Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
| Original Title | 五百句 |
|---|---|
| Author | 高浜 虚子 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | This curated anthology spans decades of poetic evolution, capturing fleeting moments where nature’s rhythms intertwine with human longing. Delicate as cherry blossoms and fierce as autumn storms, each haiku distills life’s ephemeral beauty—damp clothes weighed by spring rain, cicadas humming through sickroom silence, or a widow’s lonely beat of a fulling block. The verses traverse eras marked by personal and historical shifts: the death of mentors, wartime tides, and quiet gatherings where poets sought solace in shared creativity. Here, spiders descend on grassy inns, stolen scarecrows wear sudden rain, and temple pines whisper secrets to the moon. Fragments of love, grief, and wonder linger like wisteria scent—a monk’s bones bitten by mosquitoes, a motherless lantern glowing at sixty, or a crow enchanted by a bathing woman. These microcosms of existence invite readers to wander through seasons and emotions, where every dew drop and rustling leaf holds a universe. A mosaic of stillness and storm, this collection whispers: pause, listen, and let the world’s transient grace unravel you. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP