Three Poems | Sakutarō Hagiwara | Granta Magazine

Three Poems

Sakutarō Hagiwara

Translated by Hiroaki Sato

‘What I do not have is Everything: / how is it that I won’t bear this neediness?’

Sakutarō Hagiwara

Sakutarō Hagiwara (1886–1942) is a seminal figure in modern Japanese literature who broke traditional poetic forms in favour of a free verse style that mixed literary and everyday diction with intense imagery, deep philosophy, and various verbal distortions. An accomplished mandolin player, Hagiwara was the author of six books of poetry, as well as collections of essays and aphorisms.

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Translated by Hiroaki Sato

Hiroaki Sato has won prizes for his translation of poetry (PEN American Center, Japan-US Friendship Commission). A paperback edition of his Legends of the Samurai has recently appeared. He is now working on a second collection of samurai tales with their origins. He has been a Japan Times columnist since 2000.

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