At Ni-Yang Inn

A traveler's sadness,
how is it deepened?
By seeing off
an old friend at dusk.

At the tumbledown inn,
autumn fireflies are out;
in the empty town,
a cold rain comes.

The sun sets
in a seasonal white dew;
tree shadows sweep
the green moss.

As I sit alone,
my mood after parting darkness;
the light of my single lamp
is weak.

- Chia Tao