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    These Things Called Dreams: The Poems of Ono no Komachi
    These Things Called Dreams: The Poems of Ono no Komachi
    These Things Called Dreams: The Poems of Ono no Komachi
    Ebook73 pages20 minutes

    These Things Called Dreams: The Poems of Ono no Komachi

    By Larry Hammer

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    About this ebook

    Ono no Komachi is generally recognized as Japan’s greatest love poet before modern times. For most of history, however, she was better known for her legendary beauty and supposed numerous affairs. The texts behind her reputation reveal her to have been superb poetic technician and author of some of the most passionate works of classical Japanese.

    This new translation of all reliably attributed poems is lavishly illustrated with portraits spanning seven centuries, depicting Komachi and the legends that grew up around her. Japanese text and commentary is included for every poem.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLarry Hammer
    Release dateFeb 26, 2019
    ISBN9781370979561
    These Things Called Dreams: The Poems of Ono no Komachi
    Author

    Larry Hammer

    Larry Hammer is a writer, poet, and translator living in Arizona.

    Read more from Larry Hammer

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      Book preview

      These Things Called Dreams - Larry Hammer

      Contents

      Introduction

      Poems

      1. Autumn nights are such

      2. So was it because

      3. Though I’m not a guide

      4. But doesn’t he know

      5. I dozed, and saw him

      6. In the waking world

      7. Guided by the flames

      8. Though I constantly

      9. When we cannot meet

      10. Those times when I long

      11. So indeed it is

      12. It is indeed true

      13. They’re foolish indeed

      14. So it’s over now

      15. Lonely and, thus, sad

      16. When I spend the night

      17. Even more painful

      18. Like rice in the field

      19. Without an oar like

      20. This flower’s beauty

      21. Of my own desire

      22. Flowers blooming

      Figures

      1. Komachi

      2. Ono no Komachi

      3. Lady Komachi

      4. Courting Komachi

      5. Lady Komachi

      6. Ono no Komachi Looking at Her Reflection

      7. A Court Lady

      8. Ariwara no Narihira and Ono no Komachi

      9. Ono no Komachi Praying for Rain

      10. Ink: Komachi

      11. Ono no Komachi

      12. Parrot Komachi

      13. Snow, Moon, Flowers

      14. Gravemarker Moon

      15. Komachi

      16. Komachi at Kiyomizu

      17. The Six Poetic Sages

      18. Komachi at Sekidera

      19. Actors as the Six Poetic Sages

      20. Ono no Komachi

      21. Takigawa of Ogiya House

      22. Komachi Cherry Blossoms

      Sources

      Also Available

      Introduction

      WE KNOW LITTLE for certain about Ono no Komachi: she was female, a poet, and the subject of numerous medieval legends about her beauty and heartlessness. Our best guesses for when she lived is flourished in the 850s and for her biography probably a lady-in-waiting to a noble or imperial family. Her

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