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michaelashsmith's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
3.5
mirrorofneptune's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
3.75
This is an interesting collection because you see clear stylistic differences between the earlier and later poems, especially in terms of experimental language. Overall I enjoy them but there were definitely some I preferred to others– I will grant that Nakahara is a king of killer ending lines. I will also forever be haunted by the translator’s note explaining that there are some aspect of format and style that literally can’t be translated into English without butchering everything… Time to go learn Japanese I guess
zapmirelle's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
The introduction was interesting and promised great things from Nakahara’s verse, but I was disappointed to discover that most lines felt vague, bland, and absurd. Since I am not familiarized with the rest of the author’s work, I believe that the insipidness of the poems featured on this particular book is probably due to a poor translation, which is why I am rating it 2 stars.
honnari_hannya's review against another edition
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.
haise's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
maketeaa's review against another edition
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.