Prayer Exchange

 O cloud, listen! With your translucent body
 pause a moment in this light,
 hold me briefly in your soft white folds,
 before you drift to distant places, let me drift once with you,
 O cloud, before you move further, lose yourself a little in me.
 Mistakes left behind, thorns of error,
 what was never gained, what was denied—
 I keep them alive in tears.
 Even this small square room corners me,
 yet in the intoxication of living,
 in life's wager, in endless struggle,
 leaving all vows behind,
 in abundance and joy, in sky-touching rapture,
 this time I'll live fearlessly—in your dreams and mine.
  
 In this world's falsehoods, in conflict-ridden clashes
 let that old mistake sleep.
 Releasing all burdens today,
 bind me to you.
 I beg you, gold is falling in this light,
 scatter your whiteness—all you have and what little remains!
 I'm coming, wait a moment...
 O beloved, fall as rain
 my tears will hide in that body
 we'll fall together as companions—see how we merge.
  
 In sweet dawn's gentle light I search for myself
 white dew
 quietly, deceptively
 comes near, sits beside me thinking I'm their own.
 I remain lost in sleep,
 drop by drop dew gathers on dreaming eyes,
 they call me insistently...
 yet sleep refuses to break.
 I in slumber, they in waiting,
 sleep sleep sleep...waiting waiting waiting...
 At some point the sun rises.
 At its peep all the dewdrops struggle to survive.
 Finally sunlight wins, dew flees.
 The dewdrop clan's silent farewell...
 Then my sleep breaks,
 with sleepy eyes I search for dew
 frantically.
 Exhausted from searching
 I extinguish the day's light.
 Night stays awake with me...
 helpless and weary I am—
 drowsy-eyed,
 heart heavy,
 body tired.
 In a small voice
 I call the dew...
 dew dew dew...
 Break your sulking now and come close,
 no one comes, nowhere is there any response...
 I keep calling...dew dew dew...
 Suddenly startled I look around,
 the old wind has changed, in this wind dew no longer forms as before.
 Sorrow exhausts me, intoxicates me...when I can no longer stay awake,
 I fall asleep forgetting myself.
  
 I've placed her in the sky
 painted there
 I look whenever I wish,
 her playful banter
 with the moon, in starlight
 I smile to myself.
 Dawn no longer comes now,
 sometimes dew still arrives,
 I no longer call them as before.
 Listen, I'm telling you,
 inside here rain falls, sight shifts, wanders astray—what comes?
 However far you move me away,
 I'll lurk and stay right there in your home.