A review by maketeaa
The Poems of Nakahara Chuya by Chūya Nakahara

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.