Zen Haiku
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Book Overview
In a few words, haiku goes beneath surface appearance to grasps the heart of an experience. Each word is chosen to unlock a world of memories and associations in the reader. Haiku, like Zen, is an intensely personal experience. Jonathan Clements has selected the best of three centuries of haiku, including the work of classic poets such as Basho, Buson and Chiyo-Ni and rendered into English the elusive spiritual quality of the poems. The poems are illustrated with images from the collection of Japanese prints and paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0711228191
ISBN13:9780711228191
Release Date:March 2008
Publisher:Frances Lincoln
Length:96 Pages
Weight:0.65 lbs.
Dimensions:0.3" x 6.8" x 8.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Please Bring The Book Back!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The cover itself - so beautifully - lets the reader know the jewels to come. In a sparse, delicate writing style, these haiku take us through dawn to dusk. The illustrations - wood block prints, scenes from painted folding screens - create a haiga in the mind. If you can procure a copy, please do so. It will enrich your life immeasurably.
Beautiful
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This book is beautiful not only for the wonderful poetry but also forthe wonderful artwork throughout. Here's one of my favorite haikus from the book:A fallen flowerFlew back to its perchA butterflyThen on the opposing page there is a wonderful chinese painting of a butterfly amongst some flowers.The haiku included here (and there are many!) are so beautiful, they make me slow down and breath when I read them. Here's another wonderful one:Without a brushThe willow paints the wind.Simply wonderful. This would make a fantastic gift for the nature lover or the lover of haiku.
Detachment? Well...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Poetry is soppy, Zen is impractical and Orientals don't think or feel like the rest of mankind - three myths demolished in one elegant little book. Every poem breathes humanity and warmth, and the pictures complement them beautifully. A translator should above all respect and preserve the intent of the original author; Clements' fine, perceptive translations allow the underlying emotions and sensations of the works room to breathe, and give the reader space to make his own interpretation. These are poets who, attempting detachment from the world, have stood back far enough to observe it and themselves with loving exactness. Beautiful in every way.
Wonderful new translations; beautiful art
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
A book to savor. If you're familiar with haiku, you keep feeling a shock of recognition when you encounter a favorite redone in Clements's thoughtful lean style. Fresh organization, by time of day. Illustrations well chosen and well reproduced. This would be a fine gift book for a young person you want to interest in poetry.
Breathtaking
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
A beautiful gift book. Each page of three haiku faces breathtaking paintings in the Japanese style. Most of the paintings are of nature, giving a sense of the season as one reads haiku of that season. The combination of painting and haiku gives a much deeper value.
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