As The Evening Rain Falls

My life may appear melancholy,
But traveling through this world
I have entrusted myself to heaven.
In my sack, a couple of quarts of rice;
By the hearth, a bundle of firewood.
If someone asks what is the mark of enlightenment
or illusion,
I cannot say--wealth and honor are nothing but dust.
As the evening rain falls I sit in my hermitage
And stretch out both feet in answer.

~ Ryokan, 19th century.
Tr. John Stevens (slightly altered)