A week before he died, Japanese swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi composed his Dokkōdō or Way of Walking Alone, a series of twenty-one precepts that spell out his philosophy of ascetic, honorable living. I do not oppose the age-old paths. I do not plot ways to find pleasure. I do not bias…
Cao Cao (155-220 C.E.) was a statesman, master of military affairs and a great poet. He became the Prime Minister of the Chinese kingdom of Wei in 209, in 214 was knighted the Duke of Wei, in 217 became the King of Wei and was conferred the title Emperor Wu…
Cao Cao (155-220 C.E.) was a statesman, master of military affairs and a great poet. He became the Prime Minister of the Chinese kingdom of Wei in 209, in 214 was knighted the Duke of Wei, in 217 became the King of Wei and was conferred the title Emperor Wu…
Lee van Laer, poetry editor at Parabola, has posted my translation of “Flower Song Convocation,” the 17th poem of the Aztec codex Songs of Mexico, on the magazine’s page. The 1700-word poem is considered the most complete exploration of Nahua esthetic philosophy to survive the Conquest. Check the poem out…
Lady Ise was one of the most important Japanese poets in history, the woman with the most pieces collected in the imperial anthology Kokin Wakashū (Kokinshū). Named one of the Sanjūrokkasen or 36 Immortals of Poetry, Ise was born in the late 9th century CE and became involved in relationships…
Ukon was a Japanese poet of the Heian period, active toward the end of the 10th century, named one of the Nyōbō Sanjūrokkasen or 36 Female Immortals of Poetry. She was a lady-in-waiting of Empress Onshi. The following poem is number 38 in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, a classical Japanese…
O ship, a new wave thrusts you back To the sea. What are you doing? Rush hard Into port! Can you not see that You are stripped of oars, Mast shivered by fast African winds, Yardarm groaning? Without rigging Your hull cannot withstand The imperious sea! Your sails are torn,…
Castro Alves was a Brazilian poet and playwright. His abolitionist writing won him the epithet of “O Poeta dos Escravos” (“The Poet of the Slaves”). How lovely the shores of this powerful river, Which flows away frothy, unrivaled, supreme: There in bromeliads, among golden blossoms, Sylphs and fairies establish their…
Castro Alves was a Brazilian poet and playwright. His abolitionist writing won him the epithet of “O Poeta dos Escravos” (“The Poet of the Slaves”). Coming through the fearful shadows Where is it bound, that canoe? Is it sailing manned or is it lost? Does it travel true or float…
Arthur Rimbaud was a visionary French poet who wrote all his startlingly original verse as a teenager. After the age of 20, he abandoned creative writing. He died shortly after his 37th birthday. The wolf howls beneath the leaves Spitting up the gorgeous plumes Of the fowl on which he…
