Tuesday Poem: Haiku—“the world of dew” by Kobayashi Issa
the world of dew
is the world of dew
and yet, and yet…
.
Kobayashi Issa, 1763-1827
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On January 25 I posted the haiku spring rain, also by Kobayashi Issa, as my Tuesday poem. You are probably receiving the impression—correct as it happens—that I very much admire Issa as a haijin. the world of dew is another of my Issa favourites. I think we all intuitively understand the inherent dichotomy between reality and possibility inherent in this poem. Yet even apparent reality is ephemeral: it is, after all, the world of dew. And yet again, maybe …
The reason I chose to feature Issa again today is because on April 24, Toni Bernhard commented on the spring rain post to draw my attention to her essay about Issa on PsychologyToday.com. I enjoyed reading the essay and wanted to draw it to the attention of Tuesday Blog readers so featuring Issa again—and the world of dew haiku in particular since it also appears in Toni’s essay—seemed like the right choice for this Tuesday, 3 May.
To read Toni’s essay, Turning Straw Into Gold, click here.
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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Blog—and link to other Tuesday Poets posting around NZ and the world—either click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.
mmmm – delicious
Wow. I love the way these haiku can conjure up so much with so few words. They’re incredibly powerful.
I admire anyone who can achieve – with such brevity – the whole world.
clever repetition, and yet, and yet – I want more words, or at least more ephemera- is that so greedy?
Thank you all for your comments—mainly for Issa, in absentia, for your appreciation of his genius.:)
Thank you so much for linking to my Psychology Today post on Issa. He has been such a comfort to me during my illness. I hope those who read it could see how his haiku are so relevant to our lives today. Warmly, Toni
Toni, I enjoyed the essay and hope are few others may have also. Issa, like his perhaps more famous colleague, Bassho, is ‘for all seasons’—and generations, imo.