Japanese Death Poems: Written by
Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the
Verge of Death
Lovely Peek Into A Venerable Cultural Tradition
Although the consciousness of death is in most cultures very much a part
of life, this is perhaps nowhere more true than in Japan, where the
approach of death has given rise to a centuries-old tradition of writing jisei,
or the death poem written in the very last moments of the poets life. From
passionate samurai writins and meditative Zen haiku to the satirical poems
of later centuries, Hundreds of jisei have been translated into English here,
many for the first time. The result is a moving, powerful collection whose
philosophical and aethetic profundity will give readers pause.
Personal Review: Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen
Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death
Essential collection of haiku that speaks with the usual spareness of a
topic quite appropriate to it which is death. Naturally the depiction found in

a volume of works by eastern writers would markedly depart from the
western construct of death at that time and certainly as a whole now,
considering that at that time death was a part of life that occured in the
home. The haiku themselves as often take on the semblance or ideas of
nature and apply it to a poet's final days, a quite appropriate concept and
of course although missing the lyricism people would hear in the original
language is appropriately translated and does capture its essential quality.
One sees the natural cycle of autumn approaching its last days
approaching winter or other standard metaphors that capture vividly the
idea of death as a cyclical experience which is well known by now but at
that time unknown to western writers who saw death merely as conclusive.
For someone such as myself who has experienced physically near death
moments it only reinforces how tentative but essential life is but for
someone who has experienced or is experiencing depression, it might be
something to approach with caution or to understand that death is there to
remind us of what life is and on its own defines life and the two are
reflective of each other but it should not be approached voluntarily but
accepted.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death 5
Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!