Poem-a-Day - "[A frail hepatica]" by Jun Fujita

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. In honor of National Poetry Month, please consider making a gift to help cover the costs of this important series.
May 7, 2023 

[A frail hepatica]

Jun Fujita

A frail hepatica
Shyly holds its fragrance
Beneath the fresh morning dew.
So, Elizabeth.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on May 7, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast 

  

Jun Fujita’s poem “[A frail hepatica]” appears in Poetry, vol. 15, no. 2 (November 1919). The poem is one of many tankas composed by Fujita, who typically composed his tankas in four lines. In “These Images with Words: The Poetry of Jun Fujita,” collected in The Tanka Prose Anthology (Modern English Tanka Press, 2008), poet Marjorie Buettner writes, “Though in his exile [in the wilderness of Minnesota] Fujita wanted to leave his camera behind, his poetry captures, just as a camera would, this light-filled and fragile world; and with his word-images he colors beautifully those things that are translucent and transient; at this point his poetry becomes a metaphor for life [. . .]. His exile did not stop him from creating by utilizing what he has called that ‘illusive mood’ so important in tanka, haiku and photography. His minimalist poetry gives little away and yet, like a passing fragrance, we are enveloped in the mystery of its scent wanting more as soon as it has faded.”

Jun Fujita
Jun Fujita, born Junnosuke Fujita on December 13, 1888, near Hiroshima, Japan, was a Japanese American photojournalist, photographer, actor, and poet. He is the author of the collection Tanka: Poems in Exile (Covici-McGee Co., 1923), and published his poems in periodicals such as Poetry magazine. He died on July 12, 1963.

Poetry, vol. 15, no. 2
Poetry
(November 1919) 

“[The flowers and my love,]” by Ono no Komachi
read more
“Parfum Des Fleurs” by Sadakichi Hartmann
read more

Thanks to Hieu Minh Nguyen, author of Not Here (Coffee House Press, 2018), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Nguyen’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today in honor of National Poetry Month. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.
 
Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.



Our mailing address is:
The Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane
STE #901
New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book


View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

"Though from Here I Can’t Smell the Smoke" by Allison Hutchcraft

Saturday, May 6, 2023

In medieval frescoes haloed saints are edged in flame Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 6, 2023 Though from Here I Can't Smell the Smoke Allison Hutchcraft In medieval frescoes

"Self-Portrait as Lilith" by Elizabeth Acevedo

Friday, May 5, 2023

some days you seem / so disappointed, love but you knew Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 5, 2023 Self-Portrait as Lilith Elizabeth Acevedo some days you seem so disappointed, love but

"Wanting a Child" by Jay Deshpande

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Here in California, we can drive through any / landscape, field, flower, forest, all in reach, Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 4, 2023 Wanting a Child Jay Deshpande Here in California

"Dirtbag" by Leigh Lucas

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

At the funeral, his other former girlfriend gives the eulogy. I sit in the pew. Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 3, 2023 Dirtbag Leigh Lucas At the funeral, his other former girlfriend

"Light, my light, the world-filling light"

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

May 2, 2023 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, India, on May 7, 1861. Throughout his career, Tagore not only wrote and translated poetry, but published

You Might Also Like

The Best Thing: November 5, 2024

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Best Thing is our weekly discussion thread where we share the one thing that we read, listened to, watched, did, or otherwise enjoyed recent… ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Reading Aurelian Craiutu’s “Why Not Moderation?” in a moment of uncertain polarisation and partisanship

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Or, 'Political labels be damn' ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

The Revolution Will Be Normalized

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Why demonstrating success is psychologically tricky ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Letterheads 50: Save the Dates

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The 50th anniversary Letterheads meet takes place from 20–22 June 2025 at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is set to be a very special event at a very special venue, and I'll use

How to Watch Tonight's Results and Stay Somewhat Sane

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Here's my guide on what to watch - and not watch - as the votes start getting counted. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Do you need to cuddle a puppy?

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

— Check out what we Skimm'd for you today November 5, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser But first: tell us what's on your mind on Election Day Update location or View forecast Quote of the Day “

"I am the daughter my mother raised to confront them" by Margo Tamez

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

with grievance's command. // I am the daughter she trains / to translate lightning. Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day November 5, 2024 I am the daughter my mother raised to confront

Kim Kardashian Stunned In Princess Diana’s Necklace On The Red Carpet

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The LACMA Art + Film Gala looks were epic. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 11.4.2024 As soon as the calendar switches over to September, I usually go all in on the autumnal vibes. That means

5 Reasons to Ditch Your Bank and Join a Credit Union

Monday, November 4, 2024

My Favorite Apple Intelligence Feature Is Notification Management. A credit union is better for your bottom line and offers you something banks never will: A voice. Not displaying correctly? View this

Coal CEOs are the new crypto bros

Monday, November 4, 2024

Alliance Resource Partners isn't just mining coal anymore. It's also mining Bitcoin. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