Cyclic Connections in Nature:
How a Basho Haiku Relates to Haeckel’s Diatoms
In this essay, I will explore the theme of natural cycles and its inherent connection to two superficially unrelated things—a haiku, written by Basho Matsuo, and a scientific drawing of two diatom shells, created by Ernst Haeckel. The natural cycles that will be specifically explored in the connection of these two creative works, can be categorized as the patterns of environmental fluctuation, and the importance of life and death in the cyclic passing of seasons.
Nothing in the cry
of cicadas suggests
they are about to die
This haiku, written by Basho Matsuo, paints a fleeting vision of the cicada, an insect whose cry is so sure and powerful that it seems impervious to death. It suggests that cicadas live wholly in the moment, without a sense of urgency or their own mortality. Yet the final word of the third line, ‘die,’ leaves the lasting image in the reader’s mind of the cicada’s life as fleeting and inconsequential. By ending with the image of death, the haiku suggests life’s journey, which is organically connected to the circle of life.
The circle of an insect’s life is in perfect step with the cycle of seasons and the passing of the years. This is particularly true of the seven “broods[1]” of cicadas that emerge in the north-eastern American states every 13 or 17 years[2]. Each species is identified according to the precise geographical area where it emerges. The emergence of periodical cicadas is highly anticipated in these regions, and the insects are studied with interest and amazement.
The behaviour of the cicada brought me to the fable, “La Cigale et La Fourmi,” which was published by Jean de La Fountaine in 1668[3], and is shown here in translation.
The
Cicada, having sung
All summer long,
Found herself wanting
When the north wind came.
Not a single morsel
Of fly or tiny worm.
She went begging for food
To her neighbour the Ant,
Asking her to lend her
Just a few grains to get by
Until the next season.
"I will pay you back, she said,
Before August, animal's honor,
Interest and principal."
The Ant is no lender:
This is the least of her faults.
"What were you doing during the warm days?
She said to this borrower.
--Night and day no matter what
I was singing, like it or not.
--You were singing? I'm very glad:
Very well, start dancing now." [4]
This fable, aside from being a lesson on the merits of planning ahead, suggests the theme of death as the threat of approaching winter. It is the theme of the cyclic passing of time that is integral to the literal meaning of the fable, because the pattern of changing seasons drives the behaviour of all natural things.
In the same way, seasonal variations in light, temperature, and nutrients of marine habitats greatly affect population levels of diatoms, whose intricately patterned silica shells[5] are depicted in this illustration by Ernst Haeckel[6]. As the largest species of phytoplankton, diatoms exhibit a “bloom and bust” population pattern that coincides with the changing of the seasons. In spring and early summer, when there is an optimum level of light and nutrients, plankton levels skyrocket. As the summer ends and winter approaches, the population drops dramatically as a result of nutrient exhaustion and a decrease in light levels[7].
When the phytoplankton population is highest, so is the rate of carbon fixation in oceans and lakes. The chlorophyll in phytoplankton conduct photosynthesis to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars for energy. Diatoms comprise a large portion of all phytoplankton, and it is estimated that they contribute up to 25% of all organic carbon fixation in the global carbon cycle[8].”
Through the connection of both Basho’s haiku and Haeckel’s illustration to the theme of life cycles in nature, I discovered that the superficially unrelated works had many common elements. In turn, it became apparent that two seemingly insignificant organisms—the cicada and the diatom—are elements in greater global cycles, such as the role of the diatom in the carbon cycle.
An essential element of the connection between the haiku and the illustration was the mutual importance of the annual cycle to both the periodical cicada and the phytoplankton population. Each case is a profound example of how integral the passing of the seasons can in the life of an insect of organism.
Sources:
"Algae Description and Types." 1998. Lenntech Water Treatment & Air Purification. 19 Sept. 2008 <http://www.lenntech.com/eutrophication-water-bodies/algae.htm>.
Hamm, Christian E., Rudolf Merkel, et al. "Architecture and Material Properties of Diatom Shells Provide Effective Mechanical Protection." Nature 20 Feb. 2003. Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science. 21 Sept. 2008 <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v421/n6925/full/nature01416.html>.
"Life History and Ecology of Diatoms." 14 Sept. 1997. University of California Museum of Paleontology. 20 Sept. 2008 <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/chromista/diatoms/diatomlh.html>.
Post, Susan L. ""A Trill of a Lifetime"" The Illinois Steward Summer 2004. More Information about the Periodical Cicada. 19 Sept. 2008 <http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/highlights/periodicalcicada.html>.
Sweets, P. R. "Diatom Home Page." 22 Oct. 2001. University of Indiana, Biology Department. 22 Sept. 2008 <http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html>.
Vidaud, ed. "Les Fables." Jean de la Fontaine. 1995. 19 Sept. 2008 <http://www.jdlf.com/lesfables>.
Photo Source:
"Diatomeas." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 19 Sept. 2008 < http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Diatomeas-Haeckel.jpg >.