The River of Heaven: The Haiku of Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki

by Robert Aitken

“In this, his final work, American senior Zen Roshi Robert Aitken lovingly ties together two threads, Zen practice and haiku.” ― Spirituality & Health Known to many as the study of quiet stillness and introspection, Zen Buddhism distinguishes itself through brilliant flashes of insight and its terseness of expression. In River of Heaven these concepts and pillars lend themselves to an exploration of Haiku, one of the most delicate and interpretive poetic forms in the world. The haiku verse form, with its rigid structure and organic description is a superb means of studying Zen modes of thought because its seventeen syllables impose a limitation that confines the poet to vital experience. In Haiku as in Buddhism, the silences are as expressive as the words. In this volume, American Senior Zen Roshi Robert Aitken gives new insight into Haiku by poetic masters Basho, Issa, Buson, and Shiki. In presenting themes from Haiku and from Zen literature, Aitken illuminates the relationship between the two. Readers are certain to find this an invaluable and enjoyable experience for the remarkable revelation it offers. “I am grateful for Robert Aitken’s enthusiastic sharing of poems in The River of Heaven , together with his rich personal and cultural perspectives. It is a book where the author joyfully calls each of us as readers to share in the transcendent joys of haiku.” ― Juxtapositions “Aitken mines the meanings in these brief gems about nature, impermanence, travel, awareness, silence, beauty, being present, the turn of the seasons, and much more.” ― Spirituality & Practice

Genres: Poetry, Zen, Japan, Japanese Literature

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Robert Aitken was a retired master of the Diamond Sangha, a Zen Buddhist society he founded in Honolulu in 1959 with his late wife Anne Hopkins Aitken.

A lifetime resident of Hawai‘i, Aitken Rōshi was a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i with a BA degree in English literature and an MA degree in Japanese studies. In 1941, he was captured on Guam by invading Japanese forces, and interned in Japan for the duration of World War II. In the camp, he met the British scholar R.H. Blyth, who introduced him to Zen Buddhism. After the war, he practiced Zen with Senzaki Nyogen Sensei in Los Angeles, and traveled frequently to Japan to practice in monasteries and lay centers with Nakagawa Sōen Rōshi, Yasutani Haku'un Rōshi, and Yamada Kōun Rōshi. In 1974, he was given approval to teach by the Yamada Rōshi, Abbot of the Sanbo Kyodan in Kamakura, Japan, who gave him transmission as an independent master in 1985.

Aitken Rōshi is the author of more than ten books on Zen Buddhism, and co-author of a book-length Buddhist-Christian dialogue. In Hawai‘i he was instrumental in founding the Koko An Zendo, the PĀlolo Zen Center, the Maui Zendo, and the Garden Island Sangha. A number of other centers in Europe, North and South America, and Australasia are part of the Diamond Sangha network.

Aitken Rōshi is co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (now with a local East Hawai‘i Chapter) and serves on its international board of advisors. He has been active in a number of peace, social justice, and ecological movements, and his writing reflects his concern that Buddhists be engaged in social applications of their experience.

Aitken Rōshi has given full transmission as independent masters to Nelson Foster, Honolulu Diamond Sangha and Ring of Bone Zendo in Nevada City, California; John Tarrant, Pacific Zen Institute in Santa Rosa, California; Patrick Hawk, Zen Desert Sangha in Tucson, Arizona, and Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Joseph Bobrow, Harbor Sangha in San Francisco, California; Jack Duffy, Three Treasures Sangha in Seattle, Washington; Augusto Alcalde, Vimalakirti Sangha, in Cordoba, Argentina and Rolf Drosten, Wolken-und-Mond-Sangha (Clouds and Moon Sangha), in Leverkusen, Germany. He authorized Pia Gyger, One Ground Zendo in Luzern, Switzerland, as an affiliate teacher of the Diamond Sangha. He joined with John Tarrant in giving transmission as independent masters to Subhana Barzaghi in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and to Ross Bolleter in Perth, Western Australia.

