RENGETSU

Ten Poems by Rengetsu
Translations by Kazuaki Tanahashi, Joan Halifax

Autumn Moon

Fearing my past is exposed
to the moon,
I keep looking down
this evening.


Water in an Old Temple

Leaking from the rock
in an old  temple,
water  barely trickles -
the voice
of the lingering dharma.


Brush Doodling

Just playing
not doing
anything special -
the drawn traces
of an ink-soaked brush.


Snow on Water

I see it dust
the river wind
then vanish -
fragile snow over water
disappears from my sight.


Firefly in the Field

Even if a thought
of the firefly grass
dwindles,
it may light up as a firefly
in a remote field.


Heart

Drifting
like white clouds
from beginning to end -
a thing of mystery
is this heart.


Longing in the Wind

I await my beloved
who is not yet here.
The moon in the pines
and voice of the wind
provoke my longing.


Evening Plum Blossoms

The perfume of plum blossoms
reaches even the sleeves
of my ink-dyed robe -
my aching heart
penetrates  the evening.


My Wish Under the Moon

How I wish
to die in autumn
moonlight
not to be lost,
even in darkness.


Death Poem

My wish is to see
a cloudless moon
above the lotus flower
in my next life.