tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post7240944059798140115..comments2024-03-23T20:37:37.891-07:00Comments on First Known When Lost: "Beyond All This, The Wish To Be Alone"Stephen Pentzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-13836910913437060542011-08-30T14:58:03.114-07:002011-08-30T14:58:03.114-07:00Julie: thank you for the lovely poem. I don't...Julie: thank you for the lovely poem. I don't recall reading anything by Sodo before -- I'll have to find out more about him. Thanks again.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-62129420508618682202011-08-29T09:17:54.800-07:002011-08-29T09:17:54.800-07:00Stephen ,
Sodo says it nicely in his Haiku
The R...Stephen ,<br /><br />Sodo says it nicely in his Haiku<br /><br />The Recluse<br /><br />In my ten-foot bamboo hut this spring,<br />There is nothing; there is everything.<br /><br />julieJulie Whitmore Potteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12283540996942265818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-26720272500345733752011-08-28T23:28:27.503-07:002011-08-28T23:28:27.503-07:00Fred: thank you very much for visiting again, and ...Fred: thank you very much for visiting again, and for the reference to Kenko's Essays in Idleness. The passage that you quote fits well with Montaigne's comments. I haven't read Essays in Idleness, but your introduction makes me want to do so. I have checked, and I see that Donald Keene, who, as you know, has done many fine translations of Japanese literature, has translated Essays. I will have to track a copy down.<br /><br />As always, thank you.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-29571494656972343342011-08-28T08:33:00.255-07:002011-08-28T08:33:00.255-07:00Brief introductory statement from _Essays in Idlen...Brief introductory statement from _Essays in Idleness_, by Kenko, a 14th century Japanese Buddhist priest who retired from the court and wrote a number of essays while in retirement.<br /><br />"What a strange demented feeling it gives me when I realize I have spent whole days before this inkstone, with nothing better to do, jotting down at random whatever nonsensical thoughts have entered my head."<br /><br />Like Montaigne, he spent time writing short essays that cover a wide variety of topics and issues in 14th century Japan. He is quite conservative, so the reader gets a good idea of the customs, traditions, and mores of the time--a fascinating work, plus complaints about the way the old ways are disappearing. I've already done several short posts from this work on my blog.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.com