Alone

I raise the curtains and go out

To watch the moon. Leaning on the

Balcony, I breathe the evening

Wind from the west, heavy with the

Odours of decaying Autumn.

The rose jade of the river

Blends with the green jade of the void.

Hidden in the grass a cricket chirps.

Hidden in the sky storks cry out.

I turn over and over in

My heart the memories of

Other days. Tonight as always

There is no one to share my thoughts.

by Chu Shu Chen (c. 1200)

おたんじょうび おめでとう ございます, 洋子さん.