From the moment I picked up One Hundred Leaves, a translation of “one hundred poems from one hundred Japanese poets,” I was enamored. The lovely photo on the cover, even the smooth feel in my hands drew me in, but the best part waited inside.
Its analysis of the Japanese poetry now commonly referred to as tanka, includes a description of how visual images, pivot and pillow words, nature, season and time of day, and overall experience were handled during the time frame from when these poems were written, the 7th to the 13th century.
Turn the page to another world and discover a piece of Japanese artwork, each poem in its original Japanese form with a pronunciation guide, Blue Flute’s translation, poem author name with birth and death dates, and literal notes regarding the translation.
For any poetry lover or fan of Japanese culture, this is a beautiful book to add to a collection.
One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu [Paperback]
Blue Flute (Author)
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