. . .The snows of changeless winter,
  Stirred by the bitter winds of unsatisfied desire."

70 Tailpiece—Part III75 Headpiece—Part IV77 Headpiece—Part IV94

"The green and violet peacocks
  Through the golden dusk
  Stately, nostalgically,
  Parade."

Endleaf

[11]

Preface

At the earliest period concerning which we have any accurate information, about the sixth century A. D., Japanese poetry already contained the germ of its later development. The poems of this early date were composed of a first line of five syllables, followed by a second of seven, followed by a third of five, and so on, always ending with a line of seven syllables followed by another of equal number. Thus the whole poem, of whatever length (a poem of as many as forty-nine lines was scarce, even at that day) always was composed of an odd number of lines, alternating in length of syllables from fi. . . Read More