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
Meng Haoran, one of the defining poets of China’s High Tang age, was born around 689 or 690 and died in 740. His life unfolded during the long and brilliant reign of Emperor Xuanzong, an era remembered for imperial confidence, commercial vitality, religious pluralism, and an extraordinary flowering of poetry. Yet Meng’s achievement is distinctive precisely because he did not chiefly write about the glitter of the cap…
Neighbourhood:
Chinese Poets, Classical & Ancient Poets, Classical Chinese Poets, Nature Poets
Emotional landscape: Peace, Wonder, Sensuality
