“I do not like praises and honours
Nor did I fear disdain
I just stayed away.
My mind, clear water,
My body bound and tied
For three years in Chang'an.
I sing what I feel in songs
In straight words, undecorated.”

—  Sesson Yūbai

Source: Bingatshū, as cited in: Katō, Shūichi. A History of Japanese Literature: From the Man'yōshū to Modern Times, 1997. p. 105.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Sesson Yūbai 1
Japanese Zen Buddhist monk of the Rinzai sect 1290–1347

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