The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku [Paperback]

Kobayashi Issa (Author), Sam Hamill (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827), along with Basho and Buson, is considered one of the three greatest haiku poets of Japan, known for his attention to poignant detail and his playful sense of humor. Issa's most-loved work, The Spring of My Life, is an autobiographical sketch of linked prose and haiku in the tradition of Basho's famous Narrow Road to the Interior.

In addition to The Spring of My Life, the translator has included more than 160 of Issa's best haiku and an introduction providing essential information on Issa's life and valuable comments on translating (and reading) haiku.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570621446
• ISBN-13: 978-1570621444
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One MUST judge a book by its cover!, September 13, 2000

By 

"marcel195" (Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku (Paperback)

I bought this book for three reasons: a pre-existing love for Issa's poetry, the picture on the front cover, and the review by Ramon Melendez. Really, I have little to add to his review since he sums up the book very nicely. I haven't even finished reading it...What I would like to write are my first impressions. It was a delight simply to hold this book in my hands: it's size and shape are unique, reflecting the uniqueness of the words and worlds inside. Those colours on the cover reflect, perhaps, the colours of Issas "canvas" as he composes beatiful poems, so visual, delicate and sensitive. This book even smelled nice - yes, it is the nicest smelling book I've ever smelled.

Sam Hamill's translations are wonderful: he (successfully) attemps to retain the intended rhythmic and visual effect in the original Japanese poetry - so very little (if anything) is lost in the translation (as far as I am aware). Comparing these translations with some others I have read, subtleties become apparent in Hamill's translations where others have left me confused and disappointed.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of a rare beautiful simplicity, May 5, 2000

By 

Ramon Melendez (Anaheim, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku (Paperback)

This is one of the most beautiful books I have read. Issa's story is moving, deeply humane yet not tainted by any melodramatic tendencies. Framed in the Japanese tradition of haiku poetry his poems to his daughter are tender and moving and reveal a deep appreciation of life, beauty and simplicity.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superfluous Words are powerful . . . BECAUSE they are never used., September 8, 2006

By 

mcHaiku "nmi" (Brown County INDIANA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku (Paperback)

The power, the beauty of each poem comes from words erased, struck out. OR, in the minds of the greatest writers of haiku, may never have been considered.

Translator Sam Hamill has a heightened sensitivity for nuance. He 'listens' to any subtle variation of sound or meaning, and also the changes that evolve through generations. This reviewer considers him the "translator-of-choice". Wouldn't it be a joy and honor to have your own writings translated into Japanese by this man?

Hamill's thorough knowledge of the writings of the greatest authors of haiku is rich from a friendship that spans the ages. It rewards him - and his study doubtless brings occasional surprises still. Kobayishi Issa lived from 1763-1827 and in his "Song of My Life" we find travel notes interspersed with haiku. These "seventeen syllables" are interludes that expand our understanding of the author's progression of work and philosophy and bring readers deep joy.

In the next section poems are presented in English and Japanese. A wide range of subjects give the expected seasonal connections, from which I have chosen these examples:

With my folding fan
I measured the peony --
as it demanded

So many breezes
wander through my summer room:
but never enough

Before this autumn wind
even the shadows of mountains
shudder and tremble

I know everything
about the old householder,
even his shiver

Inspiration, contemplation and meditation each play a role in Issa's creative mind. He was sad about the loss of his daughter and son but wrote verses that brought laughter to other children:

The firefly departs
so quickly, so breathlessly
it leaves behind its light

A watercolor by Kaji Aso decorates the cover of "The Spring of My Life" and there are many 'haiku paintings' that speak to the meaning of Issa's words. Reviewer mcHAIKU believes the most rewarding way to read haiku is to allow its music into your soul with gratitude.