As a retired master, Aitken Rōshi worked with a few long-time students, and continued to study and write. His work, Zen Master Raven: Sayings and Doings of a Wise Bird , was published by Tuttle in 2002 [review]. His more recent publications, The Morning Star: New and Collected Zen Writings , and a new edition of A Zen Wave: Basho's Haiku and Zen , were released in October, 2003, by Shoemaker and Hoard.

Reviews

[Susan Budd · Rating 2 out of 5]

How can I give such a poor rating to a book of haiku? I love haiku. This book is a collection of haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki. Each page has a title, a haiku in Romaji, an English translation, and a brief commentary by Robert Aitken. So what’s not to like?

Well, my first twinge of frustration came when I could not determine whether these haiku were translated by Aitken or not. The cover page says “selected and with comments by Robert Aitken.” That suggests that Aitken is not the translator, that he has “selected” the haiku from one or more translations. But if that were so, I reasoned, wouldn’t he cite the original sources of the haiku? Wouldn’t he credit the translator or translators? The lack of such citation suggests that Aitken is the translator.

Mystery unsolved, I turned my attention to the illustration on the cover. I was curious to find out who the illustrator was. Again I searched the title page, the verso page, and the back cover for information on the cover illustration as well as the three illustrations and one photo in the book. Again, I found nothing. My frustration increased, but I put it aside to enjoy the haiku and Aitken’s comments. By the time I got to page 12, I could only throw up my hands in despair. This is what I found:

AN OLD POND

fuyugare ya / yo wa hito iro ni / kaze no oto

An old pond;
a frog leaps in
the water sound.

Now I don’t read Japanese, but I knew something was wrong here. I like haiku collections that include Romaji because I start to get a feeling for the Japanese words. So I immediately noticed that this haiku in Romaji is completely different from the one that appears in Aitken’s introduction to Basho on page 7.

furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto

An old pond;
a frog leaps in—
the water sound.

In English, it’s the same Frog poem except for the dash. But the Japanese is different. Naturally I turned to Google Translate. This is what I got:

furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto
It does shake ya / frog dive / water sound of

fuyugare ya / yo wa hito iro ni / kaze no oto
Suggest winter and / goodness I in human color / Wind of sound

So that settles that. The haiku on page 7 is Basho’s Frog poem. The haiku on page 12 is a different haiku entirely. But now I’ve lost all trust in this book. How many more translations are there that do not correspond to the Romaji?

I tried to be a good sport and just enjoy Aitken’s comments, but frustration is not really the mood haiku should inspire. I spent more time doing research on an error in the book than I spent reading the poetry. And Aitken’s comments, while occasionally illuminating, were not worth the frustration.

[Peycho Kanev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lighting the lamps,
One shadow is for each
of the dolls.

Each doll has its very own shadow, and at the same time, they are all shadowed. This bonds the dolls as they sit there, otherwise quite separately. Like the best verses of the other great haiku poets, something very slight is presented, but yet it is something unforgettably significant. While Bashō, Buson, and Issa did bring forth slight phenomena of human affairs, Shiki made them his primary concern. Prostitutes were play girls for Bashō, but they were whores for Shiki, and as such they were topics for some of his verses.

At my native village
I wept over my umbilical cord
first rains of spring.

Bashō is at Iga-Ueno, going through his dead mother’s things, and he comes upon his own umbilical cord, which she had carefully wrapped in a bit of paper marked with his name, Kinsaku, and put away. On reading this verse, my sympathy with the poet was made deeply intimate with the memory of my own experience of finding a lock of my hair in my mother’s things.

Igniting one candle
with another—
a spring evening.

Buson may be playing with words here. With another graph, shoku means “light,” so the verse could read, “Igniting one with the other ...” In any case, the verse expresses the propagation of the species, and is also the true story of rebirth. I will not be reborn in a different form, but I will pass on my light. The Sino-Japanese graph for “light” is also the graph for “fire.” I will pass on my fire.

[S.B. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The variance in translations of the four Haiku masters usually makes any book on their best pieces interesting.

Aitken’s, River of Heaven, adds to this interest the insight of a western Zen teacher, so the reader has not only the pleasure of reading old favourites (perhaps slightly altered) but of reading a Zen infused short commentary on each.

While I found some of these commentaries a little light on content and some of them drew what I feel was a long bow in terms of interpreting the poets intent, for the most part it was a really enjoyable and instructive read.

