An Introduction to Japanese Court Poetry

by Earl Roy Miner

The poetry written by the Japanese imperial court between A.D. 550 and 1350 is one of the great literatures of the world. The present volume, an introduction to that literature, is at once a condensation, a reorganization, and an extension (to A.D. 1500) of Japanese Court Poetry (1961), by the author and Robert H. Brower, the standard treatment of the subject is in English. The book's five central chapters are devoted to the major court poets and their work; other chapters deal with the forms, assumptions, and themes of court poetry. The author's emphasis throughout is on the human and cultural values of this poetic tradition. Over 150 poems are included in both transliteration and translation. Many of the translations are joint efforts with Professor Bower; others are new translations by the author. The approach to the poems is essentially critical, and draws on the findings of recent Japanese scholarship.

Genres: Poetry, Japanese Literature, Japan, Nonfiction, Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miner is not necessarily the best translator, but he is one of the essential scholars in this field for Western audiences. A really well put together book.

[al · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem. Not only does this book give you a wonderful and thorough introduction to Japanese poetry, it includes some truly excellent literary analysis of the poems themselves. I don't know a word of Japanese so cannot comment on the accuracy/appropriateness of Miner's translations, but I loved the way he rendered the poems within. Not a one felt forced or affected, and all conveyed the affective force of each word, each line. I would recommend this book to anyone who would listen, but especially people interested in poetry (of any kind) or literary criticism.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in the late 70's by a friend who knew I was fascinated with Japan, long before I went to visit that country that I still resonate with in many ways. Maybe I wouldn't have gone if it weren't for this book, actually..? Feelings, sacred we have feelings.. This book is about feeling, and I can do no more to review it than to quote a few passages.

"This news I hear,
That you my friend,
are plunged in grief, comes from afar,
But still I must raise my voice in weeping;
Your distant sorrow weighs upon my heart.

(Toto ni mo
Kimi ga nagaku to
Kititsureba
Ne nomi shi nakayu
Aimou ware wa)

You know, as I, the nature of this illusory world,
How nothing stays-----
Endeavor to be brave and stalwart,
Do not wear out that heart in grief".

Hitomaro, My favorite poet of this age, around 680-700) wrote this heart rendering poem that I will include verses of only.

"It was by the sea of Iwami
Where the clinging ivy creeps across the rocks
By the waters off Cape Kara.....
My young wife dwells there.,
Who like the seaweed bent to the current of love,
The girl who slept beside me
Soft and lithesome as the gem like water plants.
Now those nights seem few
when we held each other close in sleep.
We parted unwillingly,
Clinging to each other like ivy creepers;
My heart ached and swelled
Against the ribs that would hold it.......................................
........... Yakami where,
they say, men retire with their wives--
I took my lonely way............................................

Though I always thought
Myself a man with a warrior's heart,
I found that my sleeves---
wide as they were, like our bedclothes--
Were all soaked through with tears".

I will never finish this book......

[Tonileg]

I love certain types of poetry, especially nature and human emotions so of course I wanted to know more about Japanese court poetry. I already have this fantasy of the Taira period of Japanese culture and I've read and re-read 'Tale of Genji' too many times so when I stumbled upon this book, I had to read more about this period form a historical view.

poetry written by the Japanese imperial court between A.D. 550 and 1350 is regarded as one of the great literatures of the world. This volume introduces readers to that literature, offering at once a condensation, a reorganization, and an extension (to A.D. 1500) of "Japanese Court Poetry" (1901).

198 pages and bought new at the university bookstore.

[Lise]

Beautiful poetry written by the Japanese imperial court between A.D. 550 and 1350.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty of waka in Heian times goes with studying buddhism.