Gazing at the Moon

A fresh translation of the classical Buddhist poetry of Saigyo, the wandering monk whose aesthetics of nature, love, and sorrow became foundational to the Japanese poetic tradition.

Saigyo, the Buddhist name of Fujiwara no Norikiyo (1118-1190), is one of Japan's most famous and beloved poets. He was a recluse monk who spent much of his life wandering and seeking after the Buddhist way. Combining his love of poetry with his spiritual evolution produced beautiful, lyrical lines infused with a Buddhist perception of the world.

Gazing at the Moon presents over 100 of Saigyo's tanka--traditional 31-syllable poems--newly translated into English by renowned translator Meredith McKinney. This selection of poems conveys Saigyo's story of Buddhist awakening, reclusion, seeking, enlightenment, and death, embodying throughout the Japanese aesthetic ideal of mono no aware--or sadness of change. McKinney's translation expresses the depth and complexity of Saigyo's poems through linguistic and syntactical ambiguity. Those interested in personal transformation, connection to nature, and vivid, imaginative language will find this an essential collection of poetry.