As long ago as 1916 William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound were excitedly discovering Noh plays. In 1922 Aurthur Waley’s fine translations appeared in a collection titled The Noh Plays of Japan. Since then, interest has grown steadily in this unique art form.

The emotion of these plays is so communicable that one can imagine them staged anywhere in the world. Or they can be read and reread in Donald Keene’s excellent translation.