no answer
A REWARD
Tired and hungry,
late in the day, impelled
to leave the house
and search for what
might lift me back to what I had fallen away from,
I stood by the shore waiting.
Dusk was smoothing breadths of silk
over the lake, watery amethyst fading to gray.
to linger, to look North before nightfall — the expanse
of calm, of calming water, last wafts
of rose in the few high clouds.
1811
.杭の鷺いかにも露を見るやうに
kui no sagi ikanimo tsuyu wo miru yô ni
heron on a post
gazing down, it seems
at dewdrops
issa
Tired and hungry,
late in the day, impelled
to leave the house
and search for what
might lift me back to what I had fallen away from,
I stood by the shore waiting.
Dusk was smoothing breadths of silk
over the lake, watery amethyst fading to gray.
Ducks were clustered in sleeping companies
afloat on their element as I was not
on mine. I turned homeward, unsatisfied.
But after a few steps I paused, impelled againafloat on their element as I was not
on mine. I turned homeward, unsatisfied.
to linger, to look North before nightfall — the expanse
of calm, of calming water, last wafts
of rose in the few high clouds.
And was rewarded:
the heron, unseen for weeks, came flying
widewinged toward me, settled
just offshore on his post,
took up his vigil.
If you ask
why this cleared a fog from my spirit,
I have no answer.
— Denise Levertov
the heron, unseen for weeks, came flying
widewinged toward me, settled
just offshore on his post,
took up his vigil.
If you ask
why this cleared a fog from my spirit,
I have no answer.
— Denise Levertov
1811
.杭の鷺いかにも露を見るやうに
kui no sagi ikanimo tsuyu wo miru yô ni
heron on a post
gazing down, it seems
at dewdrops
issa
Labels: allen w seaby, birds, denise levertov, edward godwin, ethleen palmer, haiku, issa, ito sozan, lacquer, norbertine von bresslern-roth, poetry
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hi, and thanks so much for stopping by. i spend all too much time thinking my own thoughts about this stuff, so please tell me yours. i thrive on the exchange!
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