June 20th, 2015
Ryokan (1758-1831)Shut up among the solitary peaks,
I sadly contemplate the driving sleet outside.
A monkey’s cry echoes through the dark hills,
A frigid stream murmurs below,
And the light by the window looks frozen solid.
My inkstone, too, is ice-cold.
No sleep tonight, I’ll write poems,
Warming the brush with my breath.