Description:
Mystic poems of love, longing and emptiness in Irish and English by Gabriel Rosenstock.
Explore infinite inner territories with 31-syllable tanka, in a configuration of five lines (5-7-5-7-7 syllables). Featuring stunning works by over 40 international artists.
Brief description: Gabriel Rosenstock (born September 29, 1949) is an Irish poet, tankaist and haikuist who primarily works in the Irish language. A member of Aosdána and Poets of the Planet, he has authored and translated over 400 books, spanning poetry, prose, drama, and children's literature. While he is known for his extensive work in poetry, he has also made significant contributions to haiku, tanka, and literary translation. His translations bring international voices into Irish, covering a wide range of poets such as Ko Un, Seamus Heaney, Rabindranath Tagore, and Muhammad Iqbal, as well as playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Max Frisch. He has also transcreated song lyrics from various artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell into Irish for the IMRAM litfest. His children's book Haiku Más É Do Thoil É! received the Children's Books Judges' Special Prize in 2015 and he was the recipient of the Irish Children's Annual Books Award 2023 for revolutionising children's poetry. He also has free titles for young readers on FreeKidsBooks.His multicultural blog has been running since 2012: https: //roghaghabriel.blogspot.com/
Review Quotes:
"Reading Meditation on Known Mysteries: Machnamh ar Rúndiamhra Léire is a deeply contemplative and transcendent experience. Your collection moves with quiet precision through themes of love, longing, and emptiness, inviting readers into a meditative space where language becomes both vessel and silence. The interplay between Irish and English enriches the poetic texture, allowing each tanka to resonate across linguistic and cultural dimensions.
What is especially compelling is your mastery of form and restraint. The 31 syllable tanka structure becomes a powerful conduit for vast emotional and philosophical depth, where each line feels both distilled and expansive. Paired with the visual contributions of international artists, the collection transforms into a multidimensional experience, one that bridges poetry, art, and inner reflection. Your work offers readers not just poems, but a journey into stillness, perception, and the infinite landscapes of the mind."
Kate Scott"Rosenstock's tanka paint magical worlds before the reader, each written in a musical language rich in philosophical and emotional depth."
Iliyana Stoyanova, Blithe Spirit, Journal of the British Haiku Society, Vol. 35, No.3