Bøger af Ki no Tsurayuki

The Kokinshu, compiled around 905 C.E. in 20 thematic books, was the first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry. It was an enormous success, becoming a cultural touchstone that defined the acceptable topics, diction, imagery, and style of court poetry for the next thousand years. Haiku poets took many cues from this tradition, including giving primacy to seasonal imagery.Ice Melts in the Wind is an exciting new translation of the six books of seasonal poems, depicting the progression from New Year's Day through spring cherry blossoms and summer cuckoo songs to autumn's colorful leaves and winter's snow, ending again with the New Year. Japanese text and commentary is included for every poem, along with brief biographies of all named poets.

The Tales of Ise is a collection of waka poems and associated narratives, dating from the Heian period. The current version collects 125 sections, with each combining poems and prose, giving a total of 209 poems in most versions. The exact date of composition and authorship can only be speculated; the identity of the nameless, idealised central character is likewise ambiguous, but suggested to be Ariwara no Narihira (825-880). The combination of these poems, and the similarity of some events in the tales to Narihira's life, have led to the additional suggestion that Narihira actually composed the work; however, the inclusion of material and events dating after 880 suggests otherwise.