Another year lingers to an end;
Heaven sends a bitter frost.
Fallen leaves cover the mountains
And there are no travelers to cast shadows on the path.
Endless night: dried leaves burn slowly on the hearth.
Occasionally, the sound of freezing rain.
Dizzy, I try to recall the past –
Nothing here but dreams.
~ Ryokan
[From ‘One Robe, One Bowl’, translated by John Stevens.]
