There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry?

和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。

Original text (Japanese)

Notes from Wikiquote

Essentials of Poetic Composition (詠歌大概 Eiga no Taigai)

Variants

/ In poetry there are no teachers. One makes antiquity one’s teacher. Provided he steep his mind in the styles of antiquity and learn his diction from the great poets of old, who can fail to compose good poetry?

There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry?

Notes from Wikiquote

Variants

More quotes by Fujiwara no Teika

Attribution

There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry?

Share this quote

Notes from Wikiquote

Variants

More quotes by Fujiwara no Teika

Attribution