Name: The Ink Dark Moon
ISBN: 9780679729587

Ono no Komachi

Izumi Shikibu

Translations of selected Japanese poems by women of the ancient court of Japan are accompanied by explanatory notes

Love Poems

The Ink Dark Moon

miya

marta

Bria

I'm 100% writing music based off these poems. I have to.

Jeremy Wang

endless pages of simple poetry! i'm impressed by komachi and shikibu's ability to choose surprising natural metaphors for (somewhat) uniquely human emotion. although the collection's title would suggest some level of drenched droopiness, the type of love poetry contained here is more concerned with the self and the effects of love thereof than with the object of love. this produces a satisfyingly distant effect that fits the recurring image: seated on that uniquely japanese low wooden porch, one leg folded up, gazing out on the glowing moon and reflecting on one's many loves.

it is obvious, though, that the poets of the time were producing absolutely copious amounts of work, not all of entirely equal quality, so that large swathes of the collection were less than memorable. usually, the problem is a certain frivolity or shallowness, although i suppose this fits the purpose of poetry at the time (almost like texting these days lol). also, i wish they were titled oh my goodness.

"On New Year's Day, watching it snow:

It seemed the plum trees
were already in bloom
but when I picked a branch
what fell—so much like flowers—
was snow."

"Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house."

"If, in an autumn field,
a hundred flowers
can untie their streamers,
may I not also openly frolic,
as fearless of blame?"

Faith Ho 

“Do you not know / this world / is a waking dream?”

picked this up in a sort of mood, breezed through it in a night or two. i can’t imagine how much more beautiful these poems are when read in japanese — even in english, they are undeniably moving. written elegantly, a collection of simply crafted poems that elucidate elusive feelings. of course, about love, but also capturing the essence of that particular liminal space of night. 

reading the intro was also really interesting—a glimpse into the world of the japanese court, and women’s place in it, and the power and prestige of literature. and of course, huge admiration for these women; simultaneously a sense of melancholy. 

“Watching the moon / at dawn, / solitary, mid-sky, / I knew myself completely, / no part left out.” 
“Is this love reality / or a dream? / I cannot know, / when both reality and dreams / exist without existing.” 
“The way I must enter / leads through darkness to darkness / O moon above the mountains’ rim, / please shine a little further / on my path.” (written on her deathbed)

side note: strangely, this really made me think of “sad steps” (sidney; larkin)

Cindy Lieberman

More interesting than the poems was the discussion about translating them. If you know Japanese you will especially appreciate the detailed discussions of Kanji characters and word choice (that went over my head). At the same time, I was reading The Translator by Nina Schuyler about a woman who translates a famous Japanese writer’s latest novel into English. Word choice becomes an art that marries interpretation and intent with what will attract and engage a foreign reader. To my ear, these simple poems range from a quick note to a thoughtful expression of a deep emotion, but overall are just OK. In the discussion of the translation, some cultural references help explain why a few of these are so well regarded, but I’m not going to be rereading and pondering them. 
Now I’m traveling in Japan and using Google Translate to help me read menus, labels on food and shop signs. Often the “automatically” translated characters are so out of context that the suggested translation is laughable. Packages of food, for example, listing pine, earth, sun, acid, wood....although here there is such a thing as Dairy Water (looks like water but contains yoghurt), and I don’t want to think about what’s in a bottle of Pocari Sweat. 
Bottom line, if you are a fan of the haiku and other Japanese short form poetry, you might enjoy this. If you’ve ever worked with a translator / translation agency and wanted to pull your hair out, be sure to read all the notes and commentary about the translation...and read Ms Schuyler’s novel as well. It will give you a new appreciation for the work they do.

These translated poems were written by 2 ladies of the Heian court of Japan between the ninth and eleventh centuries A.D. The poems speak intimately of their authors' sexual longing, fulfillment and disillusionment.

The Ink Dark Moon Love Poems

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