A Waka Anthology - Volume One: The Gem-Glistening Cup [Hardcover]

Edwin A. Cranston (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1993 | ISBN-10: 0804719225 | ISBN-13: 978-0804719223 | Edition: 1st

After, more than 15 years of preparation, this volume of nearly 1,600 songs and poems from the earliest times to 784 is now available. These translations aim to be both faithful to the original and alive as literature, with great attention paid to nuance, cadence, and tone. Edwin A. Cranston’s extensive commentary introduces the poems and provides historical, biographical, and literary information that allows for a full appreciation of the poems. Not only does the collection include many of the ¹nest works in the literature, it also provides evocative glimpses of the spirit and folkways of early Japanese civilization.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Building a cathedral takes time and determination. And a cathedral A Waka Anthology is. ...A Waka Anthology's two volumes do give us a sense of what is possible if one is Edwin Cranston."—Ivo Smits, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies

"Monumental in size and extraordinary in quality. . . . As a translator, Cranston is unexcelled, both in the uncompromising accuracy of his readings and in his sense of the weight and music of English words."—Choice.

"A review of The Gem-glistening Cup is almost superfluous. It is literally without peer. . . . It is a monument that will dominate the field of Japanese literary studies in English for the foreseeable future and beyond. . . . Cranston's translations are as good as one could expect from his excellent versions of the Izumi Shikibu Diary. . . . This will be the foundation of many courses in years to come."—Japan Forum

"Cranston is one of the finest translators of classical Japanese. . . . A Gem-glistening Cup makes an invaluable contribution for students of Japanese literature."—South Atlantic Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1018 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1st edition (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804719225
• ISBN-13: 978-0804719223
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,071,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glistening Gem, August 7, 2002

By 

J. Clements "muramasa industries" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Waka Anthology - Volume One: The Gem-Glistening Cup (Paperback)

Superb value for money, and loaded with useful, practical detail. Beyond the poetry itself and the clear, concise translations, Cranston includes biographical details on the contributors to the Manyoshu, speculations on doubtful provenances (how come we have Hitomaro's last words when he describes dying alone...?)and bilingual versions of every poem. The book also contains a handy line-index, which is a god-send to harrassed translators trying to work out exactly what and who someone is quoting at them. Should be on every literary translator's reference shelf.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Japanese Lit textbook, February 18, 2002

By 

R. Gahan (Clemson, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Waka Anthology - Volume One: The Gem-Glistening Cup (Paperback)

It is very thorough. I got it because I want to study the structure of Waka, choka, and tanka. The book's format is more like a textbook than just straight poetry. It's also huge. I will use it as a resource and will end up reading the whole thing over the next several years.

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had found this ten years ago, September 8, 2011

By 

Paul M. Higgins (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Waka Anthology - Volume One: The Gem-Glistening Cup (Paperback)

This volume is really all you need, in terms of translated classical Japanese poetry (along with vol. 2 and the impending later volumes, of course). I now wish that I hadn't bought so many inferior, shorter editions of waka over the years ... I think I have three separate copies of the Man'yoshu, all of which fall short of this mind-boggling collection. The commentary and translation are both absolutely first-rate.