Great Fool: Zen Master Ryōkan; Poems, Letters, and Other Writings

Waka (Poems in Japanese)

203 Waka (Poems in Japanese) Playing ball With the children in this village Spring day, never let the shadows fall! konosato ni temari tsukitsutsu kodomora to asobu harubi wa kurezutomo yoshi Oh! my poor begging bowl! I left it behind Picking violets by the roadside michinobe ni sumire tsumitsutsu hachinoko o wasurete zo koshi aware hachinoko 204 TRANSLATIONS I was on my way to beg But passing by a spring field Spent the whole day Picking violets iikou to waga koshi kado mo haru no no ni sumire tsumitsutsu toki o henikeri In spring rain, in summer squalls or autumn drought I go out begging Wishing peace to all the world haru wa ame natsu wa yûdachi akiwa teri yononaka yokare ware ii kowam Because the Dharma Path Carries truth in all directions You can simply drift at ease Coming or going, west or east nori no michi makoto wakatam nishi higashi yuku mo kaeru mo nami ni makasete Waka 205 You abandoned this life For the sake of the Dharma So it will never succumb To earthly decay itsumade mo kuchiya senamaji mihotoke no minori no tame ni suteshi sonomi wa My words cannot hope to match The Buddha’s exquisite teaching My sermon: This gardenia from the mountains1 taenaru ya minori no koto ni oyobaneba motekite tokam yama no kuchinashi To see before me, brought into the present The days long ago when the Buddha preached How grateful I feel! mihotoke no shiroshimeshitsuru inishie o imani utsushite miru ga tòtosa 206 TRANSLATIONS One who is a monk needs nothing— Only “Never Despising Anyone”2 For this is the unexcelled practice of all bodhisattvas sò no mi wa makoto wa irazu jòfukyò bosatsu no gyò no shushò narikeri In my begging bowl Violets and daisies mixed together Let’s make an offering To all the buddhas in the three worlds3 hachinoko ni sumire tampopo kokimazete miyo no hotoke ni tatematsuritena In the autumn field Breaking off pampas grass4 to add to the bush clover We’ve made an offering To all the buddhas in the three worlds aki no no no hagi ni susuki o orisoete miyo no hotoke ni tatematsuritem Waka 207 I visit Saigyò’s5 grave and offer flowers Forgive me If the flowers I plucked Have begun to fade I can offer you Only my heart taorikoshi hana no iroka wa usukutomo awaremitamae kokoro bakari wa During the Master’s lifetime, [a certain woman named] Yoshiko asked him to give her a poem as a keepsake.6 What have I to leave as a keepsake? In spring, the cherry blossoms In summer, the warbler’s song In autumn, the maple’s crimson leaves katami tote nanika nokosam haru wa hana natsu hototogisu aki no momijiba If not for Amida’s inconceivable vow7 What then would remain to me As a keepsake of this world? fukashigi no mida no chikai no nakariseba nani o konoyo no omoide ni sem 208 TRANSLATIONS What joy to know that Just because I am a hopeless soul I’ve found Amida Buddha’s vow! orokanaru mi koso nakanaka ureshikere mida no chikai ni au to omowaba Afterward, if someone should ask: “Did Ryòkan leave a final verse?” Just say: “Namu Amida butsu!” ryòkan ni jisei aruka to hito towaba namu amida bu(tsu) to iu to kotaeyo Clouds billow upward Skies are clear I go out to beg And receive heaven’s gifts kumo ideshi sora wa harekeri takuhatsu no kokoro no mama ni ten no atae o Waka 209 It’s not that I don’t care To mingle with others Only that I’m better At amusing myself yononaka ni majiranu to niwa aranedomo hitoriasobi zo ware wa masareru In the shadow of the mountain Like the water that trickles through the moss-covered rocks Thus do I live Quiet, unnoticed But free of impurity yamakage no iwama o tsutau kokemizuno kasuka ni ware wa sumiwataru kamo 210 TRANSLATIONS Tribute to Gogò-an The water of the valley stream Never shouts at the tainted world “Purify yourself!” But naturally, as it is Shows how it is done nigoru yo o sumetomo yobazu waga narini sumashite misuru tanigawa no mizu Who would ever have known it was there Beneath the duckweed That chokes the water by the shore: The full moon8...