Short Poems

Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower--but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.

Flow, O my tears, to mitigate my sorrow!
Alas, a flood will not suffice me:
My store of tears is spent, and who a tear can borrow?
When human pity flies me,
Then, O my soul, betake thee
To God by prayer,
Whose love did ne'er

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day,
But why the people call it so
Nor I nor they themselves do know.

Fair Isle at Sea--thy lovely name
Soft in my ear like music came.
That sea I loved, and once or twice
I touched at isles of Paradise.

Every day I receive the Imperial favor
as I attend upon His carriage.
But no matter what I do, I never forget the family!
I send this to you now, Ch'ao-erh, to say,
be diligent in your studies of the Documents and Poems:
don't upset your dad!

Farewell , dear scenes, for ever closed to me,
Oh, for what sorrows must I now exchange ye!
Me miserable! how could I escape
Infinite wrath and infinite despair!
Whom Death, Earth, Heaven, and Hell consigned to ruin,
Whose friend was God, but God swore not to aid me!

Finished begging at the village crossroads,
now I stroll through the Hachiman Shrine
when children spot me, call to each other,
" That crazy monk from last year's back again! "

Fain would I kiss my Julia's dainty Leg,
Which is as white and hair-less as an egge.

First a monkey, then a man.
Just the way the world began.

Firefly, airplane, satellite, star
How I wonder which you are.