Talking about Poetry

What distinguishes a living poem from a clever arrangement of words? Orikuchi Shinobu speaks directly to young readers, taking them from the earliest legendary songs to the poets of the Edo period. He explains poetic forms and conventional expressions, but continually returns to what a poem lets us see, hear, and feel.

Hitomaro, Akahito, Narihira, Saigyō, imperial poets, scholars of national learning, and poets of everyday pleasures appear in an argument that is often surprising and sharply critical. Familiar masterpieces are questioned; quieter poems receive close attention. Birds at dawn, distant willows, hydrangeas, travelers, and children become tests of perception and lived experience.

Written for a volume for young readers whose parent edition dates to 1930, this complete translation preserves twenty-six numbered sections and all supplied poetic quotations. Notes explain names, wordplay, historical settings, and discrepancies retained from the Japanese source. It offers an engaging encounter with Orikuchi’s individual judgments about literature. AI-assisted translation.