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Reflected by Kobayashi Issa (1763 - 1828) Timeline English version by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto Original Language Japanese Buddhist : Zen / Chan 18th Century Reflected in the dragonfly's eye -- mountains.     -- from Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Translated by Lucien Stryk / Translated by Takashi Ikemoto Amazon.com   / Photo by tanakawho /	Themes   Mountain         Recommended Books A Box of Zen: Haiku the Poetry of Zen, Koans the Lessons of Zen, Sayings the Wisdom of Zen, Edited by Manuela Dunn Mascetti / Edited by Timothy Hugh Barrett The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell The Poetry of Zen: (Shambhala Library), Edited by Sam Hamill / Edited by J. P. Seaton Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Translated by Lucien Stryk / Translated by Takashi Ikemoto
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

To appreciate the depth of this haiku, imagine the qualities of a dragonfly. It is beautiful, ephemeral, almost ethereal. Its wings are translucent, yet glisten with rainbow colors when they catch the light. On summer days it darts about, almost impossible to catch, then hovers still, in midair, contemplating the world about it.

And its eyes, in Issa's haiku, reflect.

One way to understand this poem is that the dragonfly represents the mind become self aware, resplendent, delighting in its intangible beauty. It darts here and there, and then stabilizes. In recognizing its own insignifigence, it becomes alive to a world of wonder and immensity that surrounds it.

In this way, even a dragonfly's minute eye reflects the grandeur of the mountains. The mind, in its stillness, in recognizing its nothingness, manages to reflect the immensity of eternity.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.