A Hermit Monk in the Mountains – Ikkyu Sojun

The Zen priest Ikkyū by Bokusai
Ikkyū by Bokusai (Motsurin Shōtō, 1412-1492) 43.7 x 26.1 cm. Important Cultural Property. Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo


A Hermit Monk in the Mountains

Ikkyu Sojun
Translation into English by John Stevens

I like it best when no one comes,
Preferring fallen leaves and swirling flowers for company.
Just an old Zen monk living like he should,
A withered plum tree suddenly sprouting a hundred blossoms.

John Stevens, Wild Ways: Zen Poems of Ikkyū. Boston, Mass. Shambhala, 1995

Source: https://phaphoan.ca/2021/09/23/kanshi-32-ikkyu-sojun-一休宗純-nhat-huu-tong-thuan

A wooden statue of Ikkyū at Shūon’an
A wooden statue of Ikkyū at Shūon’an

Ẩn Tăng trong Núi
Ikkyu Sojun
Võ Tấn Phát dịch (từ bản dịch Anh Ngữ)

Cửa thiền: không người lui tới,
Bằng hữu: lá rụng hoa rơi.
Lão tăng: an nhiên tự tại,
Mai khô: trăm nụ bỗng cười.

Cảm ơn một bạn FB, Tuệ Hỷ giúp sửa đổi “Cửa thiền: không người qua lại” thành “Cửa thiền: không người lui tới”.

Ikkyu Sojun (一休宗純) – Nhất Hưu Tông Thuần)

A portrait of Ikkyū with his famous red sword
A portrait of Ikkyū with his famous red sword

2 thoughts on “A Hermit Monk in the Mountains – Ikkyu Sojun

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