Kaifūsō
The “Kaifūsō,” or “Fond Recollections of Poetry,” was the first anthology of poetry in Chinese written by Japanese. It was compiled in 751, and includes material written over a period of seventy-five years. The verses in the “Kaifūsō” sometimes give the effect rather of copy-book exercises than of true poetry—which is only natural considering that they were among the earliest attempts by Japanese writers, including emperors, to compose in Chinese. Even when the subject of a poem is Japanese—such as a visit to the Yoshino River—the main effort of the writer appears to be directed toward including as many allusions to Chinese literature and history as possible. Nevertheless, some of the poems reach a high level of competence, as is indicated in the following selection.
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Approaching death
[Written when the Prince faced execution for attempted rebellion]
The golden crow[1] lights on the western huts;
Evening drums beat out the shortness of life.
There are no inns on the road to the grave—
Whose is the house I go to tonight?
The border official
Last year service in the eastern hills,
This, the marches of the western sea.
How often in the span of an official’s life
Must he weary himself with these border wars?
Watching fish in the water
By the southern woods I have built my hut;
I drop my hook from the north lake banks.
Sporting birds dive when I draw near;
Green duckweed sinks before my gliding boat.
The quivering reeds reveal the fish below;
By the length of my line I know the bottom’s depth.
With vain sighs I dangle the tempting bait
And watch the spectacle of avaricious hearts.
Composed at a party for the Korean envoy
Mountain windows scan the deep valley;
Groves of pine line the evening streams.
We have asked to our feast the distant envoy;
At this table of parting we try the pleasures of poetry.
The crickets are hushed, the cold night wind blows;
Geese fly beneath the clear autumn moon.
We offer this flower-spiced wine in hopes
To beguile the cares of your long return.
- ↑ Conventional term for the sun.