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157 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1899
"The first curious fact is that, from very ancient times, the writing of short poems has been practiced in Japan even more as a moral duty than as a mere literary art. The old ethical teaching was somewhat like this: -- "Are you very angry? -- do not say anything unkind, but compose a poem. Is your best-beloved dead? -- do not yield to useless grief, but try to calm your mind by making a poem. Are you troubled because you are about to die, leaving so many things unfinished? -- be brave, and write a poem on death! Whatever injustice or misfortune disturbs you, put aside your resentment or your sorrow as soon as possible, and write a few lines of sober and elegant verse for a moral exercise."
"The priest who preaches foul doctrine shall be reborn as a fungus."