The Sacred Forest
(Nikko)
The multi-columned cryptomerias loom
In serried ranks, like vast cathedral choirs,
Through endless vistas, lifting lofty spires
O’er billowy clouds of burgeoned cherry bloom,
Whose shedded petals waft a faint perfume
Mingled with incense of the sacred fires
From
Shinto shrines, where Tokugawa sires
Lie in the sleep of time’s eternal tomb.
Through towering portals, lichen-grown and grey,
The pilgrims file in never-ending line,
Cicada-like a drowsy chant they croon,
And at the temple-torii kneel and pray,
While pendant palms in silver radiance shine
Beneath the benediction of the moon.