Poetry. Anthology. Asian Studies. Translated by William I. Elliott and Nishihara Katsumasa. Originally compiled in 1967 by one of Japan's major literary critics, this anthology was considered highly innovative for its time, as it, somewhat like THE POEM ITSELF from the same period, appends generous commentary to each poet setting it clearly in its cultural and historical context. The poets include Shimazaki Toson, Kitahara Hakushu, Sato Haruo, Ishikawa Takuboku, Saito Mokichi, Takamura Kotaro, Miyoshi Tatsuji, Miyazawa Kenji, Hagiwara Sakutaro, Nakahara Chuya and many others

This volume discusses the indirect influence of oral transmission on the genesis and evolution of the Persian written epic tradition. On the basis of formal characteristics of naqqali (Persian storytelling) performance, a set of formal and thematic criteria is proposed to determine the extent to which written Persian epics show structures ultimately deriving from oral performance. It is applied to the Shah-name of Ferdowsi (c. 1000) and to the Garshasp-name of Asadi (c. 1064-66). The first part of the book examines the Oral-Formulaic Theory and proposes an alternative approach focusing on...