His steady sails he never furls
At any time o' year,
And perching now on Winter's curls,
He whistles in his ear
“His steady sails he never furls” by Henry David Thoreau [w/ Audio]
Reply
Category Archives: poem
Balance [Haiku]
one-legged crow squats
to explode into flight;
false alarm!
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Two Trails [Senryū]
“Fable” by Ralph Waldo Emerson [w/ Audio]
The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig.’
Bun replied,
‘You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together,
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.’
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Temple Mural [Tanka]
a temple mural
shows monk and novice
admiring Fall leaves,
as I admire the mural -
surrounded by Spring green.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Transitory [Haiku]
butterfly lands
on flower, pumps wings twice,
and sputters off.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Who says my poems are poems” by Ryōkan [w/ Audio]
Who says my poems are poems?
They aren't poems at all.
Only when you understand my poems aren't poems
Can we talk poetry.
This translation by Sam Hamill in The Poetry of Zen (2004) Boston: Shambhala, p. 159
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Autumn Moon [Haiku]
a single branch,
leafless but bloom-laden,
against the Autumn moon.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK: “The Poetry of Zen” Ed. / Trans. Sam Hamill & J.P. Seaton
The Poetry of Zen by Sam HamillMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Shambhala
This poetry anthology consists of translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry that play in the Zen aesthetic. They are not Zen Buddhist poetry in the sense of being sutras or sutra-like expositions on Buddhist philosophy or theology (at least, not mostly.) And while there are many monks and Buddhist layperson poets represented, not all of those included were Buddhists. (In fact, there is even some verse from the Daodejing included, though Taoism is certainly philosophically related to Zen.)
About half the book is Chinese poetry, including pieces from Han Shan, Li Bai, Bai Juyi, Wang Wei, Du Fu, and many other greats of Chinese poetry. (Note: my spellings of author names varies from those used in the book because Hamill and Seaton use Wade-Giles spellings.) The other half of the book consists of works by Japanese poets, including: Saigyo, Dogen, Basho, Ryokan, Buson, Issa, and others. The Japanese part includes a few haibun (prose poems interspersed with haiku,) adaptations of Chinese-style poems, as well as the various Japanese fixed form styles (i.e.. haiku, tanka, etc.)
The two translators, Sam Hamill and J.P. Seaton, initial the poems that each translated (some were dually translated and others singularly.) I enjoyed the translations and felt they were fine reading in their own right. With haiku and tanka, the translators stuck fairly close to the traditional form (in as much as the aesthetic could be maintained doing so,) but with Chinese lyric styles they often took a freer approach to form.
If you’re interested in poetry that conveys Zen sentiment, this book is worth investigating.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Indian River” by Wallace Stevens [w/ Audio]
The trade-wind jingles the rings in the nets around the racks
by the docks on Indian River.
It is the same jingle of the water among the roots under the
banks of the palmettoes,
It is the same jingle of the red-bird breasting the orange-trees
out of the cedars
Yet there is no spring in Florida, neither in boskage perdu, nor
on the nunnery beaches.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 