Just a quick note as I arrived at work early: Today is Helen Craig McCullough Day. She is the eminent translator of the Waka Kokinshu, an ancient collection of over 1000 Tanka/Waka. Waka Kokinshu is the most influential collection of Tanka in Japan. McCullough, however, didn't just provide us with a wonderful translation; which would be an accomplishment in itself. McCullough has also demonstrated the efficacy of using the 5-7-5-7-7 syllabics in English because McCullough followed the traditional syllabic shape in her translations into English. The result is an astonishingly vivid collection of English poetry which, I believe, will form the basis for the emergence of Tanka in the English speaking world.
Best wishes,
Jim
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