The Final Ten Poems

Hello Dear Readers,

I am down to the last 10 poems of the Hyakunin Isshu! I started this blog in January of 2011, but I didn’t expect it to last almost 3 years or gain this many readers. It’s been a real treat.

However, with only 10 poems left in the Hyakunin Isshu, I’m trying to decide what to do next:

• I could try and feature Waka poetry from the official anthologies of that era. The trouble is that they are hard to obtain in English and I can’t translate Japanese that easily. Certainly not at Professor Mostow’s level.
• I might also try and feature Waka poetry from the Tales of Ise which is a famous book/poetry anthology from that era. Professor Mostow has a translation of that which I’ve been slowly reading through.
• I could feature more cultural/historical posts about the people and places featured in the Hyakunin Isshu.
• Perhaps some combination of the above.
• Or finally, I could just stop the blog after the 100th poem and let it stand on its own merits. Sometimes, less is more.

Feedback and ideas are welcome. Thanks for reading and journeying with me thus far.

–Doug

P.S. I’m excited to post these last poems too. I think there are some good ones in here.