Four Poems by Ryōkan Taigu

文殊乘獅子
普賢跨象王
妙音化蓮台
維摩臥一床


Mañjuśrī rides a lion.
Samantabhadra straddles the elephant king.
Mañjughoṣa manifests a lotus throne.
Vimalakīrti lays in a bed.


城中乞食休
得得携囊
歸來知何
家在白雲陲

Resting after begging for food in the city.
After much trouble I carry my sack and return.
Do I know where to return?
My home is on the edge of the white cloud.


田家風雨後
籬菊僅存枝
少婦釃濁酒
稚子牽衲衣


At a farmhouse after the windy rain,
Chrysanthemums on the hedges, a few branches remain. 
The young wife strains cloudy wine,
A small child tugs on my robes.


一思少年時
讀書在空堂
燈火數添油
未厭冬夜長


When I think back to my youth,
Reading books in an empty hall,
Repeatedly adding oil to the lamp's flame.
I am still not weary of the length of winter nights.


- Ryōkan Taigu 良寛大愚 (1758-1831)

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