Japanese Poetry English

The classical poetry of Japan focuses on direct experience of fleeting moments, in total contrast with its Occidental counterpart. These seminal poems were passed down orally, before great collections assembled works of art spanning several centuries in written form as early as the 8th century, from the Kojiki to the Kokinshu.

Bisnu finds how dangerous and lonely life can be for a boy who has to leave his home to earn money for his family. As he sets to work on the limestone quarries with the choking dust enveloping the beautiful mountain air, he longs for home more than ever.

Hojoki is an introspective poem written in the 13th century by the enigmatic Japanese hermit Kamo no Chomei, who as a young man served in the capital as official court poet, but later in life withdrew from society.

The Narrow Road to the Interior and Hojoki are two of the best-loved works of their kind; famous for their beautiful, delicate verse and subtle insight into the human condition. It has been said of The Narrow Road that 'it was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it'. It takes the form of a travel diary, and traces the poet's journey from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the northern interior.

This collection of Japanese poetry was compiled and translated into English from an anthology known as The Collection of Myriad Leaves, and from a number of other anthologies made by imperial decree between the tenth and fifteenth centuries. This period has come to be considered the golden age of Japanese literature. These examples of Japanese poetry exhibit the most exquisite polish, allied with an avoidance of every shocking or perturbing theme; they combine the enduring luster of a precious metal with the tenuity of gold-leaf.

Haiku capture the essence of moments simply, directly, and creatively. These fluid poems represent a wondrous combination of presence and transcendence, of beauty and realization, through snapshots of instants in time. Featuring over one hundred haiku, Dappled Sunlight on Spring Leaves offers insightful observations of everyday and uncommon moments presented with humor, joy, and clarity. Dappled Sunlight on Spring Leaves is a book for those seeking the heart of each instant, enlivening the mind and expanding perception.

Haiku, and those poems inspired by them, attempt to realize the essence of a moment simply, directly, and creatively. Haiku represent a beautiful combination of presence and transcendence, of wonder and realization, through the crystallization of an instant in time. With two hundred sixty haiku and haiku-inspired poems, Swaying Branches, Rustling Leaves offers insightful observations of everyday and uncommon moments presented with humor, joy, and clarity. Ranging from the traditional to flexible verse, this book explores the simple marvel and delight present in the world in and around us if...

Poet Sharon Hashimoto reconstructs a collective memory, conjuring the voices of grandparents, children, soldiers, and "those left to tell." In moving detail, these poems convey the realities of assimilation, service, and internment as experienced by Japanese Americans during, and in the decades following, the Second World War. In this stunning second collection, Hashimoto reckons with the limitations of language, and by extension, notions of citizenship. She deftly sounds the dissonances in the language of loyalty and allegiance.