Matsuo Bashō, born in 1644 and dead on 28 November 1694, occupies a singular place in Japanese literature: he was at once a professional poet, teacher, traveler, theorist, editor, correspondent, and restless seeker after a way of seeing. His name is now inseparable from haiku, although the compact poems for which he is famous were called hokku in his own lifetime and originally functioned as opening verses for collab…
“The months and days are the travellers of eternity. The years that come and go are also voyagers.”
Neighbourhood:
Japanese Haiku Masters, Mystical & Spiritual Poets, Nature Poets
Emotional landscape: Peace, Wonder, Spirituality
1 live poem · Mandarin Chinese
Li Bai, also known as Li Bo, was born in 701 and died in 762, during the high and later Tang dynasty, the period most often celebrated as the great classical age of Chinese poetry. Few literary figures have become so inseparable from the imaginative idea of poetry itself. In China he is commonly called the “Immortal Poet,” and the phrase is more than a compliment to technical skill. It conveys the sense that his vers…
“The great roc rises with the same wind in a single flight, soaring ninety thousand miles.”
Neighbourhood:
Classical & Ancient Poets, Classical Chinese Poets, Mystical & Spiritual Poets, Nature Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Sorrow, Spirituality
