The urge of the prince
To go around more places,
The King understood well.
Perhaps, it was God’s will.

Next, the prince went out
From the South gate,
And found a sickly man
Groaning with severe pain.

He asked his charioteer,
“What made this man suffer? ”
Charioteer gave him the reason,
“He’s sick, suffering with pain.”

The prince asked him again
“Why he’s having pain?
How he fell into sickness?
Why he’s in distress? ”

The charioteer explained
“Any being, young or old,
Rich or poor, wise or fool,
Into sickness, one can fall.”

Siddhartha felt then
“If there’s room for this pain,
It ends in one’s suffering,
So, pleasure has no meaning.”

They returned to the palace.
His mind then became restless.
For the mentally disturbed prince,
It was another painful experience

From the West gate,
Once again, he set out
Not far away from the palace,
A crowd moved in slow pace.

Four men carried a corpse
O’er their shoulders.
The men behind cried
As they closely followed.

To the prince it was
A third experience.
The charioteer this time,
Briefly explained to him.

“There comes death
After every birth.
This is the truth
Of life and death.”

The prince said, “Then
The whole world is an illusion!
For what’s unseen, is real!
And what’s seen is unreal! ”

Rajaram Ramachandran

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/buddha-09-sight-of-sick-and-dead/