和泉式部

From Ono no Komachi:

I thought to pick
the flower of forgetting
for myself,
but I found it
already growing in his heart.

---{*---

How invisibly
it changes color
in this world,
the flower
of the human heart.

From Izumi Shikibu:

Should I leave this burning house
of ceaseless thought
and taste the pure rain's
single truth
falling upon my skin?

---{*---

Twilight,
and the path you took
coming and going from me
is also gone,
woven closed by spiderwebs and sorrow.… (més)

Japanese poetry is a favorite of mine, and so it is no surprised that I adored this collection. The introduction gives a short biography of the two women – short because little is known about either. From there, the introduction moves into the culture and tradition of poetry writing in the era when these women lived (800 AD – 1100?AD). In the court of Japan, writing poetry was considered an essential skill, on that could bring fame or censure. To write poetry well was considered the height of good breeding and intelligence. These two women, Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu are considered two of the best female poets to ever live, both in Japan and in the world, and are part of the Thirty-Six Female Immortals of Poetry. After reading this collection, it is obvious why they are considered the greats. With economy of words, with striking imagery and subtly, both women express emotions from deep within the human experience. While it would be impossible to include all the ones that I loved, I have offered a small sample below.

I thought to pick
the flower of forgetting
for myself,
but I found it
already growing in his heart


My longing for you –
Too strong to keep within bounds.
At least no one can blame me
When I go to you at night
Along the Road of Dreams

The Hunting Lanterns
On Mount Ogura have gone,
The deer are calling for their mates….
How easily I might sleep,
If only I didn’t share their fears.

In this world
Love has no color –
Yet how deeply
My body
Is stained by yours.


When the water-freezing
Winter arrives
The floating reds look rooted,
As if stillness
Were their own desire.

As for the collection, this is perfect. Editor Jane Hirschfield and translator Mariko Aratani bring to life these women, and let their words and hearts and experiences live again. At the end of the collection is a find explanation of how the word were translated, part of what makes this collection so worthwhile. Perfect for the lover of poetry, or the student of Japan.… (més)

It took me a while to get beneath the surface of these poems, perseverance being rewarded. Of the two poets, I preferred Shikibu to Komachi; she seems to touch in a broader range of topics, though this could be due to fewer of her poems having survived, the smaller collection of her works in this volume, the editor's selection, or a combination of the three.

In addition to, and often at the same time as, writing about love, Shikibu talks of the transient and impermanent nature of existence; bereavement, loss and grief; enlightenment, acceptance and contentment.

The introduction, appendix and notes were very welcome to this Westerner with little (that is, zero) knowledge of the cultural context and literary antecedents upon which the poems are founded. With that help, I was able to appreciate some of the subtleties of the verses, which I'm sure we'll reward rereading.

The phrase "ink dark moon" is not used by either poet (unless I missed it), although the individual words appear many times thought the collection. The introduction mentions the ancient Greek use of standard poetic descriptions, citing Homer's "wine dark sea" as an example, and I think that's the allusion made in the title.

Beautiful and poignant verses.… (més)