One of the defining works of Japanese literature

Poems of lament, longing, and life in Japan more than 1,000 years ago THE TEN THOUSAND LEAVES POEMS FROM THE MAN’YŌSHŪ Translated from the Japanese by Ian Hideo Levy The Man'yōshū is considered, along with The Tale of Genji, to be one of the most important works in classical Japanese literature. The title means “anthology of ten thousand leaves,” the anthology of anthologies from the first flowering of artistic and literary sensibility during the Asuka and Nara periods—the seventh and eighth centuries. Exhibiting an astonishing variety, the poems range from the grand animistic rhetoric of laments for the imperial family to the stark and curiously modern “Dialogue of the Destitute”; from the elegant banquet verse of aristocrats to the “poems of the frontier guardsmen.” As its title suggests, The Ten Thousand Leaves is a gathering of poems of many kinds, from a time unparalleled in Japanese history. This volume reproduces the first five books of the original Man'yōshū, with an introduction and notes by the translator, Ian Hideo Levy, whose elegant and informative edition was a finalist for the National Book Award. For three days only, The Ten Thousand Leaves is available at 25% off. BUY THE BOOK   Read a selection of poems from The Ten Thousand Leaves 57 (from Book One) Poem by Naga Okimaro Go into the field, and run among the black alders fragrant on the Hikuma Plain. Catch the scent in your clothes as a souvenir of your journey. 107 (from Book Two) Poem sent by Prince Ōtsu to Lady Ishikawa Waiting for my girl in the trickling rain on the foothill-trailing mountain, I stand here drenched in that trickling mountain rain. 108 (from Book Two) Poem presented by Lady Ishikawa in response You say you have been drenched waiting for me on the foothill-trailing mountain. O that I could be that trickling rain! 350 Poem in praise of wine by Lord Ōtomo Tabito, the Commander of the Dazaifu Smug and silent airs of wisdom are still not as good as downing a cup of wine and sobbing drunken tears. You are receiving this message because you signed up for email newsletters from NYRB. You can choose the types of mailings you wish to receive: Update preferences   New York Review Books 207 East 32nd Street New York, NY 10016-6305 Not a subscriber? Sign up for our newsletter here. Unsubscribe