An illustrated collection of translations of classical and contemporary Japanese "haiku". This popular art form is the poetic expression of Zen Buddhism. Traditionally, a haiku poem is just 17 syllables long, which requires the poet, like the follower of Zen, to cut through surface appearances to the heart of an experience. In this collection, translator Jonathan Clements seeks to capture the elusive spirituality that enabled the Japanese poets to preserve their experience of the moment in a mere three lines. This collection, drawing on three centuries of haiku, features haiku poets from Basho, Buson and Issa to Shiki, Hakuin, Ikkyu and Chiyo-Ni. The poems are sympathetically illustrated with Japanese prints from the collection at the Art Institute of Chicago.
