AI and the Immortal Poetess
Putting Claude 4 Sonnet to the Waka test
Ono no Komachi was a Japanese poet of the early Heian period. She is recognized as one of the "Rokkasen", or Six Best Waka Poets, alongside Ariwara no Narihira, Fun'ya no Yasuhide, Kisen Hoshi, Ōtomo no Kuronushi, and Henjō. She was renowned for her unusual beauty, and Komachi is today a synonym for feminine beauty in Japan. She also counts among the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals.
Komachi's poetry, primarily in the waka form, is known for its focus on themes of love, longing, and beauty, often tinged with melancholy and a keen awareness of the fleeting nature of these things. Her work often explores the tensions between passion and restraint, and the bittersweet awareness of time's passage.
The enduring relevance of Komachi's work lies in her ability to capture these universal human experiences with a directness and emotional honesty that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. Her poems continue to be studied and admired for their lyrical beauty, psychological insight, and enduring exploration of human emotions.
Komachi’s poems are short, but impactful. They manage to successfully convey the poetess’s sensitivity and emotions with an effectiveness that remains remarkable despite the 12 centuries that separate us from her.
The Waka test is to provide Claude 4 Sonnet with a prompt derived from a professional description of the poem, then compare the AI output with the original verse. I will post both the human and the AI wakas, and leave it for the reader to determine which was written by Claude 4 Sonnet and which was composed by Ono no Komachi.
I had Claude compose the poem in Japanese according to the rules of the waka format, then translate it into English, since a direct 31-syllable composition in English would be immediately apparent as the AI output.
Prompt 1: This waka expresses a profound sense of mortality and transience. The speaker contemplates their own inevitable death. The language is simple yet evocative, conveying the speaker's poignant realization of their impending end.
How sad,
to think I will end
as only
a pale green mist
drifting the far fields.The falling blossoms
I gaze upon and think
of my own life,
dancing in the wind,
eventually returning to earth.
Prompt 2: This waka conveys intense longing and desire through vivid imagery, and emphasizes the speaker's sense of emptiness and isolation.
Only the moon
in the dark night sky
floats alone
my heart too
feels the same loneliness.I long for him most
during these long moonless nights.
I lie awake, hot,
the growing fires of passion
bursting in my heart.
Prompt 3: This waka presents a brief moment of solace as the female speaker finds comfort in dreams after being separated from a loved one. Its simplicity allows readers to easily connect to its universal themes of loss, longing, and the power of dreams.
As I dozed
the man I love
appeared, so
it is dreams that
have begun to comfort me.In my dreams
with you once again
I take your hand
until I awaken
a moment of happiness
Prompt 4: This waka employs natural imagery to evoke fleeting beauty. The simple poem conveys a sense of transience and impermanence.
Blossoms blooming
Yet making no seed are
The sea-god's
Garlanded
Whitecaps offshore.The morning dew
upon the petals
glimmers
when the sun rises
- not a trace remains
Can you tell which of each pair was the composition of the immortal poet and which was the output of the AI? If not, perhaps one should think twice before dismissing the artistic potential of the latter.
If paper and ink can capture wisdom and depth, so can AI.
I have no exposure to this Japanese poet so based solely on these texts here's my take. I look forward to reading more of her on my own time. Vox - will you post the answers ever? Thank you!
Komachi - 1,3,5,7