Even if I now saw you
only once,
I would long for you
through worlds,
worlds.
my poetry teacher, Prof. Ricardo de Ungria, introduced me to one of the Japanese writers who i have learned to admire because of the short yet meaningful lines she had written about love and life. The poem above was translated to English by Jane Hirshfield and Muriko Aratani. This poem has become one of my many favorites written by Izumi Shikibu. It speaks so much about love and longing and it pains me that i couldn’t read the Japanese language. (If the translation is this good, i wonder how good the original piece is.)
She was born and raised in Kyoto and was a constant companion of the empress. Although she became a social rebel, i admire her for living her life the way she had wanted it. Her poetry say so much of her rebellious nature and her love to play with love. She had a lot of relationships with a lot of men which i guess gave her the time of her life. She had her chance to love and be loved.
“i will long for you, through worlds, worlds.”
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
The poem is very short yet meaningful and deep. Those are really sweet words that could make you fall in love.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
The poem is so short that it caught my attention… All the sweet words the author uses makes me fall in love.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:01 am
Love doesn’t need too much words to be understood. This is greatly proven by Izumi Shikibu’s poem.
I can really feel the passion behind the words. It’s so captivating. It makes me want to deeply fall in love.
Maybe that can happen…
someday.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:46 am
some lines from the poem made me curious about the real story beyond.
June 24th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
This poem made me wanna learn the japanese language more!!! Our ah4 teacher once said that the japanese has one of the most meaningful languages in the world…
June 25th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
On my opinion,japan makes the best poets in the whole world. Their form of poetry is short but with very deep meaning..I’ve been curious of who Izumi Shikibuis when i first read this haiku.I told myself to find a way so i can read more of her works and i did.Surfing through the internet i found her diary and when i finished reading ,whoa.I became an instant fan.Her works are very,very beautiful.She indeed played with love and lived her life to the extreme.I’m jealous of her.well, I also have a favorite from her diary.
“In the tears of regret
Your image will linger long
Even after chilly Autumn has gone by.”
Beautiful,isnt it?
~angeld3x~
July 1st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Indeed, the poem is very short but expresses its real meaning and thoroughness. The poem is much connected to the feeling of love at first sight.
July 4th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
very short but full of meaning. very simple but deep. one of the most beautiful lines ive read.
July 8th, 2007 at 12:37 am
it’s so nice to be in love.
with all the longings and the excitement you felt everytime your with him or her.
the poem speaks alot of a person heavily in love.
July 8th, 2007 at 12:49 am
WOW!!!
July 8th, 2007 at 1:26 am
i love to read poem like this… its so meaningful… the writer is so romantic!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
nice one!!!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
the poem makes me want to fall in love…
July 19th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
there are some types of people who prefers to used pens and papers in order to expressed themselves.To live a life to the fullest always follow your heart.Do whatever you think is right.
I like the poem the way it is because it expresses not just a thought.it is just not describing but also showing to the reader about being in love.:)
July 20th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
It is avery nice and interesting poem. A poem incorporated with simple but meaningful words…
I love it because it talks about love…
August 18th, 2007 at 6:48 am
“life is short.”i think this what the author was thinking when he was writing this one that’s why this poem was so short.but in fairness, there’s deep meaning beyond those countable words.i guess the author was badly in love to a certain woman.