Like everything important in life, poetry is difficult to define. It would be an endless task if we were to try to list the true or false qualities that have been attributed to poetry since the beginning of known history. Today we know that the Egyptians, Sumerians, and Chinese – just to name a few … Read more
Sei Shonagon (996/997 – 1017), a court lady from the Heian period, came from a noble family with a long tradition of literary creation. She entered the court in Kyoto at the age of twenty-four, in the service of fifteen-year-old Empress Sadako. Emperor Ichijo at that time had two wives: the first Empress Sadako and … Read more
In Mitilene [on the island of Lesbos] there is abundance of everything. It has also given birth to famous individuals like Pittacus, one of the Seven Sages, the poet Alcaeus, and others. At the same time, Sappho flourished, who was something extraordinary; as far as memory goes, no other period had a woman who could … Read more
Ralph Waldo Emerson represents a milestone in American literature and culture, as the pioneer of a new era and new ideas in literature, philosophy, and the study of religions. He is also referred to as the father of modern American literature, who strongly influenced numerous American writers, most notably Walt Whitman, whose arrival he predicted … Read more
The Boy in the Willow’s Shadow Above the meadows of the forest, summer winds And the scent of freshly cut hay fills the air, warm. The stream flows clear; gently, In a murmur. The willow tree lowers its soft branches Onto the meadow. In the shadow of the willow stands a boy. And he sings. … Read more
Competitions in ancient Greece, at the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Games, were a unique aspect of this rich culture because the main prize was not money but the glory symbolized by a wreath made of olive, laurel, or pine branches. The winners were the greatest pride of their cities and were celebrated as heroes, … Read more
Omar Khayyam (Abul-fath Omar ibn Ibrahim Khayyam) is a famous Persian scientist, philosopher, and poet. He was born in 1048 in the city of Nishapur, in the Persian province of Khorasan, one of the cultural centers of the East at that time, where he also died at the age of 83. The Islamic world was … Read more
…It is important for your spirit to be elevated in the world of true understanding, while not forgetting the value of what is ordinary. Always seek the truth of beauty, always return to the world of ordinary experience… Basho Haiku poetry, like other aspects of Japanese culture, is deeply infused with Zen. What is Zen? … Read more
When Hafiz was once asked: Who is a poet?, he replied: A poet is someone who is capable of pouring light into a glass, then raising it and quenching your beautiful dry, sacred mouth. Iranian poet Shamsuddin Muhammad (around 1320 – 1389), better known by his nickname, Hafiz, which in Arabic means the one who … Read more
The term “bardic tradition” refers to the cultural, judicial, scientific, artistic, and religious institutional systems of Celtic and pre-Celtic peoples of Europe, dating back to at least the 7th century BCE. Records of this tradition can be found in the writings of Greek and Roman historians around the 1st century BCE. They mention three different … Read more
