Kitahara Hakushu New Edition (Century Books Jin to Sakuhin)

[Machine Translation] From the time he was a young boy in Yanagawa, Kyushu, when he first began his literary pursuits until his death at the age of 58, Kitahara Hakushu's life was truly one of poetry. He tirelessly pursued his work throughout the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, often establishing groundbreaking styles. Moreover, his activities encompassed the entire range of the poetic sphere, including poetry, tanka, children's songs, and folk songs. The fertility and healthy vitality of his poetic work, which constantly moves in search of new ground, is a fundamental characteristic of his work. And this power is never exhausted, for its source is the simple and eternal, such as the childlike spirit, the locality, and classical literature and art. The power to diffuse outwardly in abundance and the power to concentrate deeply inwardly, the combined energy of these two tendencies is the robust life force that propels Baiju literature. Diversity and unity, fashionable and unfashionable, this is the charm of Bai Qiu's poetic work.

九州柳河の一少年が文学に志して以来、詩歌壇の巨匠として五十八歳で永眠するまでの北原白秋の生涯は、まさに詩業一路の歩みであった。それは明治大正昭和にわたってたゆみなく進められ、しばしば画期的な作風を樹立したのである。しかも、その活動は詩・短歌・童謡・民謡その他、詩歌圏の全領域におよんでいる。絶えず新しい境地を求めて躍動する豊饒で健康な生命力こそ、彼の詩業の根本的な特色である。そして、この力は童心や郷土性や古典文芸など、素朴で永遠的なものが源泉とされている点で、決して枯渇することはない。外へ豊かに拡散する力と、内へ深く集約する力、この二つの傾向の総合されたエネルギーが、白秋文学を推進させるたくましい生命力なのである。多様と統一、流行と不易、そこに白秋の詩業の魅力がある。