September 15th, 2023
Ryokan (1758-1831)
A cold evening in my empty room;
Time flows by like the incense smoke arising.
Outside my door, a thousand stalks of bamboo,
Above my bed, how many books?
The moon has come to whiten half my window,
The only sound in any direction is the singing of insects.
In this there is boundless feeling;
But as I encounter it, there are no words.