B o o k R e v i e w
The Classic Tradition of Haiku
Faubion Bowers, editor
The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology
(Mineola, NY: Dover, 1996)
ISBN 0-486-29274-6
Reviewed by Bill Ramey
Most of us will remember reading a few selected haiku poems in grade school, but this anthology offers over 200 poems from a 400-year period. Editor Faubion Bowers does a superb job of introducing, selecting, and annotating the poems, and the translations are accompanied by their transliterated Japanese originals, a feature that helps English readers to see the economy of haiku, as well as the alliteration often lost in translation. Haiku: An Anthology is part of the excellent Dover Thrift Editions series of classic literary works and is a steal at $1.50; works of this caliber seldom cost so little.
Haiku (roughly translated as "unusual verse") is a highly compact form of Japanese poetry. Its origins are in popular literature, and it was somewhat of a superficial fad until Basho and other writers raised it to an art form. One of the key characteristics of haiku is its evocative, reflective nature--it can offer complex ideas in a distilled form. To take one example, from an anonymous writer:
I regret pickingAt first glance, this seems to be a contradictory and perhaps pointless statement. Why would one regret and not regret picking violets at the same time? On further reflection, however, the answer emerges: picking violets is a pleasurable activity but it kills the violet. Hence, one can both regret picking violets (i.e. killing a thing of beauty) and not picking violets (i.e. missing out on a pleasant pastime). An interesting parallel would be the opening line of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Haiku revels in this kind of elliptical thinking, challenging its readers to reflect beyond the literal meaning of its words.
and not picking
violets
Even for non-poetry readers, this volume is a delightful bargain. So make some green tea, sit in a quiet garden, and enjoy this book.
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