Hokku 65 — Summary

On an autumn evening, the speaker chooses not to look at the flowers and leaves. There is something gently pained in that gesture—turning away from the season’s beauty as the daylight falls. The poem gives only a few details: an autumn eve, fading light, and then a cottage standing alone by the sea. That cottage becomes the emotional center of the poem. It is not merely remote; it is solitary, and the speaker seems to feel a kinship with it. The mood is hushed and melancholy, full of quiet resignation. The spare, short lines keep the scene still and quiet. Nothing dramatic happens, but the small act of looking away and the image of the lone house by the water leave a strong impression of loneliness and the passage of time.