The Plum

On the plum blossoms
Thick fell the snow;
I wished to gather some
To show to thee,
But it melted in my hands.

Among the hills
The snow still lies-
But the willows
Where the torrents rush together
Are in full bud.

To what shall I compare
This life of ours?
It is like a boat
Which at daybreak rows away
And leaves no trace behind it.

The sky is a sea
Where the cloud-billows rise;
And the moon is a bark;
To the groves of the stars
It is oaring its way.

Japanese Nature Poem
Author unknown.+
Title: The Importance of Purity*
*From A History of Japanese Literature by W.G.Aston.