This and that : short poems of Zen Master Ryōkan / translated and introduced by Stan Ziobro & John Slater.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ryōkan, 1758-1831, Author.

Contributor:

Ziobro, Stan, translator, writer of introduction.

Slater, Isaac, translator, writer of introduction.

Language:

English

Japanese

Subjects (All):

Zen poetry, Japanese--Translations into English.

Zen poetry, Japanese.

Ryōkan, 1758-1831.

Ryōkan.

Genre:

poetry.

Poetry.

Physical Description:

xix, 107 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Rhinebeck, New York : Monkfish Book Publishing Company, [2026]

Summary:

"Most translations of the Japanese Zen poet Ryōkan are stiff or sentimental, or awkward as poems in English. Here we have a fresh translation of his short poems that reads well as modern Anglo-American poetry, accompanied by an introduction and commentaries on the poems from the translators. This effort is comparable to Gary Snyder's Han-Shan poems, or Thomas Merton's Chuang-Tzu. One of the greatest poets of the Edo period and certainly one of the most loved, Ryōkan was a highly original and eccentric master artist and Zen practitioner. A solitary hermit who begged for food and lived among the poor, often in dire need himself, his offbeat poems are moments of everyday awakening, characterized, as was his personality, by both austerity and playfulness. This translation aims to retain Ryōkan's charm without undue sentiment or saint-making, allowing for his rougher edges to appear"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Translated from the Japanese.

Other Format:

Online version This and that

ISBN:

9781966608158

1966608152

OCLC:

1554270726

Publisher Number:

90104114403