Publisher's Synopsis
An anthology of contemporary English-language tanka mostly written in the last decade of the 20th century. Originating in Japan over 1200 years ago and composed in five phrases (five lines in English) to a syllable count of 5/7/5/7/7, tanka are the classic lyric poems of Japanese literature.
Includes an incisive introduction on the history of the five line form and its place in contemporary western poetry.
so my friend
when will you visit me?
my flowers are withering
on the trellis and all the
geese have darkened the sky
