A review by lokster71
One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each by Fujiwara no Teika
5.0
Thoughts of a thousand things
fill me with melancholy
as I gaze upon the moon,
but autumn’s dejection
comes not to me alone.
Poem #23 by Oe no Chisato
One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each (Penguin Classics) (p. 29). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.
This is a collection of classical Japanese poems, selected by Fujiwara no Teika, back in the 12th century. The poems themselves cover almost six centuries of Japanese history, from the reign of Emperor Tenji (r. 661–72) to Emperor Juntoku (r. 1211–21).
There are 100 of them. They are all short and most of them are wonderful.
There's something about the ambiguity of Japanese poetry and its deceptive lightness of touch that I like a lot. The poems may - mostly - be only five lines long but they pack a punch.
Peter Macmillan, who translated them, includes a really useful introduction which explains a little about the history of the collection, about Fujiwara no Teika and about Japanese poetry. He also includes a commentary on each poem (at the back of the book slightly annoyingly), which helps you to understand the context of the poems and explains how the word play or name play works. As he says in the introduction - and it is reiterated in the really useful glossary at the back - kakekotoba (literary pun) were a thing and translating them into English is not always simple. Plus he also explain other key concepts.
I really recommend this. The poetry is wonderful and you could just buy it to read the poems. You don't have to read the introduction, the commentaries or the glossary because I think the poems touch you regardless (or most of them do) but reading them with all the supporting information opens up an broader appreciation for what is them.
‘I feel so sorry for you.’
No one comes to mind
who would say that to me,
so I will surely die alone
of a broken heart.
Poem #45 by Fujiwara no Koremasa
fill me with melancholy
as I gaze upon the moon,
but autumn’s dejection
comes not to me alone.
Poem #23 by Oe no Chisato
One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each (Penguin Classics) (p. 29). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.
This is a collection of classical Japanese poems, selected by Fujiwara no Teika, back in the 12th century. The poems themselves cover almost six centuries of Japanese history, from the reign of Emperor Tenji (r. 661–72) to Emperor Juntoku (r. 1211–21).
There are 100 of them. They are all short and most of them are wonderful.
There's something about the ambiguity of Japanese poetry and its deceptive lightness of touch that I like a lot. The poems may - mostly - be only five lines long but they pack a punch.
Peter Macmillan, who translated them, includes a really useful introduction which explains a little about the history of the collection, about Fujiwara no Teika and about Japanese poetry. He also includes a commentary on each poem (at the back of the book slightly annoyingly), which helps you to understand the context of the poems and explains how the word play or name play works. As he says in the introduction - and it is reiterated in the really useful glossary at the back - kakekotoba (literary pun) were a thing and translating them into English is not always simple. Plus he also explain other key concepts.
I really recommend this. The poetry is wonderful and you could just buy it to read the poems. You don't have to read the introduction, the commentaries or the glossary because I think the poems touch you regardless (or most of them do) but reading them with all the supporting information opens up an broader appreciation for what is them.
‘I feel so sorry for you.’
No one comes to mind
who would say that to me,
so I will surely die alone
of a broken heart.
Poem #45 by Fujiwara no Koremasa