Fujiwara no Yoshitake (954-974), a handsome nobleman, tragically died of smallpox at age 21. He left a love poem full of pathos:
Kige ga tame
oshikarazarishi
Inochi sae
Nagaku mo gana to
Omoikeru kanaFor your precious sake, once I thought
I could die.
Now, I wish to live with you
a long, long time.
For your precious sake, once I thought I could die.
It took me a long time to figure out this poem isn't about a recovering alcoholic.
Here's the new thread for posting quotes, with the usual rules: