Born in 1907 Nakahara Chuya was one of the most gifted andcolourful of Japan's early modern poets. A bohemian romantic, his death at the early age of thirty, coupled with the delicacy of hisimagery, have led to him being compared to the greatest of French symbolist poets.Since the Second World War Nakahara's stature has risen, and hispoetry is now ranked among the finest Japanese verse of the 20thcentury. Influenced by both Symbolism and Dada, he createdlyrics renowned for their songlike eloquence, their personalimagery and their poignant charm.This selection of poems from throughout Nakahara's creative lifeincludes collected and uncollected work and draws on recentscholarship to give a full account of this extraordinary figure.