The more I read traditional Japanese Haiku and commentaries such as those alluded to above, the more I realise what a deep ocean of literary experience and history they are based on.

The excerpt below is a good indication of the work you are likely to encounter:

MY NAME
tabibito to / waga na yobare n / hatsu shigure

Let my name
be “Traveler”—
first rains of spring.

Look in the phone book of any Western municipality and you will find a number of Washingtons, Lincolns, and Kennedys. That certainly doesn’t mean they are all part of a president’s family. However, one’s name in Japan is one’s identity. If you are part of an untouchable clan, you are stuck with a surname that identifies you as an untouchable. All untouchables who manage to migrate hasten to the nearest official name-changing office to become Tanaka or Watanabe or some other conventional Japanese name. But Bashō would be “Traveler,” even to the point of dying. As he wrote in The Narrow Way Within: “On and on I travel; / although when I fall and die / let it be in a field.” He actually did die on his travels, and in his very last hours he wrote, “Taken ill on a journey / my dreams wander / over withered moors.” He was a traveler even in his last dreams.

Haiku can appear to be just quaint mindful sketches when the reader is divorced from this prior literary and cultural knowledge, so for that factor alone it’s probably worth adding Aitken’s work to your collection of traditional Haiku commentary.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since leaving school I’ve only rarely read poetry of any kind, so my appreciation has perhaps lessened over the years. And though I wasn’t overly moved by much of the poetry I read there was always that which I did enjoy. So I’ve been feeling the urge to begin reading poetry again, and to read a range of it. That’s why I picked up this book, being a selection of haiku from four Japanese masters. It took me almost exactly a year to finish, though it’s a short book, because I read it very slowly, one or two haiku at a time. I enjoyed this format, with introductions to each poet, a selection of haiku from them and a short interpretation or expansion on each poem. I can’t say I fully appreciate them all, but they were charming and I can see myself further exploring them in the future.

[Robert Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your Universe delegates spokespeople designated "poets" to try to reach you.
Robert Aitken, himself a poet (See the Dragon Who Never Sleeps), presents four masters of haiku.
The format for each poem is 1. transliteration, 2. English translation, and 3. and commentary.
Each poet has an introductory bio.

I liked Aitken's familiarity with Japanese, the history of poetry, and Zen. His first book was Zen Wave, on Basho's poetry, written decades before this, his last book. Generous of Spirit is an understatement.

[excerpt]

A camellia flower
falls,
spilling its water.

[end excerpt]

[Mark Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a must for me. I just love zen poetry and haiku, especially when the translator gives background and interpretation on the poems. And Robert Aitken was a foundational Zen teacher in the West. So ... it was good, even if I didn't love the translations. I find that going through my highlights and bookmarks, the book really is charming, although only lovers of both Zen and haiku are likely to be enamored.

I read three to five poems every night before bed, and I always looked forward to returning to the book. I especially liked that Aitken emphasized lesser known poems from haiku's Four Horsemen: Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki.

I never felt a connection with Shiki but Aitken won me over to him. Shiki was bedridden with tuberculosis and died when he was 35. His poems were written based on his memory of the world, and Aitken really makes that fact poignant in his discussions, such as when Shiki asks someone about the depth of the snow outside — he can't experience it himself but knowing the depth reconnects him with his childhood.

Here's a tidbit where Aitken explains a word Shiki used:

Christianity was banned during the Tokugawa period. In Kyushu in spring the authorities would set a small ceramic plaque called an ebumi, “picture trampling,” on the ground and line up villagers to step on it. The picture would be of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Those who refused were thus identified as Christian and were crucified.

The book's title comes from a Basho poem, and Aitken explains that "River of Heaven" is the Far Eastern term for "Milky Way." I like both.

Here's a haiku from Basho:

What a chill I felt,
stepping on my dead wife’s comb
in our bedroom.

The haiku reminds Aitken of a poem by an early 20th century poet named Aline Kilmer, who wrote, “Things have a terrible permanence / when people die.” I'd never heard of Kilmer. Aitken tipped me to a few books and authors to check out.

