<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Don't stop here
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Emotion
Review: Hauntingly beautiful. Precise. Distilled life.
Rating:
Summary: SUMPTUOUS AND SEDUCTIVE
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: AN OUSTANDING, TOUCHING WORK
Review: Having devoured numerous Japanese anthologies, I can tell you this one 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.
Rating:
Summary: Pain & Sufferings
Review: I don't know how to begin, all I can say is that this is a very wonderful book. They have succesfully imprinted their emotions in their writings. You can realy feel what the authors are feeling at that time. Maybe it is not meant as a book but more so as an avenue of releasing their depression. The poems are very short, but the "feeling" that they wanted to convey is very much complete. You can even visualize what they are going though, the raw feelings and emotions. Don't take my word on it, just buy the book, you won't regret it.......
Rating:
Summary: Absolute enchantment
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Cherish the Touch
Review: Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu would have been able to do credit to the effort to review this book of their poems. I envy the exquisite beauty of these poems. Across the centuries...a thousand years....the sensitivity and the depth of human feeling still touches deeply. In addition: the introduction, appendix and notes to poems are very informative and helpful in understanding the context of the times in which these poems were written and the complexities of the translation process. All of which makes the enjoyment of these works that much more comprehensive. The poems are beautiful beyond words and the translation superb.
Stu
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: if you have any heart...
Review: 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.
<< 1 >>
| 
