Poems from the Kokinshu: A Literary Analysis Essay

Poems from the Kokinshu is an anthology of poems from the Japanese medieval times (Law whole. ed, 2002). The anthology is divided into contrary poems depicting charitable emotions as they vary season after season, or as hatful move into an entirely new environment. The principal theme of the poems revolve around the concept of lovethe progression of feelings, the entire course of the love affair, untimely yearnings, passionate meetings, sadness and regret (Rodd and Henkenius, 1996). As each season, starting from spring, progresses, the emotions entailed in each poem also changes and develops.One of the principal stylistic gasconades in the anthology is simile, wherein the author comp atomic number 18s his feelings to his observation of what is happening in his environment. An example of simile is express in Poem II, 73 like the world hollow as a cicadas cast-off shell oh cherry blossoms you besides will fade away just as we catch quid of your beauty In this particular poem, the author compargons his object of affection to a decaying shell of the cicada as the day turns into night. Simile occurs in some(prenominal)(prenominal) poems just like the said example.Another striking stylistic feature presented in the poem is antithesis, wherein the author expresses his emotions in contrast to his environment. In several poems wherein the prevailing emotion is grief, the author contrasts his feelings to the beauty of his environment. Here is an example from Poems 7 and 8 from the Spring Poems of the Kokinshu so longingly have I expect the fresh flowers of spring, that they have slanted my soul and I see shock as clustered blooms on branches though I bask in thecomforting warmth of springs light how melancholy to count that my hair now wears a crown of winter snow excursion from the aforementi integrityd poems being examples of antithesis, parts of them also suggest allegory. The phrases they have dyed my soul and to think that my hair now wears a crown of winter snow mean that the character in the poem is old and has discolour hair. The antithesis comes as he describes the warmth of spring in contrast to the ice-cold winter which his body and soul are experiencing, i. e. , his old age.Given that the anthology was create verbally and compiled in the Japanese medieval times, the concepts or theme presented in The Kokinshu are parallel to other literary works done in different parts of the world, such as the Medieval Lyrics of the English Literature. Though a significant number of these lyrics talk about Christianity and religion, most works are also written in the concept of love with a guise of reputation. An example of a Medieval Lyric similar to the theme of a Kokinshu poem is Westron Wind (Western Wind)Westron wind, when will thou blow? The small rainwater down can rain. Christ, if my love were in my arms, And I in my hunch over again. As said earlier, the prevailing concept tackled in the anthology is love and its attenda nt emotions that were given color and described in comparison/contrast to nature and its seasons. The concept of love, though internationally severalized throughout the centuries and millennium, is somewhat a secondary concept in the 21st century.In this day and age, with all the prevailing issues such as technology, globalization and others, the concept of love is deemed unavailing to be tackled, although, it is indeed, as cliche dictates, the universal language. As Mario Vargas Llosa said, literature is one of the common denominators of human experience through which human beings may recognize themselves and converse with each other, no matter how different their professions, their life plans, their geographical and cultural locations, their personal circumstances. Although the concept of love is not deemed as chief(prenominal) as business or political concepts nowadays, it still is a rule emotion that affects each person. Any person who has loved or cute to love, or even de spised love, can relate to the verses of the Kokinshu, including myself. References Lawall, S. N. (Ed. ) (2002). The Norton Anthology of World Literature. sunrise(prenominal) York WW Norton & Co, Inc. Rodd, L. R. , & Henkenius, M. C. (Eds. ) (1996). Kokinshu A Collection of Poems Ancient