The book is filled with comments like the Kilmer one (another compares Issa with John Keats and their mutual fondness for sparrows). His asides deepen one's appreciation for the haiku even if they aren't as poetic as one might want.

Here are two excerpts with Aitken's comments:

The New Year’s theater;
returning but not changing
from her gala dress.

The young girl has gone with her friends to the New Year’s theater wearing her best clothes, a long-sleeved kimono with a brocade obi. It was probably bought for the occasion. She is so pleased and excited that when she returns, she does not change into her ordinary dress. She sits with her family to tell them how wonderful it had been.

The dewdrop world
is a dewdrop world
and yet ... and yet.

Issa’s little daughter died suddenly when she was just old enough to say “mama” and “papa”— one of the most endearing phases in a baby’s development. His verse of mourning is essentially a Pure Land Buddhist plaint. Followers of that faith, like Issa, believe that the dead go to the Lotus Land, where they live forever after. He won’t see her until he himself goes to that land at the end of his life, and maybe not even then. Yes, it’s an ephemeral world we live in, yes my darling child will be happy in the Lotus Land, and yet ... and yet.

Note: Aitken died before finalizing the book.

[g026r · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poem selection is average. Aesthetically, the translations are merely passable. (At one point he quote's Amy Lowell's version of a Buson poem, which only serves to have his appear inferior.) But the real problem here are the notes.

Whether it requires it or not, each poem is accompanied by a paragraph or more of only marginally useful notes. Well, notes is probably not entirely correct, as that would suggest that they help to explain the meaning of obscure terms or references. Sometimes, perhaps even the majority of the time, they do. (His note on Basho's famous helmet/cricket poem is an example of a good one, for instance.) But a decent amount of the time they serve as little more than an excuse for the author to meander off on whatever tangent the poem has reminded him of — his travels, his life, what he thinks the poet was feeling at the time. Often this is interwoven into the insightful bits, but sometimes the notes serve no purpose but this meandering stream of consciousness.

Eventually, somewhere in the section on Issa, I just stopped reading them. My enjoyment of the collection went up after that.

My final verdict? Find another anthology instead.

[Stuart Estell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful poetry of course, but I found the commentary very variable. At its best it explicates the background to Japanese terms that don't translate well. At its worst it's irritating: Haiku as a form is all about suggestion - to offer a paragraph of fanciful extrapolation from the poem's conceit is rather missing the point.

[Patti K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of haiku is very enjoyable. Aitken provides short
notes after each poem to describe context and custom which enrich
the reader's appreciation. A good selection from each of these
haiku masters. I recommend it highly.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are definitely some translation issues which hinders the reader’s trust and spoils the authority of the book.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haiku is a special form of poetry developed in Japan in the sixteenth century and is a very short poem that offers a brief, often quirky view of the world consisting of a total of 17 syllables shared between three lines that are arranged in a pattern of 5-7-5. The first line consists of 5 syllables, the second line 7, and the last line contains another 5 syllables. It is important to note that the original Japanese haiku was measured in sounds, or 'breaths,' not English syllables. and often contain a seasonal reference drawn from a select list of words. https://haiku-poetry.org/what-is-haik...

The Summer Moor, Matsuo Bashō 5⭐
"Bashō spent a great deal of time studying Zen philosophy. He believed the haiku was an opportunity to compress the meaning of the world into a simple pattern, leaving glimmers of hope in small, simple things and revealing the connectedness of all life on earth." https://www.readpoetry.com/why-the-ha...
Matsuo Bashō turned Haiku into a surprising vehicle for a touching, often profound means of high artistic expression in reinforcing the proverb ‘less is more’.

The Spring Sea, Yosa Buson 5⭐
Buson was a Japanese poet and painter. His poetry is generally regarded as deeper and more sensuous than Bashō's which reflects insights into his dual career as a painter. Therefore, his haiku has a feature that highlights a visual image more clearly.

