Category: Poetry
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Spring is here: Poem Number 33
One of my personal favorite poems in the entire collection is this one: Japanese Romanization Translation 久方の Hisakata no In these spring days 光のどけき Hikari no dokeki with the tranquil light encompassing 春の日に Haru no hi ni The four directions しづ心なく Shizu gokoro naku why should the blossoms scatter 花のちるらむ Hana no chiruran with uneasy…
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New Hyakunin Isshu Book: A Review
Well, the book was actually published in 1996, but I came across this book only recently: Joshua S. Mostow’s Pictures of the Heart: The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image. The book is a serious effort to study the Hyakunin Isshu, and not for a casual reader, but also the history and culture around it,…
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A Full Moon Night: Poem Number 7
As tonight is a Worm Moon, but also one where the moon is the closest in its orbit to Earth in 19 years, I thought this was a fitting poem, and also one of my favorite: Japanese Romanization Translation 天の原 Ama no hara As I gaze out, far ふりさけ見れば Furisake mireba across the plains of…
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A Cold Winter’s Night: Poem Number 6
This poem has over the years stuck with me every July as the Japanese festival of Tanabata approaches, but also in the deep of winter too. Japanese Romanization Translation かささぎの Kasasagi no When I see the whiteness わたせる橋に wataseru hashi ni of the frost that lies おく霜の oku shimo no on the bridge the magpies…
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Pillow Words in the Hyakunin Isshu
Reading classical Japanese is hard enough as it is, but what makes the Hyakunin Isshu interesting, among other things, is the colorful, archaic phrases sometimes used. These phrases are strictly literary, and tend to have a dramatic sound to them, but when translating to English, they may be left untranslated. These words are called makura…
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The First Signs of Spring: Poem Number 35
Early Spring is always an exciting time to look forward to, and this is a great poem for that time of year: Japanese Romanization Translation 人はいさ Hito wa isa With people, well 心も知らず Kokoro mo shirazu you can never know their hearts; ふるさとは Furusato wa but in my old village 花ぞむかしの Hana zo mukashi no…
The Hyakunin Isshu 