Customer Reviews

Rise, Ye Sea Slugs!

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Sea slugs (in this case "sea cucumbers") may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this collection warrants a good read by anyone interested in pure fun, not to mention haiku and senryu, marine biology, the hair-raising problems of translation and cross-cultural communications, and, more fundamentally, what the heck a seasonal reference in a haiku might mean.

For those already familiar with R. H. Blyth's 4-volume <em>Haiku</em> or my own <em>Haiku World</em>, <em>Rise, Ye Sea Slugs!</em> offers a deep view of the place of seasonal phenomena in Japanese haiku and senryu. Robin Gill brings some 1,000 poems to demonstrate the tremendous range and depth inherent in one modest Japanese seasonal topic, <em>namako</em>, and in so doing shows us how incredibly rich the inclusion of a season word can make one of these short poems. Also, his method of multiple, pungent translations of many of the poems gives a more rounded view of each than that achieved by most translators in the field. (Perhaps only 10-20 of these poems have been previously translated into English. Gill includes original Japanese and romanized texts, as well as word-for-word trots of each poem, along with his witty and usually dead-on translations.)

The ultimate worth of this book will be the striking questions it raises about the (im)possibility of bridging cultural and linguistic gaps, and the wonderful fun to be had along the way. It also forms a tutorial on the packed meanings of well-written poems in the tradition, and challenges those of us who think we write "haiku" in other languages to revise our views of that enterprise.

Mr. Gill has a knack with translating haiku. His technical prowess is top-drawer! It is a brilliant slant on sea slugs, a foil, to explore the layered depth and soft heart of haiku.

Rise Ye Sea Slugs is a thick and rich treatment that will take time (and you should take time) to enjoy.

As a student of haiku, I find his treatment of the Japanese language invaluable in giving context to its use in poetry. I will continue to use his work(s) as helpful and joyful references.