poem by Yamanoue Okura from The Man’yoshü

Like the unchanging cliffs,
I would remain just as I am.
But I am living in this world
and cannot hold time back.

translated by Ian Hideo Levy

5 thoughts on “poem by Yamanoue Okura from The Man’yoshü

      • This poem was taken from The Man’yoshü which translates to The Ten Thousand Leaves. It is an anthology of poetry written over a century and comprising of work of 400 poets of different styles and written for different occasions. The entire anthology has not been translated into English as far as I know. As for rules, there are many different styles of writing so there are no rules in the formal sense.Some are just thoughts scribbled on paper. Others are in the different forms of Japanese poetry. I think the best way to read them is to just accept them for the feelings they express.

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