Ryōkan

1758–1831

I never longed for the wilder side of life.

Rivers and mountains were my friends.

Clouds consumed my shadow where I roamed,

and birds pass high above my resting place.

Straw sandals in snowy villages,

a walking stick in spring,

I sought a timeless truth: the flower’s glory

is just another form of dust.

Translated from the Japanese by Sam Hamill.