In our translations, we have tried our best to reflect the lineation and rhythm of the original poem lines, attempting as well to maintain a balance between fidelity to the original texts (including attention to parallelism within couplets) and the need for readability and euphony in English. All verses quoted in English in the Introduction are our own translations and are found in this volume, unless otherwise indicated. Where we have provided information to clarify translated material, make corrections, or to provisionally fill lacunae, we have used square brackets to indicate such insertions. Interlinear or other notations found in the original sources, often written in a smaller hand, are indicated by the use of a small font. Empty boxes are used to represent missing or indecipherable characters.
Biographical sketches for each poet are situated where their first poem appears; cross-references to these biographies are given thereafter. In these notes, we have given comprehensive details gathered from diverse sources concerning the bureaucratic posts held by each poet-official and their main literary achievements in the hope that this repository of information will also assist future scholars, particularly since poets are sometimes identified only by their office titles in historical and literary primary sources. In these cases, we provide their actual names in our translation attributions.
We have utilized the revised Hepburn system for all romanized Japanese words; for Chinese, pinyin. The abbreviations J. for Japanese and Ch. for Chinese are included for clarity in places where needed. In recording Japanese dates, the Japanese year by the lunar calendar has been roughly converted to the Gregorian year, but the month and day remain in their original form and are listed in that order following the year, without conversion. Accordingly, a typical rendering would be “939/4/21” or “the twenty-first day of the Fourth Month of 939.” Reign dates for emperors are marked with “r.”
Where graphs are supplied, we have mainly done so only at the first appearance of the name, title, or term. Generally, we use traditional graphs, not only for the original poem texts but also for names of poets and other persons discussed and for classical book titles. For most other terms, such as more recent proper names, offices, and various vocabulary items, we follow current custom and use simplified post-war graphs. Characters are not provided for commonly available names of emperors or for most well-known places and geographical features.
In the List of Poems by Title, we have omitted annotations that accompany the original titles, but these are included in the main body of the work. When the titles of poems are long prose introductions, they are abridged in the List of Poems by Title. Abbreviated bibliographic citations for books and theses are used in the footnotes and poem notes, with series titles and publishers (and, in the case of dissertations, the name of the university) generally being omitted and only the year of publication and pages indicated. Complete information about each work cited can be found in the Bibliography.