1000 Poems from the Manyoshu - (Dover Literature: Poetry) by Anonymous (Paperback)

About the Book

"... is a slightly abridged republication of the work originally published as The Manyåoshåu: one thousand poems selected and translated from the Japanese by the Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo, in 1940. The text in romaji section has been omitted from the Dover edition ..."--Title page verso.

Book Synopsis

Dating from the 8th century and earlier, the Manyoshu is the oldest Japanese poetry anthology; it is also widely considered to be the best. The 1,000 poems (out of a total of more than 4,500) in this famous selection were chosen by a distinguished scholarly committee based on their poetic excellence, their role in revealing the Japanese national spirit and character, and their cultural and historical significance. The acclaimed translations artfully preserve the simplicity and direct quality of the originals, and encompass an enormous range of human emotions and experiences. Text is in English only

From the Back Cover

Dating from the 8th century and earlier, the Manyoshu is the oldest Japanese poetry anthology; it is also widely considered to be the best. The 1,000 poems (out of a total of more than 4,500) in this famous selection were chosen by a distinguished scholarly committee based on their poetic excellence, their role in revealing the Japanese national spirit and character, and their cultural and historical significance. The acclaimed translations artfully preserve the simplicity and direct quality of the originals, and encompass an enormous range of human emotions and experiences. Text is in English only.