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Lädt ... Masaoka Shikivon Masaoka Shiki
   Keine Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch.  rmckeown | Apr 25, 2018 |  keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Here are graceful and timeless poems by one of Japan's greatest modern writers, rendered by a master translator. Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) is credited with modernizing Japan's two traditional verse forms, haiku and tanka. Born at a time of social and cultural change in Japan, Shiki welcomed the new influences from the West and responded to them by reinvigorating the native haiku and tanka forms. He freed them from outdated conventions, made them viable for artistic expression in modern Japan, and paved the way for the haiku to become one of his nation's most influential cultural exports. Burton Watson's excellent introduction explores the course of Shiki's life: his poverty-stricken childhood, his early love for literature, his education, and his work as a haiku editor for the newspaper Nippon, and as a correspondent during the Sino-Japanese war. Watson details Shiki's long struggle with tuberculosis and its poignant expression in his poetry. Confined to bed for months before his death, Shiki continued to devote his energies to literary pursuits: writing poems and critical essays, and joining with friends and followers who gathered in his sickroom to discuss literature. He died a few weeks before his thirty-fifth birthday. These poems--more than a hundred haiku, several tanka, and three kanshi--are arranged chronologically within each genre, revealing the development of Shiki's art and the seamless way in which he wove his life and illness into his poetry. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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 Google Books — Lädt ...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)895.6Literature Literature of other languages Asian (east and south east) languages JapaneseKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt: (4.25)
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The slim and exquisite volume includes an interesting introduction by Burton Watson, one of the world’s best translators of Chinese and Japanese. He writes, “Japanese knowledge of Western literature was extremely limited” (1). After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, “some Japanese writers began trying their hand at the new forms” 91). “Some went so far as to opine that traditional Japanese literary forms […] were now obsolete and before long would pass out of existence” (1). Masaoka also experimented with these new forms, but he was determined to devote “most of his creative energy to reinvigorating the native haiku and tank forms” (1). It is believed he wrote over 2,000 poems in his brief life. I have selected a number of my favorites for your reading pleasure.
These first are from the summer of 1891. “Hydrangea -- / and rain beating down / on the crumbled wall” (17). “In cleft on cleft, / on rock face after rock face -- / wild azaleas” (17). Summer 1892: “Slipping out / the back way, / cooling off by the river” (18). “From the firefly / in my hands, / cold light” (18). Autumn 1892: “Singing somewhere / back of the shoe closet -- / a katydid” (19). New year’s 1893: “Deep in the mountains -- / New year’s decorations on the gate / of a house where no one calls” (21). Winter 1893: “Lonely sound -- / simmering in the fire pit, / wood chips with snow on them” (21).
These poems are deceptively simple, but the sounds, the images, they carry bring to mind images of our own experiences. These thoughtful little nuggets of a brilliant mind, give us plenty to muse over on any day of the year.
Here are some pieces from later in his career. Summer 1895: “My summer jacket / wants to get rid of me / and fly away” (37). “I toss in two coins, / borrow the temple porch / to cool off on” (37). Winter 1895: “Buddhas -- / a thousand years’ grime on them / and no one wipes it off” (44). “Sawing hunks of charcoal, / my little sister’s hands / are all black!” (45). Autumn 1899: “With the help of a cane / I actually stood up -- / bush clover blossoms” (75). “Winter moon – / above the bare trees / the morning star” (77). New year’s 1900: “Blank sheets stitched together -- / my poetry notebook // for the year ahead” (79). Autumn 1902: “A purple so deep / it’s almost black – the grapes” (89). This is the last of the haiku poems Watson lists.
I could re-do this list with dozens of poems every bit as beautiful, stirring, and emotional as these. Masaoka Shiki: Selected Poems are a wonderful way to while away the hours with a cup of tea reflecting on the images and the words. 5 stars (