How pitiful, those virtuous fellows!
Moving into the recesses, they immerse
   themselves in composing poetry
For Ancient Style, their models
   are the poems of Han and Wei
For Recent Form,
   the T'ang poets are their guide
With gaudy words their lines are formed
And further adorned by
   novel and curious phrases
Yet if they fail to express 
   what's in their own minds
What's the use, no matter
   how many poems they compose?
	- Ryokan