Basho: The Complete Haiku

Ever since I first discovered Basho, some forty-plus years ago in a seventh grade English class, I have been influenced by the seeming simplicity and power of his poetry. But a complete collection of his haiku did not exist in English and I had to make do with the various partial collections which surfaced now and again.Now, at long last, thanks to Jane Reichhold and Kodansha International, we have all of Basho's haiku in English. Basho: The Complete Haiku is a literary tour de force which every lover of haiku, poetry, and Basho needs to have on his or her bookshelf.The book itself is beautifully done with the artwork of Shiro Tsujimura. Subtle and subdued, the illustrations please and tantalize the eye. Offering a wonderful visual counterpoint to the poems themselves.Reichhold, a haiku poet in her own right, has been on the English haiku scene from the beginning. Her understanding of the form is second to none and she stands amongst the best of English-language haikuists. What better tribute to a poet than for another to translate his work?Reichhold's labor of love enriches us all. In Basho: The Complete Haiku, we learn of Basho's life, what were the possible influences upon him, and how he in turn influenced others. We gain an understanding of his literary techniques, as Reichhold presents us with an appendix of analysis. A glossary of important terms is also provided. Then, of course, there are the poems.Basho's haiku are presented in two sections: the main section, which are the superb translations; a second which gives the Japanese, a literal rendering into English, and explanatory notes. The translations themselves are spare, clean, yet full of life. The translator has clearly been touched by the spirit of her mentor. The literal renderings and notes provide the reader an opportunity to go deeper into the poem for an even richer experience of nuanced meanings. This addition gives the book greater depth.My heartfelt thanks goes out to Jane Reichhold for translating the work of Basho and to Kodansha International for bringing the work to the world. We non-Japanese readers can now savor the full range of haiku of one of the truly great poets and philosophers. I cannot help but think the spirit of Matsuo Basho is smiling and filled with great joy.

I am a haiku poet and an admirer of Basho. When this hardcover edition of his work went on sale, I had to have it. The book has been a wonderful read and I like the sturdiness of the hardcover. It should last on my bookshelves for a lifetime.

Enjoyable book for haiku aficionados and for those who want to learn more about Basho and his art and life!I read his haiku every day.You can translate his haiku yourself using the original word-by-word transcription.

And that's going some.It's physically beautiful, yes. The jacket is sumptuous as is the binding; the art, the type and even the paper are feasts for the eyes; the paper is a pleasure to handle.But it's more than that. It is the most thorough treatment of Basho's work - and maybe of the haiku form itself - accessible to the casual reader. Maybe the casual reader, or the merely curious, might want to start with something else, actually; shorter and less expensive treatments abound. (Sam Hamill's translations, for example, are excellent.) Not that heavy sledding for novices is a detriment. The buyer should, however, be aware.But if you have been exposed to haiku, and feel its pull, this book does much to help you understand why. The translations are spare and intriguing, the author's apparent effort to reach for Basho's intent. This is an inevitable part of what the translator does; a translator of poetry is, unavoidably, *writing* poetry, and must be a poet. Jane Reichhold is. She is struck by Basho's consistent choice of words with the widest range of dictionary meanings, a good indicator that she knows what she is reaching for. She also provides an excellent introduction; biographical sketches of each phase of Basho's life, into which the poems, in chronological order, are grouped; the literal rendering of the original Japanese, plus historical and explanatory notes for each and every poem; an index of first lines for quick reference; and a full exposition of Basho's poetic techniques.If the name Basho means anything of significance to you, get this book. If you aren't truly ready for it yet, you will be, soon enough.

Shipping and handling good. Item as described. ThxAs far as the book itself, it is too difficult for me to follow the connection between verses.

While I agree with most of the other reviewers that this is a wonderful resource, especially the detailed Notes section, the lack of an index to the original sounds makes it nearly impossible to find a favorite poem. "Shizukasa ya," for example, at the beginning of the very famous "shizukasa ya/ iwani shimi iru/ semi no koe," is translated as "Such stillness," which means it is indexed under "such" rather than "stillness." I see from a quick search of the internet, that his poem is widely known by the title "Stilllness," so it is just contrariness to alter the meaning in this way. In most other instances, the translator does not translate the particle "ya" as "such," so there is no rationale for her choice here. Following many other translators, this version also mistranslates "shimi iru" as "piercing" rather than "permeating." Any good Japanese dictionary will delineate the difference between "shimiru" and shimi iru."But this is a beautifully printed and bound book, and of course a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in Basho, in Haiku, or in Japanese culture in general.

Gosta de Haiku? Quer ter em mãos uma obra fundamental sobre essa maravilhosa criação literária japonesa? Então compre sem medo de ser feliz essa obra-prima de Jane Reichhold, Basho: The complete Haiku. Como diz no título, nela você encontrará compilado, na ordem (diz a autora, sempre que possível) em que o mestre escreveu, todos os seus haikus (que é como se diz haicai ou haikai em japonês). Uma preciosidade, mas não somente por isso: as notas biográficas ao longo da obra são um deleite, a Jane escreveu com simplicidade sobre a vida de um poeta que viveu intensamente de maneira simples, então o livro tem a aura do Basho em suas páginas. Faz muito tempo que não leio um livro com tanto entusiasmo. E a edição, em inglês (tem esse porém) é linda, capinha dura, coisa que americano faz bem, temos que admitir. Para quem ama haicai e venera Bashô, essa é a obra que não pode faltar na coleção. Se a autora estivesse viva, eu mandaria um beijão prá ela. Salve, Bashô!

Informative and fascinating. Basho is a great way to learn to write haiku or just read his fantastic poetry.

It's a collector's Delight ! A thorough edition of the master Basho in one volume a dream of any serious English haiku reader that too a translation with multitude of translators in one book for one haiku ! A monumental task rendered awefully indeed !I am proud to own it !I am Poet Yugaputhiran !I do write Haikus in Tamil ( my mother tounge) and English !It's A must read book-of-the-centuryCatagory and a collector's Delight !

The translations in this book remind me of Kerouac's pops (free verse haiku) in that the translator doesn't adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable structure of haiku. I'm OK with this because I'm more interested in the spirit of each of Basho's haiku rather than a staid, literal transcription. This gives me a greater appreciation of the art that is being translated (and interpreted).

Hier liegen erstmals alle Haikus von Basho in einer Englischen Übersetzung vor.Da es sowas sobald nicht auf Deutsch geben wird habe ich zugegriffen und wurde nicht enttäuscht.An diesem Buch werde ich noch lange und viel zu lesen haben. Immer wieder hole ich es hervor und lese, mal hier, mal da, ein paar Haiku.Auch das 50 Seiten Vorwort ist interessant und informativ. Im Anhang findet sich eine Fülle zusätzlicher Informationen zur Übersetzung.