--- product_id: 1393055 title: "Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)" price: "56.41 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1393055-classic-tradition-of-haiku-dover-thrift-editions-poetry store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry) **Price:** 56.41 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry) - **How much does it cost?** 56.41 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1393055-classic-tradition-of-haiku-dover-thrift-editions-poetry) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A highly distilled form of Japanese poetry, haiku consists of seventeen syllables, usually divided among three lines. Though brief, they tell a story or paint a vivid picture, leaving it to the reader to draw out the meanings and complete them in the mind's eye. Haiku often contains a hidden dualism (near and far, then and now, etc.) and has a seasonal tie-in, as well as specific word-images that reveal deeper layers in each poem. This unique collection spans over 400 years (1488–1902) of haiku history by the greatest masters: Bashō, Issa, Shiki, and many more, in translations by top-flight scholars in the field. Haiku commands enormous respect in Japan. Now readers of poetry in the West can savor these expressive masterpieces in this treasury compiled by noted writer Faubion Bowers, who provides a Foreword and many informative notes to the poems. Review: This was only $3 ??? You're kidding right? - I am an avid collector/reader of Haiku. I love the apparent simplicity yet deep and complex meaning. Here is why this is a phenomenal bargain: The book includes many Haiku from traditional Japanese masters. There are several translations by various scholars. So even under one Haiku, you might read 4 or 5 interpretations, each credited to the appropriate translator. For example, there are 5 different translations for the famous frog Haiku by Basho, some seemingly better than others. One translation is a bit longer in the English, but more appropriately captures the spirit of the Japanese. Not being able to understand the minor details about a Kanji symbol keeps many Westerners from understanding the true nature of Haiku (how some people say - my name is and is written in Kanji with the symbols for moon and light). Some Haiku is more straightforward and written in Hiragana, so the translations can be more spot on. But still, Japanese is a language that has a lot of meaning for very simple and short sounds. So having various translations for some of the Haiku really does help one gain a better understanding of the poem. The best part about this book (other than the stupidly low price) is that there are Romaji translations for the Haiku. Bravo! For those who don't know what Romaji is, Romaji is the phonetic English translation of the Japanese characters. Since most of us can't read Japanese any easier than we can read Cyrillic. This way you can read the poems in the traditional Japanese by sounding them out. It makes much more sense often to read the Romaji THEN reading the translations. Sometimes it is nearly impossible to translate a Japanese Haiku into English and retain the traditional 5-7-5 sound format. Also note that Japanese Haiku does not have to follow a 5-7-5 format or include a reference to nature or a season. That is the oldest and purest form of Haiku. You can read more about Haiku in one of two wonderful books which I highly, highly recommend: The Haiku Handbook -25th Anniversary Edition: How to Write, Teach, and Appreciate Haiku The Japanese Haiku This is a good addition to any collection. There are only 78 pages, but there are about 200 Haiku in this book and several pages of notes and reference. There are also a good number of Haiku from Issa, Shiki, and Munefusa, who are some of my favorites (that are less popular than Basho and Buson). Particularly I enjoy Shiki, often considered the fourth great master (Buson, Basho, Issa are the others). It's worth every penny and then some. Dover is not known for fancy binding or quality paper, so don't expect pristine printing and durable spines. It's printed on thin recycled paper, but for $3 it's worth it. I highly recommend this as an addition for any Haiku lover's library. Review: Big things come in small packages - Anyone looking for an inexpensive book of haiku could do no better than "The Classic Tradition of Haiku : An Anthology." Packed inside this affordable little book are 200 poems from 72 authors, including masters such as Basho and Issa, as well as novelist Saikaku Ihara and a horde of others. The haiku are presented in a straight-forward chronological fashion, stretching over about 400 years. A few rengas are included early on, to demonstrate the origins of the poetic form. There is little critical analysis or information on the haiku format, apart from a simple 3-page introduction that offers a bare-bones explanation and some footnotes regarding untranslatable words and author's histories. (ie: Who is a student of who, etc...) An additional bonus of this book is that, not only can you see the evolution of the haiku, but you can also see styles and trends in English translation of haiku, as the anthology provides the work of 45 different translators, including dignitaries such as Allan Ginsberg, Alex Kerr and Lafcadio Hearn. Several of the most important poems are given multiple English translations, so you can see how the interpretation of the translator affects the final product. A weakness is that many of these translations, especially the early ones, are of dubious quality, with author's attempting to define the meaning of the poem for English-speakers, and eliminating essential functions of haiku such as the non-sequitur "twist" ending that juxtaposes the imagery, or sets it's final scenery. Often, the important final line is first in the English translation, removing some of the power. Of course, the Japanese original is always given as well, so you are welcome to make your own judgment Weaknesses aside, at the price of a Dover Thrift Edition, there is no reason for someone interested in haiku not to have this book in their collection. