lost in a sky of strange and far places a hint of a house and treetops in the mist guide my way to you
she gazes into the same skies as you do may your thoughts also come to be one of accord
if you answered the tapping of every water bird even a wandering moon could enter
if the haze had not come out to go in between the moon and flowers otherwise even the birds nests might have burst into blossom
boat upon high seas if you are drifting without a harbor or course give me a call and I'll row out to teach you about ports
not even knowing the meaning which the color of lavender has but watching it carefully this one's heart is deeply touched
Murasaki Shikibu, *A String of Flowers, Untied...
Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese court lady. She is the author of the Tale of Genji written one thousand years ago. In eleventh century Japan the highest form of literary effort was poetry, the 31 syllable tanka.