Love Poem

Here with you

I could remain

For countless days and years,

Silent as the bright moon,

We gazed at together.

--- Teishin

If your heart

Remains unchanged,

We will be bound as tightly,

As an endless vine

For ages and ages.

--- Ryokan

Last Words of Ryokan

My legacy -
What will it be?
Flowers in spring,
The cuckoo in summer,
And the crimson maples
Of autumn...

Love Poem between Ryokan and Teishin

The moon, I'm sure

Is shining brightly

High above the mountains

But gloomy clouds

Shroud the peak in darkness

--Teishin

You must rise above

The gloomy clouds

Covering the mountaintop

Otherwise, how will you

Ever see the brightness?

--Ryokan

Love Poems between Teishin and Ryokan

Have you forgotten me
Or lost the path here?
I wait for you
All day, every day
But you do not appear.

--Ryokan

Here with you
I could remain
For countless days and years
Silent as the bright moon
We watched together.

--Teishin

The Lotus

First blooming in the Western Paradise,

The lotus has delighted us for ages.

Its white petals are covered with dew,

its jade green leaves spread out over the pond,

And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.

Cool and majestic,

it raises from the murky water.

The sun sets behind the mountains.

But I remain in the darkness,

too captivated to leave.

RYOKAN

Love Poems

Was it really you I saw,

Or is this joy

I still feel

Only a dream?

~Teishin

In this dream world

We doze and talk of dreams--

Dream, dream on,

As much as you wish.

~Ryokan

Like The Little Stream

Like the little stream

Making its way

Through the mossy crevices,

I, too, quietly

Turn clear and transparent.

---Ryokan