Monday, April 15, 2013

Clouds Are My Best Neighbors


In my youth I put aside my studies
And I aspired to be a saint.
Living austerely as a mendicant monk,
I wandered here and there for many springs.
Finally I returned home to settle under a craggy peak.
I live peacefully in a grass hut,
Listening to the birds for music.
Clouds are my best neighbors.
Below, a pure spring where I refresh body and mind;
Above, towering pines and oaks that provide shade and
.........brushwood.
Free, so free, day after day--
I never want to leave!

---Ryokan---

No comments:

Post a Comment