On the day when the lotus bloomed, alas,
my mind was straying, and I knew it not.
My basket was empty
and the flower remained unheeded.
Only now and again a sadness fell upon me,
and I started up from my dream
and felt a sweet trace of a strange fragrance
in the south wind.
That vague sweetness
made my heart ache with longing
and it seemed to me
that it was the eager breath of the summer
seeking for its completion.
I knew not then that it was so near,
that it was mine,
and that this perfect sweetness had blossomed
in the depth of my own heart.