Haiku

One of the best set of books on haiku. Each volume contains a preface and haiku. The four volumes are set to the seasons. All poems appear in both in Japanese and in English. Commentary often occurs, sometimes the editor relating a haiku to a passage from Western poets or philosophers. I've had these books for over thirty years. With the passage of time, I seem to appreciate them more and more. During a tea ceremony that begins before the sun rises, the first guest uttered: "Oh, look, the candle is sputtering; the first light is on the shoji" (the sliding paper door). We had all been called to the moment, which many of us would have slumbered through. I'll never forget that experience. Organized by the seasons, Mr. Blyth brings these gems to the reader year after year.