Tokyo Metamorphosis

From Hojo-ki, 12th century Japanese essay

In the beautiful city, the houses of people from all walks of life are endless for many generations. Some of them were rebuilt after a fire last year, others were replaced by small houses after a big one collapsed. The people who live in them are the same. The place has not changed, and many people live there, but only one or two people out of twenty or thirty say they have been there for a long time. They are born in the morning and die in the evening, like bubbles floating on a river.

Tanslated through DeepL.