Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Untitled

Prior to dawn,
After the moon has set --
Dreamless darkness

3 comments:

Brian said...

For whatever reason, this lovely poem reminds me of one of the last summer tanka in the Kokinshu where the poet wonders about the unknown "hostelry" of the moon before dawn.

Jim714 said...

That's an awesome comparison! Thanks. For those unfamiliar with the Kokinshu, here is the Tanka I think Brian is referring to, it is 166:

Now that dawn has come
while the evening lingers
on this summer night,
in what cloudy hostelry
might the moon have gone to rest?

(McCullough translation, Page 46)

Brian said...

That's the one!