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1020 Haiku in Translation: The Heart of Basho, Buson and Issa Paperback – April 21, 2006

by Takafumi Saito (Author), William R. Nelson (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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1020 Haiku in Translation: The Heart of Basho, Buson and Issa features the most representative works of the three greatest haiku poets, Basho, Buson, and Issa. Each of the 1020 haiku has been meticulously translated into a poetic English form, while preserving the exact content and flow of the original. Notes, focusing on the meaning of uncommon words, geographical features, historical information, and cultural background have been provided to help non-Japanese readers to more fully understand. Elegant artwork and calligraphy appear throughout the book. 1020 Haiku in Translation: The Heart of Basho, Buson and Issa, a gateway to a new view of nature and your life, and featuring many haiku that have been translated into English for the first time, will appeal to all students of literature as well as general readers.
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  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 21, 2006
  4. Dimensions
    7.17 x 0.85 x 10.11 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1419627651
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1419627651
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BookSurge Publishing (April 21, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419627651
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419627651
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.17 x 0.85 x 10.11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the poetry collection in the book great and the best volume of translated haiku they have ever seen. Opinions are mixed on the word quality, with some finding it lyrical and beautiful, while others say it's awkward and wordy.

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Poetry collectionWord quality
3 customers mention "Poetry collection"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great introduction to Haiku poetry. They say it offers a nice collection of haiku from the three major poets. Readers also say it's the best volume of translated haikou they have ever seen.

"This is the best volume of translated haiku I have ever seen. I join in singing the praises of this book along with the other reviewers...." Read more

"This book is a great introduction to Haiku poetry. The author discusses the types of Haiku topics and the approach to each...." Read more

"...by virtue of the fact that it's the only book that offers a nice collection of haiku from the three major poets...." Read more

4 customers mention "Word quality"2 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the word quality of the book. Some mention the words are well-chosen, the ordering of the words is artistic, and the typeface is strong. However, others say the translations are awkward and wordy, with a bizarre inversion of English grammar. They also mention the renditions of the verses are very choppy.

"...And most of all, the translations are themselves good poetry - lyrical, words well chosen, the ordering of the words very artistic but not too much..." Read more

"...other problem I have with their translations is their bizarre inversion of English grammar. For example:Napping on a horse..." Read more

"...Hoowever, the poems are beautiful.I highly recommend this book." Read more

"...The use of kireji (cut marker) is arbitrary and the renditions of the verses are very choppy, making it hard if not impossible to tell what the..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Richard St. Clair
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is the best volume of translated haiku I have ever seen. I join in singing the praises of this book along with the other reviewers.

There is a rich amount of Buson haiku in this collection. To date, to my continued amazement, there is only ONE volume solely devoted to Buson in English, that of Edith Shiffert. So this volume helps correct that egregious oversight.

I also like the strong typeface for the English translations. Some might quibble with the capitablized first word of each line, and some might quibble with the stop at the end of the translation. I don't mind these at all. I am used to this in RH Blyth's translations, and these are better than Blyth's in my opinion. Also I think modern haiku poet Alexis Rotella prefers final period punctuation in her own haiku.

Some like Lucien Stryk seem to prefer a minimalist approach to translating haiku. The present translators have struck the right balance between too many and too few words.

And most of all, the translations are themselves good poetry - lyrical, words well chosen, the ordering of the words very artistic but not too much as to become "poetry" in the western sense. The Japanese quality has been preserved very well.

All in all a tremendous contribution to translated haiku by the three great masters, Basho, Buson, and Issa. Three cheers!!
3 people found this helpful
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Robert B
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2009
Verified Purchase
This book is a great introduction to Haiku poetry. The author discusses the types of Haiku topics and the approach to each. I was suprised at the imagry I was able to congure up reading the poems and I learned to appreciate this literary style.

The author explains how Haiku has been translated and that due to the limited wording and the anchient language, scholars have debated some of the subtle neuances of the poem. Hoowever, the poems are beautiful.

I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
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Teop Tnomrev
2.0 out of 5 stars Failed to translate the poetry...
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
Giving it two stars simply by virtue of the fact that it's the only book that offers a nice collection of haiku from the three major poets.

The problem is with the translations. They're generally very poor: being wordy, ignoring the ordering of the originals, and awkward. For example:

Lightning---
In the darkness go the calls
Of night herons.

Compared with Barnhill's translation:

lightning---
into the darkness
a night heron's cry

As in the original, Barnhill retains the order of imagery. He saves the "voice/cry" for the final word, which best reproduces the effect of the original haiku. It's the 'cry' that is the point or contrast of the haiku, not the "night herons". Why Saito and Nelson opt to often ignore the ordering of imagery in haiku leads me to think that neither (despite their reputations) really grasp what makes haiku *poetry*. To be fair, a translator like Barnhill will sometimes also ignore the ordering of the original, but only to avoid awkward syntactical formulations:

Orchid frangrance---
The wings of a butterfly
Incensing.

- Saito, Nelson

an orchid's scent---
its incense perfuming
a butterfly's wings

- Barnhill

Curiously, the word "incense" also has the meaning "To inflame with anger; to enrage; to endkindle; to fire; to incite; to provoke; to heat; to madden." So, Saito and Nelson's translation invites the pun that the orchid's fragrance is enraging and maddening the butterfly's wings. It's just awkward and unsupported by the original.

The other problem I have with their translations is their bizarre inversion of English grammar. For example:

Napping on a horse
Unfinished are my dreams---
Distant moon; the smoke from making tea.

Why the second line's inversion? The effect is to make many of the haiku sound like "Yoda-ku", or pidgin English. There's simply no reason for it. Is it an affectation? Again, for comparison:

dozing on my horse
with dream lingering and moon distant:
smoke from a tea fire

"Smoke from making tea" is awkward and wordy. The fact that tea is being "made" is implied by Barnhill's far more skillful "tea fire".

My impression, in general, is of translators who can translate the content, but not the poetry.
11 people found this helpful
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M. E. Bessette
1.0 out of 5 stars This book had been recommended, but I was very much disappointed with the ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book had been recommended, but I was very much disappointed with the translations it offers.

The use of kireji (cut marker) is arbitrary and the renditions of the verses are very choppy, making it hard if not impossible to tell what the authors actually intended. Many verses even appear to give three separate thoughts where two are intended to be in contrast to each other. The added English-style punctuation is also misleading, often ending with a period (as if the verse were intended to be a sentence).

The one good thing I can say for this book is that the Romaji is provided with the verses, which allows the reader to locate other translations for comparison.
2 people found this helpful
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Flyalien
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020
Through this book-portal, really- I have been transported to so many beautiful, sometimes wrenching, moments in time. I found it by happenstance and I will always be grateful. It is probably true that the transliterations don't maintain all the rules in every verse, however I have no true cultural appreciation for the strict specificities (as I had no prior knowledge) and from what I've read it seems there are many divergent opinions about this from around the world.

I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates beauty for beauty's sake, it doesn't disappoint. Reading inspired me to more closely observe the natural world around me and be present in the moment, looking instead of thinking. There is so much beauty everywhere, you can't even believe it until you slow down, look around and prove it to yourself. Don't be surprised if you find yourself composing poems on scraps of paper everywhere you go! Keep them all, you might surprise yourself with a little gem here and there, sometimes they start a little rough.

If you have the way of being where the rules and order trump beauty-man, I would read it anyway; you do love a sunset or a thunderstorm once in awhile, you might find some of those kind of haiku here.
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Top reviews from other countries

Sylvia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great book!
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