Cargoless,
bound heavenward,
ship of the moon.

tsumimono ya
nakute jodo e
tsuke no fume

Doharku
1675
death poem

this mornings walk in Bear Canyon, full moon set

Seventy years and more

I have tasted life to its utmost

The stench of urine sticks to my bones.

What matter all these?

Ho! Where is the place I return to?

Above the peak the moonlight whitens

A clear wind blows.

Tosui Unkei

9.19.1683

death poem

moon set over Albuquerque

Clouds drifting off:

the sight of

moonlit heavens.

ukigumo no

harete jodo no

tsukimi kana

Kizan

8.15.1786

death poem