From Library Journal
One of Japan's most famous poets, B asho (1644-94) spent much of his life writing as he traveled around Japan. Here Hamill, a poet and translator of Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and Latin, presents sensitive and beautiful translations from B asho's most famous work, Narrow Road to the Interior, along with Travelogue of Weather-Beaten Bones, The Knapsack Notebook, Sarashina Travelogue, and a large selection of haiku. The Japanese original is included in Romanization. In the excerpts, B asho combines prose descriptions of his route with poems by himself and by friends. Many of the poems are grounded in a sense of place ("The winds that blow/ through South Valley Temple/ are sweetened by snow"), some reflect on life ("It's good now and then/ to go out snow-viewing/ until I tumble"), but most depict nature, his favorite theme ("The bee emerging/ from deep within the peony/ departs reluctantly"). Hamill introduces the works with explanations of poetic references and conventions and appended notes that explicate specifics. Some poems will still be obscure, but this is recommended as a good overview to this major poet.?Kitty Dean Chen, Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Here is the most complete single-volume collection of writings by one of the great luminaries of Asian literature. Includes a masterful translation of Basho's most celebrated work,
Narrow Road to the Interior, along with three less well-known works and over 250 of Basho's finest haiku. The translator has included an overview of Basho's life and an essay on the art of haiku.
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