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

—

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.

—

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.