This verse is certainly "open-ended" insofar as it creates a reverberation of images in the mind, and, what is more, the effect is achieved by the comparison of two concrete images. There is no comment; the images are simply thrown out to give the mind a starting point. But the overall impact remains merely decorative art. It reflects the concept of aware, or a pleasing recognition of beauty, rather than yugen, the extension of awareness into a region beyond words.
When he was about thirty-five, Basho created a Haiku that began to touch the deeper regions of the mind. This is the famous
Kare-eda ni
On a withered branch
karasu-no tomari-keri
a crow has settled—
aki-no-kure
autumn nightfall.6
As a simple juxtaposition of images the poem is striking enough, but it also evokes a comparison of the images, each of which enriches the other. The mind is struck as with a hammer, bringing the senses up short and releasing a flood of associations. Its only shortcoming is that the scene is static; it is a painting, not a happening of the sort that can sometimes trigger the sudden sense of Zen enlightenment.