The Spring Sea, Kobayashi Issa 4.5⭐
"Issa was born in Kashiwabara, Shinanao province . . .Issa’s father was a farmer. His mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. His father remarried, and Issa did not get along well with his stepmother or stepbrother. When Issa was 14, he left home to study haiku in Edo. He spent years traveling and working until returning to Kashiwabara in the early 1810s. In Kashiwabara, his life was marked by sorrow— the death of his first wife and three children, an unsuccessful second marriage, the burning down of his house, and a third marriage. Issa’s haiku are as attentive to the small creatures of the world—mosquitoes, bats, cats—as they are tinged with sorrow and an awareness of the nuances of human behavior." www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kobaya...

The Spring Sea, Masaoka Shiki 4⭐
"Initially a prose writer, Masaoka devoted a major portion of his short life to the collection and composition of haiku. Masaoka advocated a realistic, descriptive poetic style, which he regarded as the original spirit of Japanese verse. He explored the use of new subject matter and vocabulary in traditional waka and haiku forms and introduced the concept of shasei ('delineation from nature' or 'sketching') to describe his use of realistic images and contemporary language. His writings greatly influenced the Japanese literary world as it struggled to define modern Japanese modes of expression. Bedridden by illness in his final years, he maintained an active literary career until his premature death of spinal tuberculosis. He is regarded as the last of the four great Japanese masters of brief verse." https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/...

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book demanded that I find the time to just sit with it and dig in, taking my time, rereading, digesting and enjoying. When I finally did so, it’s layers opened more beautifully and it’s aromas mixed gently as I made my way through the garden of haiku planted by four acknowledged masters and with the accompanying commentary by the author Roshi Robert Aitken.


At times it can be disjointed and jarring to move from the sound, imagery, and circuitry of the haiku to the thoughts and dialogue by Aitken. In taking time with the book, however, the reader can allow each to stand alone and separate as needed and connecting Aitken’s commentary and interpretation as needed to learn cultural, historical, or personal context that provides deeper meaning and reach for the poems.
As I sat with morning coffee on New Year’s Day, I was delighted to find poems by each master on that very theme—renewal, hope, shedding of the old— topics well needed as we say goodbye and perhaps good riddance to 2020! Two authors even had poems titled New Years Day. From Bāsho, bringing me back to the grief of my fathers death in October:

New Years’s Day!
And I recall the loneliness
Of Autumn evenings.

And Buson:

The light of day
Begins to shine
From the heads of the pilchards

That may have felt like a fun coincidence until, fighting for focus the halting laughter of my neighbor, smoking over the fence talking on the phone or, perhaps through the screen to his wife, and the clipped hopping feet of a stellar jay foraging on the corrugated roof of my back porch, I found a haiku on each of these topics!
I’ve read other reviews that are concerned with the accuracy and source of the translations or take issue with mistakes left uncorrected by Aitken’s associates who were tasked with finishing this, his final manuscript written, like many of his subject’s poems, as he lay dying. I maintain that this book taken quietly with equal parts sorrow, joy, curiosity, and love is magic and a powerful way to engage with the works of four Japanese poetry masters.

[Amara · Rating 2 out of 5]

River of Heaven, the final work of Aitken is a compilation of haikus by poetic masters Matsuo Basho, Kobayashi Issa, Yosa Buson, and Masaoka Shiki. Though I have read many haikus, here and there, this was the first time, that I decided to read them in an organised manner. ⠀
⠀
In addition to selecting and translating, Aitken has attempted to give his insights, trying to draw a parallel between haiku and Zen practices. And this is exactly what I disliked about this collection. ⠀
⠀
Any attempt to define a Haiku for the reader is counterproductive. It simply defeats the purpose of reading them. The only verse where I found his insights helpful was, "Old woman finds solace." The rest of it was unnecessary and annoying. ⠀
⠀
Another major issue with this anthology is translation. Some of the familiar verses seem mistranslated, while some others are obvious mistakes. The romaji version of one of the best known Haiku-- "The Old Pond" is in fact that of-- "Winter Solitude." This made me question the authenticity of other selections.⠀
⠀
I also didn't enjoy Aitken's translation as much as I have enjoyed the ones I read previously. One example is Buson's temple bell verse. While Amy Lowell translates it as: "On a temple bell/ alighted, sleeping/ a little butterfly." And Robert Hass as: "Butterfly/ sleeping/on the temple bell." Aitken's version is "On a temple bell/ a little butterfly has lighted/and is sleeping." ⠀
⠀
The poem selection is also not impressive when you compare it with the vast body of work of Basho or Issa. But one can always consider this ae an introductory book. I am disappointed, but I have decided to read two more works in Haiku this year. The first one is "Essential Haiku" by Robert Hass and the next is a study ( a combination of history and criticism) -- "On Haiku", written by one of the foremost experts in the field Hiroaki Sato. ⠀
⠀
Reading Haiku is as much an art as writing it is perhaps the one thing that I learned from this exercise. The meaning-making happens in the mind of the reader. And Aitken misses this incredibly important point.⠀

