RTTS-37 Third Degree

Third Degree

Rengay Through the Seasons by Masago & Friends

Rengay #37, May 11-17, 2008 - by Vaughn Seward (vs)

Haijin

Stanzas

Season

Kigo

Link

Theme 1:
Gift / Giving

Theme 2:
Ordinal Sequence

Theme 3:
Time-Related

Theme 4:
Gender

/vs

First mowing —
I find a dog's gift
in the lawn.

Spring

First lawn mowing

To 6: Finding

Dog's gift

First mowing

First time

Unknown

/vs

2nd birthday — she gets
a furry white kitten.

No Season

n/a

To 1: Pet

Birthday gift

Second birthday

Birthday

Female

/vs

He misses again
another anniversary...
third degree.

No Season

n/a

To 2: Annual celebration

Anniversary gift

Third degree

Anniversary

Male

/vs

The Prof's lecture
on the fourth dimension...
she forgets the time.

No Season

n/a

To 3: Forgetting

Lecture given

Fourth dimension

Fourth dimension (which is "time")

Female

/vs

On his graduation —
a CD of Beethoven's 5th.

No Season

n/a

To 4: College / University

Graduation gift

Fifth symphony

Final college year

Male

/vs

Gifted composer —
each note found as if
by a sixth sense.

No Season

n/a

To 5: Music

Gift of music

Sixth sense

Music timing

Unknown

Technical Notes:

It was unplanned but after writing this rengay I noticed the existence of a gender pattern that had formed throughout the six verses. In the first and last verses the gender is unknown. In the other verses in between there is pattern of Female / Male / Female / Male.

The time-related theme was also unplanned. In the 5th verse it is interesting to note that Beethoven's 5th Symphony has been used to time running races. The races are either 5K or 10K. Participants attempt to finish before Beethoven's 5th symphony finishes and are typically called Beat Beethoven.

Another minor pattern was also unplanned. In every verse but the two-liners, the ordinal sequence is spelled out. In verses 2 and 5 they are abbreviated in order to reduce their apparent lengths.