In the blue sky a winter goose cries.
The mountains are bare; nothing but falling leaves.
Twilight: returning along the lonely village path
Alone, carrying an empty bowl.
Foolish and stubborn – what day can I rest?
Lonely and poor, this life.
Twilight: I return from the village
– Taigu Ryokan (1758-1831)
From ‘One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan