The dragonfly

Portrait of Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho 1644–1694

The dragonfly can't quite land on that blade of grass.

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  1. Albanidia United States

    This poem is really inspiraring. I love dragonflies.

  2. sktabler United States ↩ replying to Albanidia

    On 5/9/05 Albanidia commented this poem was inspiring. Why? I have a freind that also loves dragonflys and am looking for a poem to sahre with her.Would love to know your interpretation of the poem.

  3. Lydia United States

    i love this haiku. does anyone have it written in kanji?

  4. Ash United States

    The meaning of this Haiku is that everyone has something they are good at, but you may have to try many things before you find that one special thing. If something doesn't work out, move on.

  5. M.C. Arnold Brazil

    It is really about the longing for something one doesn't have, or else, can't have. The dragonfly may land on every other leave of grass, and that's exactly why it doesn't want to, so it keeps trying to land precisely on that blade of grass.

  6. Jenny United States

    I'm not certain that this poem is meant to have a particular meaning, though I enjoyed reading what you folks had to say about it. To me, it just depicts a single moment in time, a dragonfly hovering, bouncing in the air the way dragonflies do, perhaps a bit indecisive or just reluctant to stop flying. A small but a vivid moment. Just my two cents, for what they're worth :D

  7. Ed Moreno United States ↩ replying to Jenny

    It is the most baffling of all koan ever written, althoguh I do not remember it among the traditional koan. While I love Jenny's interpretation, I can see it also as the moment when one ponders whether to attach (land) or not as one realizes one is capable now of doing either.

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