Japanese Poetry English

The classical poetry of Japan focuses on direct experience of fleeting moments, in total contrast with its Occidental counterpart. These seminal poems were passed down orally, before great collections assembled works of art spanning several centuries in written form as early as the 8th century, from the Kojiki to the Kokinshu.

Hojoki is an introspective poem written in the 13th century by the enigmatic Japanese hermit Kamo no Chomei, who as a young man served in the capital as official court poet, but later in life withdrew from society.

The Narrow Road to the Interior and Hojoki are two of the best-loved works of their kind; famous for their beautiful, delicate verse and subtle insight into the human condition. It has been said of The Narrow Road that 'it was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it'. It takes the form of a travel diary, and traces the poet's journey from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the northern interior.

haiku poetry

Matsuo Basho - Haiku Poetic Tome Tribute, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, pays homage, respect and honor to his masterful crafted Haikus, rooted in reflections that primarily focused on more than a few key themes relating to: stillness and movement touting travel writing, nature, as well as historical and literary concerns engaging in the Japanese culture and vernacular while embracing his ethical impressions.

"Joe Giampaolo crafts a luminous and meditative collection that celebrates nature, love, and the quiet beauty of existence...Elegant, philosophical, and deeply human, this book is both a poetic retreat and a soulful guide for modern readers." ~ Chicago Book Review "Reading Giampaolo’s offerings is like reading haiku created by the great Matsuo Bashō...The work is wise, moving, and smart." ~ The US Review of Books "Joe Giampaolo's poetry is simply mesmerizing -- observational and introspective in equal measure... It's a fantastic poetry collection by a lyrical wordsmith." ~ Readers' ...

The American debut of an acclaimed young poet as she explores her identity as a twenty-first-century Indigenous woman. Poem by poem, Tibble carves out a bold new way of engaging history, of straddling modernity and ancestry, desire and exploitation. Intimate, moving, virtuosic, and hilarious...

“Summer is a smile…” Step into the sunlit world of Haiku Summer, a radiant collection by P.J. Reed. Within these pages, you will find a magical tapestry of haiku that carry you to the halcyon days of summer. Days when warmth lingers in the air, flowers burst into bloom, and the sea glitters like glass. With tender precision, Reed captures the heart of the season, distilling joy, beauty, and light into every verse. Haiku Summer is not just a book of poetry. It is a keepsake of sunshine, a touchstone of happiness, a way to hold summer close even on the darkest of days. This is the ...

The intensely confessional work of Japan’s most famous modernist poet, considered the Japanese Rimbaud, whose poems have inspired cultlike devotion—especially among fans of the hit anime show Bungo Stray Dogs—in a brilliant new translation, the most comprehensive in English A Penguin...

Rain in the Mountains brings together some of Ruskin Bond’s most beautiful works from his years spent in the foothills of the Himalayas in the town of Mussoorie. Through vivid images and lucid writing, Bond evokes the everyday sights and sounds, and captures the essence of mountain life. The...

This collection of Japanese poetry was compiled and translated into English from an anthology known as The Collection of Myriad Leaves, and from a number of other anthologies made by imperial decree between the tenth and fifteenth centuries. This period has come to be considered the golden age of Japanese literature. These examples of Japanese poetry exhibit the most exquisite polish, allied with an avoidance of every shocking or perturbing theme; they combine the enduring luster of a precious metal with the tenuity of gold-leaf.

The Assassin’s Haiku is a mesmerizing fusion of art and philosophy, weaving the stark precision of haiku with the deadly grace of the assassin’s world. Through beautifully illustrated, powerful imagery and masterfully crafted haiku, this collection delves deep into the shadowed intersections of war, peace, and the delicate balance between life and death. Rooted in the book's introduction, The Meaning of Haiku in War & Peace, each haiku is a fleeting moment—a breath before the strike, a heartbeat echoing in the stillness of impending action. The assassin, much like the poet, moves with...

Poet Sharon Hashimoto reconstructs a collective memory, conjuring the voices of grandparents, children, soldiers, and "those left to tell." In moving detail, these poems convey the realities of assimilation, service, and internment as experienced by Japanese Americans during, and in the decades following, the Second World War. In this stunning second collection, Hashimoto reckons with the limitations of language, and by extension, notions of citizenship. She deftly sounds the dissonances in the language of loyalty and allegiance.

This third volume of haiku poetry by Nowick Gray introduces the reader to the unique cultural flavor and natural beauties of Salt Spring Island, BC. Includes sections on Homecoming, Housekeeping, Zeitgeist, Equanimity, Expression, Insight, and Witness. Original photographs complement over fifty haiku and senryu, blending personal observation with larger social issues and redeeming spiritual grace.

Flowers is an eclectic collection and collaboration of poetry focused on growth, nature, and healing. It is written for those who feel the deepest feelings in their stages of growth during life. Those who cry the most tears, laugh the hardest, and choose to repeat as many times as necessary. It is a short poetry collection to calm your heart while weaving a story of beauty and grace. Stories often seen in nature and in our walk of life, almost simultaneously. Authors include: Blair Hayse, Mayuko Fukino, Abby Weitkamp, and Zachary Shiloh Watts.

Haiku, and those poems inspired by them, attempt to realize the essence of a moment simply, directly, and creatively. Haiku represent a beautiful combination of presence and transcendence, of wonder and realization, through the crystallization of an instant in time. With two hundred sixty haiku and haiku-inspired poems, Swaying Branches, Rustling Leaves offers insightful observations of everyday and uncommon moments presented with humor, joy, and clarity. Ranging from the traditional to flexible verse, this book explores the simple marvel and delight present in the world in and around us if...

Accompanying Dan Dana's unique haiku quintets are 179 traditional haiku composed by 61 poets in 21 countries. The result is a browsable world tour of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Some may make you cry and some may make you laugh. All will help you understand how humanity survived that momentous year.

"Sublime, thought provoking, captures the Japan experience beautifully. Great read." -Tim, screenplay writer, producer, director Broken, blistered, and busted tales about life in Japan. Take a look into the darker seedier side, an old woman waits to die in the summer heat, a homeless man flees Japan rather do prison time, an old man argues with his wife and things go really bad. These stories and many more.

Haiku capture the essence of moments simply, directly, and creatively. These fluid poems represent a wondrous combination of presence and transcendence, of beauty and realization, through snapshots of instants in time. Featuring over one hundred haiku, Dappled Sunlight on Spring Leaves offers insightful observations of everyday and uncommon moments presented with humor, joy, and clarity. Dappled Sunlight on Spring Leaves is a book for those seeking the heart of each instant, enlivening the mind and expanding perception.

The timeless and timely intersect in poems about our unique historical moment, from the prizewinning poet. In Zoom Rooms, Mary Jo Salter considers the strangeness of our recent existence, together with the enduring constants in our lives. The title poem, a series of sonnet-sized Zoom...