Ikkyu Sojun Poems

Hit Title Date Added
1.
It Is Nice To Get A Glimpse Of A Lady Bathing

It is nice to get a glimpse of a lady bathing--
You scrubbed your flower face and cleansed your lovely body
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2.
I Hate Incense

A master’s handiwork cannot be measured
But still priests wag their tongues explaining the “Way” and babbling about “Zen.”
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3.
To Lady Mori With Deepest Gratitude And Thanks

The tree was barren of leaves but you brought a new spring.
Long green sprouts, verdant flowers, fresh promise.
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4.
Exhausted With Gay Pleasures

Exhausted with gay pleasures, I embrace my wife.
The narrow path of asceticism is not for me:
My mind runs in the opposite direction.
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5.
My Hovel

The world before my eyes is wan and wasted, just like me.
The earth is decrepit, the sky stormy, all the grass withered.
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6.
After They Die

Why are people called Buddhas
After they die?
Because they don't grumble any more,
Because they don't make a nuisance
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7.
A Fisherman

Studying texts and stiff meditation can make you lose your Original Mind.
A solitary tune by a fisherman, though, can be an invaluable treasure.
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8.
A Meal Of Fresh Octopus

Lots of arms, just like Kannon the Goddess;
Sacrificed for me, garnished with citron, I revere it so!
The taste of the sea, just divine!
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