METAPHYSICS OF THE ELEMENTS IN MATSUO BASHO'S POETRY: FIRE (ON THE EXAMPLE OF POEMS TRANSLATED BY V. N. MARKOVA)

In the article the author explores Matsuo Basho's poetry from the point of view of its reading regarding the metalanguage of four elements (water, fire, air, and earth). In particular, the author analyzes the volume and expressiveness of fiery images in the poet's haiku and renku. The author concludes that the element of fire occupies a weak position in the world view of the Japanese classic, since its images have a very limited place in poems, carry ambivalent characteristics and in the vast majority of clashes lose to the water element which, on the contrary, plays an important role in the Basho's poems.