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Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages
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Matsuo Basho (1644-94) is considered Japan's greatest haiku poet. Narrow Road to the Interior (Oku no Hosomichi) is his masterpiece. Ostensibly a chronological account of the poet's five-month journey in 1689 into the deep country north and west of the old capital, Edo, the work is in fact artful and carefully sculpted, rich in literary and Zen allusion and filled with gre
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Paperback, 192 pages
Published
July 1st 1998
by Stone Bridge Press
(first published September 1st 1996)
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Start your review of Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages
I found this a difficult book to read, and much of it had to do with the platform I chose: an e-book.
I had wanted to read this for its pilgrimage narrative. I wasn't surprised it was a challenge--after all, it was originally written in a language and about a land I don't know, by the individual considered the master of haiku (which I also don't know much about). But that's why I chose this version, which is heavily annotated with footnotes and endnotes. Unfortunately, the e-book edition isn't eq ...more
I had wanted to read this for its pilgrimage narrative. I wasn't surprised it was a challenge--after all, it was originally written in a language and about a land I don't know, by the individual considered the master of haiku (which I also don't know much about). But that's why I chose this version, which is heavily annotated with footnotes and endnotes. Unfortunately, the e-book edition isn't eq ...more
The footnotes are amazing, lots of information about the references Basho uses in his travel diary, many I had never heard before.
An elegant look at the physical and cultural landscape of Tokugawa Japan. The Narrow Road depicts a country steeped in poetry and legend, and lends insight to the labors and pastimes of its people.
At times, the density of footnotes and endnotes make reading slow and difficult. However, they are necessary to transmit the whole picture. The work of poets like Basho is at once minimalist and highly contextual; without a familiarity with Japanese poetic tradition, key references go by unmarked, and ...more
At times, the density of footnotes and endnotes make reading slow and difficult. However, they are necessary to transmit the whole picture. The work of poets like Basho is at once minimalist and highly contextual; without a familiarity with Japanese poetic tradition, key references go by unmarked, and ...more
I'm glad I tried, but this book (this particular edition/translation/etc) might be better suited for reading as a part of a college course. The footnotes were difficult to bounce back and forth from, I hardly cared to address the end notes when they were mentioned, and reading romanized haiku was just kind of irritating... I think the author did a great job compiling all this research and knowledge... but maybe I was after a more enjoyable, rather than scholarly, read of this famous text. I may
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Classic
Truly a wonderful translation of a Japanese classic. I found the copious footnotes and endnotes distracting, rather than enhancing my reading experience. However, this was a lovely and educational read.
Truly a wonderful translation of a Japanese classic. I found the copious footnotes and endnotes distracting, rather than enhancing my reading experience. However, this was a lovely and educational read.
PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book of poetry.
Rated three stars only because this was more than I could handle. It's apparently a very good, thorough, studious work on real Japanese haiku. I was left with the feeling that trying to understand haiku without speaking Japanese, and without knowing Japanese cultural and literary traditions, was pretty much a lost cause. Many of the concepts discussed have no equivalent in English language or literature. Also the great majority of haiku in this book are tied into special places in Japan: shrines
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Not easy, but a wonderful read all the same. Basho's poetry is both deep and witty and having read a lot of it it was a pleasure to read of his pilgrimage and the life/experiences that led to his work.
An essential read if you love Basho, if you don't you won't see this anyway! ...more
An essential read if you love Basho, if you don't you won't see this anyway! ...more
Perfect model for the media and their fans!
Not quite what I thought it was going to be, but it was interesting.
On the face of it, a pellucid, unfussy translation. But Bashō, like all haiku poets worth considering, is a slippery, evasive travelling companion and any attempt at translation brings us no closer (or as close) to Bashō's intent than the famous "sound of water" made by the frog in one of his most famous poems. I've been puzzling over these 'koans' for years. I expect to continue to do so.
My rating relates to the translation and critical apparatus rather than to the actual poetry, by the way. Th ...more
My rating relates to the translation and critical apparatus rather than to the actual poetry, by the way. Th ...more
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa
✱ Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times: Selected Haiku of Basho ...more
✱ The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa
✱ Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times: Selected Haiku of Basho ...more
Sato's Basho, while sometimes prosaic, is no doubt the most thoroughly annotated of the many English translations of "Oku no Hosomichi."
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