My Love’s Dark Place is Fragrant like Narcissus

Ikkyu Sojun (1394–1481) was a Zen master renowned for his teaching, calligraphy, and revolutionary shakuhachi (bamboo flute) playing. He founded what came to be known as “The Red Thread” (erotic) school of Zen and scandalized the Buddhist community when, at age seventy, he moved his lover into his own quarters in his temple.

Sam Hamill has published fourteen volumes of poetry and more than twenty volumes of poetry translated from ancient Greek, Latin, Japanese, and Chinese. The co-founder of Copper Canyon Press, he served as its editor from 1972 to 2004. (updated 7/2010)

Hamill’s collection Destination Zero was reviewed in AGNI 43 by Sarah Randolf.