Now seen...now gone, The butterfly flits in and out Through fence-hung flowers; But a life lived so close to them I envy...though it's here and gone.
SaigyōTightly held by rocks Through winter, the ice today Begins to come undone: A way-seeker also is the water, Melting, murmuring from the moss.
SaigyōWhatever it is, / I cannot understand it, / although gratitude / stubbornly overcomes me / until I'm reduced to tears.
SaigyōI'd like to divide myself in order to see, among these mountains, each and every flower of every cherry tree.
Saigyō