Good poetry contains the kind of knowledge we search for, the kind that resonates in the heart as well as the mind. The poems in this anthology are timeless, spanning two millenniums, and are drawn from many different centuries and cultures. The voices range from ancient China, Japan, and India to contemporary America and Europe. What they share is a living spirit that can help us change the way we see ourselves, and the world.

Contributors include Han-shan, Du Fu, Li Po, Ryokan, Issa, Yosa Buson, Ikkyu, Rumi, Antonio Machado, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Tomas Transtroemer, Rolf Jacobsen, Rainer Maria Rilke, Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Denise Levertov, Jane Hirshfield, Gary Snyder, Joseph Bruchac, Sam Hamill, James Wright, Ilya Kaminsky, Robert Bly, and many others.