Here are more than two hundred of the best haiku of Japanese literature translated by one of America’s premier poet-translators. The haiku is one of the most popular and widely recognized poetic forms in the world. In just three lines a great haiku presents a crystalline moment of image, emotion, and awareness. This illustrated collection includes haiku by the great masters from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century.
"The Zen aesthetic, so often imitated, is presented here without embellishment—full of earthy humor, poignant description, and subtle spirituality."—The Bloomsbury Review
"This is an enjoyable collection . . . and perfect for a Christmas stocking."—The Japan Times
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Only Companion
Japanese Poems of Love and Longing
Written by court princesses, exiled officials, Zen priests, and recluses, the 150 poems translated here represent the rich diversity of Japan’s poetic tradition. Varying in tone from the sensuous and erotic to the profoundly spiritual, each poem captures a sense… Read More
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Almost Paradise
New and Selected Poems and Translations
Sam Hamill is that rare figure whose life is continually in dialogue with the rich and diverse tradition of poetry, whether that dialogue takes the form of translating the work of a poet long dead, writing a poem in celebration… Read More
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Sky Above, Great Wind
The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan
Ryokan (1758–1831) is, along with Dogen and Hakuin, one of the three giants of Zen in Japan. But unlike his two renowned colleagues, Ryokan was a societal dropout, living mostly as a hermit and a beggar. He was never head… Read More
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The Poetry of Zen
A Zen poem is nothing other than an expression of the enlightened mind, a handful of simple words that disappear beneath the moment of insight to which it bears witness. Poetry has been an essential aid… Read More
