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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu), tr. by William N. Porter, [1909], at sacred-texts.com


p. 70

70

THE PRIEST RIYŌ-ZEN

RIYŌ-ZEN HOSHI

  Sabishisa ni
Yado wo, tachi-idete
  Nagamureba
Izuko mo onaji
Aki no yūgure.

THE prospect from my cottage shows
  No other hut in sight;
The solitude depresses me,
  Like deepening twilight
  On a chill autumn night.

Nothing is known of this author, but he appears to have lived during the eleventh century. The Priest appears in the illustration, looking out over the bare landscape, with his tiny hut in the background.


Next: 71. The First Adviser of State Tsune-nobu: Dai-Nagon Tsune-nobu