gaps.

 

Our costumes are silk

and brocade, elaborate

intricate weaving.

 

We weave stories too

and they shimmer with wonder

and sublime beauty.

 

Ghosts walk on our stage,

flowers bloom in the stillness

but it’s illusion

 

as insubstantial

as the coating of lacquer

on the rose vase prop.

 

Our men are men and

our women are men also,

counterpart and foil.

 

Unnecessary

movement or sound is removed,

leaving the essence

 

of the act only.

Jo-ha-kyū, modulate,

start slowly, speed up

 

then end.  The pace for

the drama, the pace for life;

sing with heart and mind.

 

But when we’re smiling

they're merely masks hiding frowns.

All is artifice.

 

To walk on the stage

 and to make something happen

is no easy thing.