Myriad Birds:A Playful Poetry Contest (Momo chidori kyka-awase), 2 vols. 1790 Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese Each of the double-page illustrations of this book depicts two avian species accompanied by a pair of playful love poems written in the “voice” of the respective bird. The poems are kyka (literally, “mad verse”), or playful light verse written in five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables respectively.Japanese Grosbeak (Mamemawashi, “Bean-turner”) Shinobu no ni irazaru kuchi no mamemawashi tsui saezurite na ya morasuramuMy love affair is secret, but the “bean-turner” bird, with its big mouth, no doubt spilled the beans and squealed her name. —Akera Kank ; trans. John T. CarpenterWoodpecker (Kitsutsuki)Na ni tachite koi ni ya kuchin kitsutsuki no tsuki-kudakaruru hito no kuchibashiAs rumors spread saying that my romance has rotted away, I'll be a woodpecker pecking to pieces their tittle-tattle. —Shinono Tamawaku; trans. John T. CarpenterDuck (Kamo)Tsukebumi no tsukaimono ni wa chi o hashir