Poetry Chaikhana Blog

Ivan M. Granger October 3rd, 2008

Reflected
by Kobayashi Issa

English version by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto

Reflected
in the dragonfly’s eye –
mountains.

— from Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Translated by Lucien Stryk / Translated by Takashi Ikemoto

/ Photo by tanakawho /

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 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.

Kobayashi Issa Japan (1763 - 1828) Timeline Buddhist : Zen / Chan

Kobayashi Issa, or simply Issa, is one of the best known and appreciated haiku poets.

Issa was born in Kashiwabara, in what is now part of the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. His father was a farmer. Issa’s mother died when the boy was very young and his father soon remarried. Issa’s stepmother mistreated him and, when he was fourteen, Issa was sent to Edo (Tokyo) where he studied haiku.

Although he gained some notoriety for his poetry early on, he struggled to get by financially and had to travel and work hard until his fifties. When his father died, Issa had further troubles with his stepmother who prevented him from inheriting his father’s property for some time. He eventually was able to claim his inheritance, however.

Though Issa’s life was filled with struggles — the death of his mother at an early age, the conflicts with his stepmother, his poverty, and the death of his own children — his haiku tend to celebrate the serene joys and simple spiritual moments of life.

More poetry by Kobayashi Issa

• Poetry