Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/323

There comes with the blowing wind The sound of cloth-beaters’ mallets. Sōgi	Autumn (cloth-beating). The sound emerges from the fog.
Even freezing days In the evening find me In thinnest garments. Sōchō	A lonely, poverty-stricken scene. Link: cloth-garments.
How forlorn a way to live— The mountains where I gather brush. Shōhaku	Poverty. A humble wood-cutter.
“Yet there may be hope,” I thought, but this way of life Has come to an end. Sōgi	Poverty. Despair.
Ah, the misery of it! Whither now shall I turn? Sōchō	Poverty. Despair.
Parting after bliss, Resolved to wait as long As life is left me. Shōhaku	The misery of poverty shifts to the misery of separation after making love. Love.
Still it lasts—what does it mean? This longing I feel for her. Sōgi	Love. Separation.
Except for you Whom could I ever love, Never surfeiting? Sōchō	Love.
Nothing remotely suggests The charms of her appearance. Shōhaku	Love.