By

Andrew

Olendzki

Mother Rain
S 1:80

vuṭṭhi alasam analasañca
mātā puttaṃ va posati
vuṭṭhibhūtā upajīvanti
ye pāṇā pathaviṃ sitā ti

The rain pours down on weak and strong
As a mother nurtures her child.
The spirits of the rain sustain
All creatures who dwell on the earth.

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Slipping Away
Heraññakāni Thera
Thag 145

accayanti ahorattā,
jīvitaṃ uparujjhati,
āyu khīyati maccānaṃ
kunnadīnaṃ va odakaṃ.

Days and nights go hurtling by
Till our lifetime comes to an end.
the life of mortals slips away
—Like the water of tiny streams.

Spr02_poem

Gurgling Loudly
Nālaka Sutta
Sn 720

tan nadīhi vijānātha
sobbhesu padaresu ca:
sanantā yanti kussobbhā,
tuṇhī yāti mahodadhi.

Listen to the sound of water
In the clefts and in the gullies:
The tiny streams gurgle loudly —
Mighty waters flow in silence.

*

Rain Cloud
Aññakoṇḍañña Thera
Thag 675

rajam upātaṃ vātena
yathā megho pasāmaye,
evaṃ sammanti saṃkappā
yadā paññāya passati.

Just as a rain-cloud would settle
The dust that’s been raised by the wind,
So all conceptions come to rest —
When one sees clearly with wisdom.

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