The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono No Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan

by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu

Book Overview

These translated poems were written by two women of the Heian court of Japan between the ninth and eleventh centuries A.D.

The poems speak intimately of their authors' sexual longing, fulfillment and disillusionment.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679729585
• ISBN13: 9780679729587
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A magnificent book

This book is among my most treasured. These women's love and longing is so eloquently worded, and could be the very same heartaches any woman experiences today. A fascinating glimpse into a society I could only imagine. Excellently translated tanka. Extremely good. I would recomend it highly to anyone.

The Ink Dark Moon That Ignites Our Souls

A magnificent translation of two women poets writing between the 9th and 11th centuries.The thoughtful translations convey the feeling-tones of two women poets in a long bygone era in Japan.The layout is aesthetically pleasing and each and every one of these short (4-5) line tanka keeps unfolding with subsequent readings. A must for any poet interested in writing tanka. A well-crafted, magnificent translation.

if you have any heart...

This collection of poetry blew me away. Most of the poems are quite short (4-5 lines), but they all carry as much meaning as any long poem I have read. This poetry is soulful, intellectually stimulating, and understandable. My favorite thing about this collection is how easily I could identify with the poetry. Most of the poems are about secret love, wanting someone, loving someone, and leaving someone (both in body and spirit). There is also a large portion of the poems that were written about missing someone who has passed away, and I found it to be especially beautiful. If you have ever had a secret lover, or lost someone you will never forget, this is the poetry for you.

SUMPTUOUS AND SEDUCTIVE

Having devoured numerous Japanese anthologies, I can assure you this is a pure delight. The translations are beautiful. The choice of poems is beautiful. The introduction is wonderful. And the layout is clean. A must for anyone with a heart and soul. A desert island choice.

Absolute enchantment

If only I could have the pleasure of meeting these two women. This is one of the most amazing books of poetry I have ever read- the passions in these poems have not died in the thousand years since they were written, even if the authors have.