すみぞめ

なにゆえに
わがみわいえお
いでしぞと
こころにそめよ
すみぞめのそで

naniyue ni
waga mi wa ie o
ideshi zo to
kokoro ni someyo
sumizome no sode

why did I
leave home to be a monk?
I think it over
until my heart is dyed
deep as the black sleeves of my robe

-Ryokan

Light sleep

Light sleep, the bane of old age:
Dozing off, evening dreams, waking again.
The fire in the hearth flickers; all night a steady rain
Pours off the banana tree.
Now is the time I wish to share my feelings ---
But there is no one.

-Ryokan