I have all I need
The world's dust |
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Notes
The above appears to be an abridged rendering of John Stevens' translation in Rengetsu: Life and Poetry of Lotus Moon (Echo Point Books & Media, 2014, p.154):
The world's dust
Swept aside
No care for the future—
In my hermitage I have all I need:
The wind in the pines.Two scrolls (1, 2) attributed to Rengetsu have the original as:
世のちりを
よそにはらひて
ゆく末の
ちよをしめたる
やとの枩風In modern Japanese:
世の塵を
余所に払いて
行く末の
千代を占めたる
宿の松風The elided line, ゆく末のちよをしめたる (literally "go end <possessive particle> thousand ages <direct object marker> secure <classical past/perfect ending>"), resists idiomatic translation. It conveys the sense of securing prosperity or continuity for "a thousand ages"/forever.
Artwork: Detail from Rengetsu's Mountain Village in Autumn
See also
Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) Antique poem carved pottery teabowl#4843
Black Robe, White Mist: Art of the Japanese Buddhist nun Rengetsu
❧ 2026-04-27
