Haiku: Japanese Poems for the Four Seasons

Perhaps no poetic form evokes nature so effectively as the haiku. Made up of just seventeen syllables, it conveys an impression with almost the same immediacy as our own senses--it can be as ephemeral as a breath and as powerful as lightning.

This delightful volume presents some 140 haiku by masters of every period--including Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki--arranged according to the kigo (or word linked to a particular season) that each haiku traditionally contains. Each poem is presented three ways, for the fullest possible enjoyment: in its original Japanese characters, in Japanese transliterated to Latin characters, and in an English translation. Original artwork by the contemporary Japanese illustrator Kaori Yamaguchi adorns this contemplative journey from the first buds of spring to the falling snow of winter.

Bound in the traditional Japanese style and housed in a handsome slipcase, Haiku: Japanese Poems for the Four Seasons will be the perfect gift for anyone who loves poetry, Japanese culture, or the natural world.