by Ono no Komachi
(9th Century Japan)

Did he appear
because I fell asleep
thinking of him?
If only I'd known I was dreaming,
I'd never have wakened.

The autumn night
is long only in name--
We've done no more
than gaze at each other
and it's already dawn.

Although there is
not one moment
without longing,
still, how strange
this autumn twilight is.