Tag Archives: kyoka

BOOK: “Angel at the Earth’s Extremes” by Chūya Nakahara [trans. & ed. by Jeffrey Angles]

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Angel at the Earth's Extreme: Collected PoemsAngel at the Earth’s Extreme: Collected Poems by Nakahara Chuya
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site — Penguin Classics

Release date: August 4, 2026

Chūya Nakahara was a Japanese poet who lived in the early twentieth century and who wrote in both classic Japanese forms (notably Tanka) as well a modern Western-influenced styles, particularly from the French avant-garde movement — e.g. Dadaism. Though he lived only to the age of thirty, Chūya left a substantial body of poems. He only published one collection during his lifetime, and had edited a second that came out posthumously, but the volume under review includes many previously uncollected poems as well.)

While only the Tanka poems early in the book are of classical Japanese form, Japanese literary influence shows up throughout, such as via seasonality. I took particular note of a focus on Autumn, followed [not chronologically, but in terms of volume,] by Winter, which may give insight into the tone of the volume. Of course, I didn’t count season words, so it might be a reflection of what resonated in my reading. But there is also a certain haiku-esque feel that appears in the author’s descriptions and juxtapositionings.

I enjoyed the language of these poems, particularly in description of sensory experience, which I presume owes both to Chūya and to the translator, Jeffrey Angles. Some examples include: “moonlight makes no sound // as it pools on the grass…”; “Rustling like rice husks, // Rough and dry as a loofa“; “dark against the night sky, // fig leaves stir in the wind // through the gaps, sky appears // –a beautiful woman // missing her front tooth, // standing gracefully // under the nighttime sky.“

I’d highly recommend this book for poetry readers.

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BOOK: “The Poetry of Zen” Ed. / Trans. Sam Hamill & J.P. Seaton

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The Poetry of ZenThe Poetry of Zen by Sam Hamill
My 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.

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Mountain Time [Tanka]

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an ancient mountain,
 weathered to rubble,
  stands background
 to a city that's lived
 but a blip of mountain time.