Dewdrop World :: Haiku of Japan #51

露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara


this life
is as the morning dew
yes... but...
Issa


(Tr. David LaSpina)

(Print by M.C. Escher)

Another haiku from Issa today. Yesterday we got a playful one from him; today, a sad one. One of his most potent, in fact. He wrote this to mourn the death of his daughter Sato. Buddhism tells us that life is fleeting, as the cherry blossoms or as drops of dew on the morning grass. Things come and go as quickly as a stream of water passes by, and we should avoid attachment since nothing is here more than a moment. As a strict student of Buddhism, Issa knows this. But... his child...

He wrote his his diary:

I knew that it was no use to cry, that water once flown past the bridge does not return and scattered blossoms are gone beyond recall. Yet try as I would, I could not, simply cut the binding cord of human love.

It's amazing he was able to keep such an innocent and gleeful attitude in most of his haiku when he was surrounded by such tragedy.

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Don't miss other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!

#1–10 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #1
#11–20 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #2
#21–30 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #3
#31—40 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #4
#41 — Falling Camellia
#42 — Snow Falling
#43 — Morning Glory Shack
#44 — My Father's Face
#45 — Dragonfly Hunter
#46 — Fallen Butterfly
#47 — Fading Dreams of Ancient Warriors
#48 — Battleground Pear Tree

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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

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