A Hundred Verses from Old Japan · 83 of 101
82. The Priest Dō-in: Dō-in Hoshi
82
THE PRIEST DŌ-IN
DŌ-IN HOSHI
Omoi-wabi Satemo inochi wa Aru mono wo Uki ni taenu wa Namida nari keri.
How sad and gloomy is the world, This world of sin and woe! Ah! while I drift along Life’s stream, Tossed helpless to and fro, My tears will ever flow.
The Priest Dō-in was a member of the Fujiwara family. The date of this verse is not known, but it was probably written in the twelfth century. The illustration shows the priest alone in his hut, lamenting over the sorrows of humanity.