These letters

are my letters

to you.

"Ever since my house burnt down, I see the moon more clearly..."

"I gazed upon all the Edens that have fallen in me, I saw Edens that I had held in my hands but let go, I saw promises I did not keep, pains I did not throw, wounds I did not heal, tears I did not share.
I saw deaths I did not mourn, prayers I did not answer, doors I did not open, doors I did not close, lovers I left behind, and dreams I did not live.

I saw all that was offered to me that I could not accept.
I saw the letters I wished for but never received.
I saw all that could have been but never will be. "

.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Solitude

On a Night As Long

On a night as long 

As the long, drooping tail on

The copper pheasant

 Dwelling in the steep mountains,

 Am I, too,

 meant to sleep alone?

Kakinomoto Hitomaro

Loving You,

 Loving you, my heart may shatter into a thousand pieces, 

but not one piece will be lost.

Izumi Shikibu

Plum Trees Blooming Near The Stream

Each spring it seems I
shall confuse reflections in
the flowing stream with
flowers and again I’ll drench
my sleeves seeking to pluck those boughs

Lady Ise

Coolness

Coolness--
the sound of the bell
as it leaves the bell.  

Yosa Buson

What a Strange Thing!

What a strange thing!
to be alive
beneath cherry blossoms.  

 Kobayashi Issa

How Admirable!

How admirable!
to see lightning and not think
life is fleeting. 

               Matsuo Basho

Each of The Rain Drops Has a Tale to Tell

Each of the rain drops has a tale to tell
about the sorrows of people
about the hardships living things go through
about the arrival of sparrows.

Bochō Yamamura

My Keepsake

My keepsake—
Look at it and think of me,
and I will love you
through the long years
strung out like beads on a string.

 Kasa no Iratsume

There is Not Even a Moment of Calmness

There is not even a moment of calmness.
In the heart that loves the blossoms,
the wind is already blowing. 

Izumi Shikibu

Color of The Flower

Color of the flower
Has already faded away,
While in idle thoughts
My life passes vainly by,
As I watch the long rains fall.

Ono no Komachi

To Nara's Brook Comes Evening

To Nara's brook comes
Evening, and the rustling winds
Stir the oak-trees' leaves.
Not a sign of summer left
But the sacred bathing there.

 Fujiwara no Ietaka

From The Monastery

From the monastery
On Mount Hiei I look out
On this world of tears,
And though I am unworthy,
I shield it with my black sleeves.

 Daisojo Jien

An Autumn Eve:

An autumn eve:
See the valley mists arise
Among the fir leaves
That still hold the dripping wet
Of the chill day's sudden showers.

Jakuren Hoshi