Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Taking It Easy
A poem by Ryōkan (1758–1831), tr. Haruo Shirane, Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900 (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002), p. 922:
Newer› ‹Older
All my life I've had no interest in worldly success
I take it easy, leaving things to nature.
In my pocket, three cups of rice
By the stove, a bundle of brushwood
Why should I ask about ignorance or enlightenment?
Why should I know about the dust of profit and fame?
During the evening rain, inside the hut
I stretch out my two legs as I please.
