1000 Poems from the Manyoshu: The Complete Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai Translation

by tomo no Yakamochi and Donald Keene

Book Overview

Dating from the 8th century and earlier, the Manyoshu is the oldest Japanese poetry anthology; it is also widely considered to be the best. The 1,000 poems (out of a total of more than 4,500) in this famous selection were chosen by a distinguished scholarly committee based on their poetic excellence, their role in revealing the Japanese national spirit and character, and their cultural and historical significance. The acclaimed translations artfully...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486439593
• ISBN13: 9780486439594
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

TEN THOUSAND LEAVES

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY MOST LOVED JAPANESE POETRY BOOKS... THESE POEMS OF LOVE AND LONGING... TOUCHES MY HEART LIKE WAVES OF CRASHING TEARS OR BREEZES OF BLISS... EXCELLENT... 10 STARS...!!!

Love and Longing in Old Japan

The poignancy in these poems speaks as directly to the heart today as it must have in the eighth century. Separation of lovers, whether by war or by the necessity of maintaining secrecy, intensified the longing. The illustrations are very nice, and the introduction and notes provide a helpful and interesting context.