Scan barcode
honnari_hannya's review
3.0
A sad, mournful collection of poems. There is something lovely and lyrical about Nakahara's words, and I can see how several of them could have been set to music. Particularly enjoyed the themes of loss, regret, and ennui that permeated multiple poems throughout this collection, especially in the older works that dealt heavily with the loss of his child and his youth. It really does seem like he was sure he would die early, and was already in deep mourning about the life he could have lived.
Absolutely not a fault of the book itself nor of the translator, as it is just a quirk of language, but there were definitely moments I know I was missing because I was not reading the original. Japanese is a highly symbolic language especially in poetry, and combined with Nakahara's use of pattern and rhythm and repetition, a lot of the meaning was unfortunately obscured by my reading of this in English. Something to definitely reread, as I will probably enjoy it more a second or even third time, and see if there are other translations floating around for some of these poems.
Absolutely not a fault of the book itself nor of the translator, as it is just a quirk of language, but there were definitely moments I know I was missing because I was not reading the original. Japanese is a highly symbolic language especially in poetry, and combined with Nakahara's use of pattern and rhythm and repetition, a lot of the meaning was unfortunately obscured by my reading of this in English. Something to definitely reread, as I will probably enjoy it more a second or even third time, and see if there are other translations floating around for some of these poems.
maketeaa's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.75
i didn't know much about nakahara chuuya before picking this up but one-hundred something pages later i feel like i was him. his poems are lyrical, rhythmic, replete with natural imagery -- but the beauty of his form, his openings, his stanza structures, ensconce the vulnerability, the grief he tries to express as a normal part of life. he is self critical in a way that hurts to read, showing us all the tender scabs on his heart just to brush them away with a description of the sun or the sky or branches on trees. 'spring will come again' broke my heart in particular -- a poem that is so full of innocence, tenderness, and love that could've just been that if it weren't for that one line -- 'that child will not come again'. the introduction provided some essential context for this collection and am very grateful for the way it bolstered my reading experience! really heart wrenching, beautiful poems.
getlovequick's review
4.0
im positive that the poems would be incredible in the original japanese, but as the introduction admits, the stuff nakahara did with the syllables is lost once translated to english. that being said, “spring will come again” has me crying so horribly :’)
tarioronar's review
3.0
Like probably most people, I picked this up because of Bungo Stray Dogs. I can't help but think this is probably a very poor translation of his work, and done by someone who doesn't know how to write poetry. "he created lyrics renowned for their songlike eloquence, their personal imagery and their poignant charm.". This book certainly did not achieve that. Most of the poetry is ugly, clipped and disjointed. More beautiful versions of his more famous poems can be found online with a simple Google search.
iloinenilo's review
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Ah, through cowardice, for a long time, a really long time, we have busied ourselves with vanities, have forgotten to cry, really forgotten to cry
It was so pleasant to fall into the dreamlike writing style of this collection. The themes of seasons, of nature and of the moon are still relevant today and I may have underlined a few too many lines. The way Chuuya talks about memories, grief, love (and the hope of it) is beautiful. I’ll return to these pages over and over again.