PagineA Very Ancient Ode
by Anonymous · in Classical Poems of Japan
Translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain (1880) · From Classical Poetry of Japan
Mountains and ocean-waves
Around me lie;
Forever the mountain-chains
Tower to the sky;
Fixed is the ocean
Immutably:—
Man is a thing of nought,
Born but to die!
This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.