LRJ #1 (Tanka Poems)

"I Waited and I"-
In this poem, the assonance is found in the second line of the poem, "yearned for you" (Nukada, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "I Waited and I", line 2). This assonance is used to direct the lonely feelings of this poem towards the person whom the author is waiting for. It also strengthens the feelings of loneliness by including the word "yearning" which implies that the person whom is talking is wanting to be with someone, but is still being denied that privilege.

The theme of this poem is Loneliness. This is seen through how the narrator is yearning (as included in the previously mentioned quote) for the person whom she is writing this Tanka for is unable to be with her.

"The End of My Journey"-
The theme of this poem is Daydreaming. This is seen through what the use of assonance at the end helps to highlight, "my mind floating" (Mitsune, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "The End of My Journey", line 5). The use of assonance here helps to highlight the fact that the traveller is just taking a break under the shade of a tree but is still letting his mind wander. This helps to show that daydreaming is the theme because it is emphasized with the assonance, so it's what the author wants to reader to pay the most attention to.

"Now, I Cannot Tell"-
The assonance in this poem shows up in the second and third lines, "What my old friend is thinking: /but the petals of the plum" (Tsurayuki, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "Now, I Cannot Tell", lines 2-3). Here, the assonance is used to point out the two things that he is making a comparison of, his friend and flowers.
The theme of this poem is change (or lack-there-of). This is seen how the author is describing how his friend changes and has or now become unpredictable, especially when compared to the scent of plum blossoms which are always the same and appear at the same time each year and such, "keep their old fragrance" (Tsurayuki, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "Now, I Cannot Tell", line 5). here, he is saying that he smell of plum blossoms is unchanging.

"How Helpless my Heart"-
The assonance here is used to highlight the references to nature, "Were the stream to tempt, my body, like a reed" (Komachi, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "How Helpless my Heart", lines 2-3). Here, the assonance is used to emphasize the words stream and reed and is just used to emphasize the illusion made from nature that the author uses.
The theme of this poem is a lack of self control. This is seen how the very first lines exclaims a helplessness of the heart and the rest of the poem goes on to describing a reed floating along in a stream, "were the streams to tempt, my body... would drift along" (Komachi, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "How Helpless my Heart", lines 2-3, 5). Here, he is describing his inability to control his body to the different kinds of temptation.

"Every Single Thing"-
The assonance in this poem is used to mostly in the beginning. It's used to emphasize that nothing escapes change, "Every single thing changes and is changing" (Saigyo, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "Every Single Thing", lines 1-2). once again, it emphasizes that everything is always changing and will always change.
This poem's theme is change, or lack thereof. This is made obvious when in the beginning of the the poem, the author states that everything changes, no exceptions. It also says that there are some aspects of other things that never change, "Yet with the same light the moon goes on shining" (Saigyo, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Anthony Thwaite. "Every Single Thing", lines 4-5). Here, Saigyo is using the image of a shining moon having the ability to resist change.