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,518,372 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #50 in Haiku & Japanese Poetry #242 in Poetry Anthologies (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 792 Reviews | ## Images ![Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/913FFSajufL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was only $3 ??? You're kidding right? *by C***T on August 15, 2012* I am an avid collector/reader of Haiku. I love the apparent simplicity yet deep and complex meaning. Here is why this is a phenomenal bargain: The book includes many Haiku from traditional Japanese masters. There are several translations by various scholars. So even under one Haiku, you might read 4 or 5 interpretations, each credited to the appropriate translator. For example, there are 5 different translations for the famous frog Haiku by Basho, some seemingly better than others. One translation is a bit longer in the English, but more appropriately captures the spirit of the Japanese. Not being able to understand the minor details about a Kanji symbol keeps many Westerners from understanding the true nature of Haiku (how some people say - my name is and is written in Kanji with the symbols for moon and light). Some Haiku is more straightforward and written in Hiragana, so the translations can be more spot on. But still, Japanese is a language that has a lot of meaning for very simple and short sounds. So having various translations for some of the Haiku really does help one gain a better understanding of the poem. The best part about this book (other than the stupidly low price) is that there are Romaji translations for the Haiku. Bravo! For those who don't know what Romaji is, Romaji is the phonetic English translation of the Japanese characters. Since most of us can't read Japanese any easier than we can read Cyrillic. This way you can read the poems in the traditional Japanese by sounding them out. It makes much more sense often to read the Romaji THEN reading the translations. Sometimes it is nearly impossible to translate a Japanese Haiku into English and retain the traditional 5-7-5 sound format. Also note that Japanese Haiku does not have to follow a 5-7-5 format or include a reference to nature or a season. That is the oldest and purest form of Haiku. You can read more about Haiku in one of two wonderful books which I highly, highly recommend: The Haiku Handbook -25th Anniversary Edition: How to Write, Teach, and Appreciate Haiku The Japanese Haiku This is a good addition to any collection. There are only 78 pages, but there are about 200 Haiku in this book and several pages of notes and reference. There are also a good number of Haiku from Issa, Shiki, and Munefusa, who are some of my favorites (that are less popular than Basho and Buson). Particularly I enjoy Shiki, often considered the fourth great master (Buson, Basho, Issa are the others). It's worth every penny and then some. Dover is not known for fancy binding or quality paper, so don't expect pristine printing and durable spines. It's printed on thin recycled paper, but for $3 it's worth it. I highly recommend this as an addition for any Haiku lover's library. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Big things come in small packages *by Z***N on November 30, 2004* Anyone looking for an inexpensive book of haiku could do no better than "The Classic Tradition of Haiku : An Anthology." Packed inside this affordable little book are 200 poems from 72 authors, including masters such as Basho and Issa, as well as novelist Saikaku Ihara and a horde of others. The haiku are presented in a straight-forward chronological fashion, stretching over about 400 years. A few rengas are included early on, to demonstrate the origins of the poetic form. There is little critical analysis or information on the haiku format, apart from a simple 3-page introduction that offers a bare-bones explanation and some footnotes regarding untranslatable words and author's histories. (ie: Who is a student of who, etc...) An additional bonus of this book is that, not only can you see the evolution of the haiku, but you can also see styles and trends in English translation of haiku, as the anthology provides the work of 45 different translators, including dignitaries such as Allan Ginsberg, Alex Kerr and Lafcadio Hearn. Several of the most important poems are given multiple English translations, so you can see how the interpretation of the translator affects the final product. A weakness is that many of these translations, especially the early ones, are of dubious quality, with author's attempting to define the meaning of the poem for English-speakers, and eliminating essential functions of haiku such as the non-sequitur "twist" ending that juxtaposes the imagery, or sets it's final scenery. Often, the important final line is first in the English translation, removing some of the power. Of course, the Japanese original is always given as well, so you are welcome to make your own judgment Weaknesses aside, at the price of a Dover Thrift Edition, there is no reason for someone interested in haiku not to have this book in their collection. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ great haiku at a bargain price *by V***N on December 4, 2011* Dover Thrift Editions...is there a better bargain to be found? I love Haiku and enjoy reading multiple translations of the same poem so have a pretty extensive library. This is a handsome book with a nice cover. The typeset is clean and legible. Footnotes are large enough to be read and are very interesting, giving insights about the poets and their situations. I especially like the layout. In the front is a great intro to Haiku and the various translators. The poems are collected and presented by author. Each poem is presented in Japanese (phonetic not characters, whew!) so the reader can savor the flow and sound in the original language. Below that is at least one translation and often more. Each translator is identified. I love this little book, so much poetry and information, well presented at a bargain price. You won't be disappointed. ## Frequently Bought Together - Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry) - 101 Great American Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1393055-classic-tradition-of-haiku-dover-thrift-editions-poetry](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1393055-classic-tradition-of-haiku-dover-thrift-editions-poetry) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-29*