[Lena · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some good parts but there are waaaay too many mistakes and mistranslations. Some are minor but some make me think that no one who actually knows japanese was involved enough in making this book happen.

To give you just one example, one particular translation on page 74 is not a translation at all. I don't know how it happened but none of the words in English translation match with any japanese words in the original poem, although the poem is indeed about the Emperor Go-Daigo, as it is explained in the commentary by Aitken.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but now I'm just double-checking every page. I'm afraid I'll just have to drop this one.

[Punk]

I gave up on this for three reasons:

1. Nowhere in this book does it indicate Robert Aitken actually translated these poems, and that makes me suspicious. It says he "selected" them.

2. The commentary is often more about Aitken than the poetry, and when it does address the poetry it includes supposition about what the poet was thinking or feeling. Was that from the surrounding text or from Aitken? Shrug emoji.

3. I only have a digital copy and that's not how I prefer to read poetry.

[Rick Jackofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of haiku by four well known masters with commentary by the translator. The author's comments were helpful when explaining certain aspects of Japanese culture or history that related to the haiku, but his personal interpretations of the poems were sometimes distracting. All in all an enjoyable read.

[Pirate Hat Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a haiku translation, in my opinion, you’d be better served looking elsewhere. Aitken’s comments at the conclusion of each haiku are intrusive and too personal. For me, it’s distracting and unnecessary. Our interpretation is our own. I, for one, do not care how much he adores these poets. Please present the work unadorned, or at least, nearly so.

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite delightful! I'm a big fan of haiku, and I really enjoyed the poems by four different authors. Although, for me, Robert Aitken's commentary was often a bit left field, it definitely added another dimension to the collection.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

The comments added little to the work and often they appeared to me fancies, to the point of comical, of the author's own mind. Such 'over-reading' authors need to acknowledge to readers in fairness to the readers. I recommend going elsewhere to enjoy the haiku of these poets.

[Rosa Frei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant and beautiful. The amazing art of mindfulness expressed in the Japanese poetry style of Haiku by the greatest masters of Japan, Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki.

[Eduardo A. Camargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful comments by Aitken Roshi. I specially liked Shikki,s haikus.

[A. Paul Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just haiku selections, Aitken provides commentary and backstory that is often lost on Western audiences.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to own re-read and savor regularly

[NosNos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great selection of Haiku and commentary but occasional insufferable bouts of preaching by the author or overwrought interpretations here and there

[Ben Rasmussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The haiku are, of course, great, but I found the commentary to be hit or miss.

[Charles Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection of haiku. I kinda like the format of the editor just riffing on each of the poems, but I also wished for more analytical reflections at times.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

discovered i’m a fan of Issa’s haikus (yay!) but really could have done without the commentary

[Zack Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The selections themselves are wonderful; as evocative and stirring as you would expect from these masters of the form. But the real treat here is the commentary. Aitken's selections are personal, and he treats their exegesis with similar subjectivity. Much is given in the way of historical and literary context (of which Aitken displays expert familiarity), but many of his comments are related directly back to his own situation. I found these moments of critical candor, rather than distracting from the verse, actually illuminate the mind of the poet more brightly than any dry description of historical circumstances.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

After listening to a Mary Pope Osborne story which included Basho, the Japanese Haiku writer and teacher, we sought out books with his poetry. This book is a wonderful collection of poems with commentary providing context and explanation of what we are reading and how it came to be.
A lovely collection with wonderful guidance.

[David Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to know Aitken Roshi's thoughts since he was returning to his initial impulse, so long ago.