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tough_cookie's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
Although I usually avoid poetry by any means, for some reason, I was drawn to this collection of poems by famed Japanese poet Ryokan, and I'm very glad I gave it a chance. If you know nothing about Zen poetry or the author, Ryokan (like I did) then I highly recommend reading the brief translator's introduction at the beginning. It gives a very concise biography of Ryokan, which provides helpful context when reading his poems.
Due to their translated nature, the poems do not rhyme, but this didn't inhibit my enjoyment of them. Each poem is a short, seemingly simplistic observation of Ryokan's world at a given moment, but beneath the surface is a wealth of peace just waiting for the reader to uncover. Some of my favorites are "Bamboo," "Visiting Cloud Peak with Priest Tenge in Fall," and the poem that starts with "In my garden/" and talks about "no-mind."
A casual read by itself can induce a sense of ease, but if you go slowly and reread the poems a few times, you feel almost as if some unnamed wisdom has been imparted. Or, rather than "wisdom," maybe "understanding" would be a better word to use. I am by no means smarter having read this book, but I feel more aware and appreciative of my surroundings. Ryokan's words made me want to slow down and just observe life going on around me, something no other book has done. This is definitely a collection I'll reread again and again, simply for the feeling of peace it gifted me.
Due to their translated nature, the poems do not rhyme, but this didn't inhibit my enjoyment of them. Each poem is a short, seemingly simplistic observation of Ryokan's world at a given moment, but beneath the surface is a wealth of peace just waiting for the reader to uncover. Some of my favorites are "Bamboo," "Visiting Cloud Peak with Priest Tenge in Fall," and the poem that starts with "In my garden/" and talks about "no-mind."
A casual read by itself can induce a sense of ease, but if you go slowly and reread the poems a few times, you feel almost as if some unnamed wisdom has been imparted. Or, rather than "wisdom," maybe "understanding" would be a better word to use. I am by no means smarter having read this book, but I feel more aware and appreciative of my surroundings. Ryokan's words made me want to slow down and just observe life going on around me, something no other book has done. This is definitely a collection I'll reread again and again, simply for the feeling of peace it gifted me.
mtoddweb's review
5.0
The quintessence of Zen poetry: The ramblings of an aging hermit-monk, collected by the young nun with whom he fell in love a few years before his death. Ryokan is one of those solitary people whom I recognized instantly as a kindred spirit; reading these poems makes me want to retreat to the hills to meditate and ramble in my own solitude.
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