O Quiet One
A prayer for living lightly in a passing world
”This song, O Quiet One, was inspired by a famous verse attributed to Sami Mansei, preserved in the Man’yōshū, the oldest surviving anthology of Japanese poetry.
Yo no naka o
nani ni tatoemu
asabiraki
kogiinishi fune no
ato naki gotoshi
Our life in this world,
to what shall I compare it?
It is like a boat
rowing out at break of day,
leaving not a trace behind.
Life appears, moves quietly, and disappears again. Like a boat crossing the harbor at dawn, it leaves no lasting mark on the water. And yet, while it passes, it holds beauty, stillness, and mystery. It feels like such a pure and simple expression of impermanence where we remember how brief life is, how delicate, how impossible to hold.
O Quiet One grew from that feeling: a prayer to live this brief life lightly, with humility, tenderness, and wisdom. A reminder that all things pass, and that this very passing can awaken the heart.
🎵 Listen here
O Quiet One,
teach me to live this brief life lightly.
Like a boat at dawn
crossing the harbor without a trace,
may I pass through this world
with humility and tenderness.
When I cling, soften me.
When I fear change, steady me.
When I forget how fragile this life is,
return me to the simple truth:
all things pass.
May I love well,
walk gently,
and leave behind
not noise, but blessing.
May this fleeting life
awaken wisdom in me,
and may my heart rest
in what does not perish.



Thank you, this song is my prayer tonight. Lights out where l am in Aus 🙏
This is both a beautiful song and a very meaningful sentiment. It is one I will listen to over and over. Thank you.