Future of Ice: Poems and Stories of a Japanese Buddhist

I bought this book on a whim after seeing the movie "Kenji no Haru" or "Spring and Chaos" (US title) thich is based on the life story of Kenji Miyazawa. I think this book is the most inexepensive (and authentic) way to get his poems in English today. The poems were originally published in several, small, volumes years ago and are now out of print. This book is 255 pages including the following: about 120 poems and tanka, and 3 stories. The poems from the volumes: Spring and Asura volumes 1-4, and "Winter Sketches". This is an excellent book. It really is. Poetry has never been one of my things, but now, I'v gotten an interest in it. My thesis paper this year is on Miyazawa, so reading and analyzing these poems are a delight. Most of them are about nature, and the way the he viewed the world around him. it is very personal, b/c you get the sense that this is what he actually saw. Also, in poems like "Koiwai Farm", the descriptive language is beautiful! I still do not understand why such and excellent poet has never been taught in western classrooms.So, in short, this book is a must read for poetry enthusiasts, or people even midly interested in Miyazawa. I also recommend the movie "Spring and Chaos" (produced in the US under Tokyopop Producitons) for a very artistic approach to Kenji's life and art.