Mikō suigetsu o saguri,
Shi ni itaru made kyūketsu sezu.
Hōshu shinsen ni mossureba,
Jippō hikari kōketsu.
The monkey is reaching for the moon in the water,
Until death overtakes him he’ll never give up.
If he’d let go of the branch and disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine with dazzling pureness.