Wabi sabi is a Japanese expression which describes the beauty of things which are transient, imperfect, incomplete, rustic, simple, serene and melancholy.
Wabi is translated as meaning simple, humble, healthy or normal. Sabi literally means rusty but it also refers to the elegant beauty of something as it matures and ages. Some sources state that the term wabi sabi was originally used to describe the aesthetic beauty of a rusty tea kettle in which water was boiled for the traditional tea ceremony. Tea ceremony implements which embody the value of wabi sabi are highly prized by practitioners.
The beauty of a ripe pear may be appreciated only briefly; its color, fragrance and taste are at their peak when it reaches maturity. Whether the pear is picked and eaten or allowed to fall from the tree its existence is momentary; the pear harvest signals the end of summer, the coming of autumn and the cold dark days of winter.
A pear is wabi sabi.
