日本の古典文学

Japanese Translation ・日本の古典文学 ・日本の近代文学 ・日本のポップス

What’s the use?: Basho’s Poetics

松尾芭蕉『野ざらし紀行』俳句「猿を聞人捨子に秋の風いかに」英語訳

Bunjin is referred to as an intellectual who lives in literature, prefers creative solitude, appreciates arts and natural beauty. Basho ...
Read More

Maverick in Style: Basho’s Poetics

松尾芭蕉、俳句「櫓の声波を打て腸凍る夜や涙」英語訳

Since serenity and simplicity are characteristic to his later works, especially in his most popular traveling journal, Oku no Hosomichi, ...
Read More

New Year’s and the Snow: Manyo (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves)

『万葉集』和歌「新しき年の初めの初春の今日降る雪のいやしけ吉事」英語訳

Manyo-shu is the oldest anthology of short poems (waka, directly translated as short songs) in Japanese history, including 20 volumes ...
Read More

Enlightenment At This Moment

道元『正法眼蔵』「現成公案:自にあらず他にあらず」英語訳

Enlightenment is pretty much misunderstood. People tend to believe enlightenment is something you are yet to attain or achieve, but ...
Read More

Fish, Birds and Day-to-day Enlightenment

道元『正法眼蔵』「現成公案:うを水をゆくに」英語訳

Do you obsess yourself with full research to prepare for your trip or try to make it as spontaneous as ...
Read More

Lost in Enlightenment

道元『正法眼蔵』「現成公案:仏道をならふといふは」英語訳

Some ten years ago I came across an interesting book on the definition of "beautiful" women. It examines how beauty ...
Read More

Let go: Lyricism of Kokinshu

『古今集(古今和歌集)』和歌「あきかぜに あへずちりぬる もみぢばの ゆくへさだめぬ われぞかなしき」英語訳

Lyricism of Kokinshu is characterized by expressing emotions while singing about nature. Falling leaves arouses a certain kind of sadness ...
Read More

One of My Pet Peeves is…: Sei Shonagon and Her Language

清少納言『枕草子』「ねたきもの」英語訳

We all know too well that making a mistake makes us feel awkward and annoyed. For a change, why not ...
Read More

For All Eternity: Basho’s Poetics

松尾芭蕉『奥の細道』俳文「月日は百代の過客にして」英語訳

Here is the opening part of his most popular travel prose, "Oku no Hosomichi (The Back-country Trails)". Aesthetic sensitivity here is ...
Read More

The Stillness: Basho’s Poetics

松尾芭蕉『奥の細道』俳句「閑かさや岩にしみ入る蝉の声」英語訳

Matsuo Basho, a haiku master in the 17th century, is famous for his travel journal, Oku no Hosomichi (The Back-country ...
Read More

Let Life Flow

鴨長明『方丈記』「行く河の流れは絶えずして、しかも、もとの水にあらず」英語訳

With its variability and frailty, what do you compare life to? Let's look into the opening of "Diary from a Cabin" ...
Read More

Full moon, Full bloom

兼好『徒然草』「花は盛りに、月は隈なきをのみ見るものかは」英語訳

Why is it that your heart throbs to see the clouds covering the moon, the withered flowers on the ground?花は盛りに、月は隈なきをのみ見るものかは。雨にむかひて月を恋ひ、垂れこめて春の行方知らぬも、なほあはれに情け深し。咲きぬべきほどの梢、散りしをれたる庭などこそ見どころ多けれ。 Who says we ...
Read More

Shades and Absence

額田王「君待つと わが恋ひをれば わが屋戸の簾動かし 秋の風吹く」英語訳

What about Japanese culture fascinates me? Its attention to shades over lights, absence over presence. As pensive and pathetic as ...
Read More

Flawless Completion Is Something Undesirable

兼好『徒然草』「すべて、何も皆、事のととのほりたるは悪しきことなり」英語訳

Learning is something of a journey with no perfection in sight. すべて、何も皆、事のととのほりたるは悪しきことなり。し残したるを、さてうち置きたるは、おもしろく、生き延ぶるわざなり。 In everything, flawless completion is something undesirable. Intriguing ...
Read More