"Just as Ryokan's life is inseparable from his poetry, the translation's
clarity of diction is inseparable from the sensitive brushwork on each
page. A book to be gazed into again and again."--Charlotte Mandel,
Small Press
What shall remain
as my legacy?
The spring flowers
the cuckoo in summer,
the autumn leaves.
Ryokan (1758-1831) was a poet, master calligrapher, Zen hermit, and
is one of the most beloved poets of Japan. Instead of becoming the head
of a Zen temple, he preferred the simple and independent life of a
hermit. Ryokan's poetry is simple, direct, and colloquial in expression.