Tsurigane ni
Tomarite nemuru
Kocho kana!
—Buson
On the temple bell
Something rests in quiet sleep.
Look, a butterfly!
Both a famous poet and a painter, Buson has here given us and
generations to come this exquisite picture to enjoy. Note the con
trast between the huge, black bell and the delicate little butterfly.
This haiku seems to contain Zen overtones of the frailty of life
and the imponderableness of fate.