Monday, May 23, 2022

Butterfly Dream: Indigo Night Haiku by Robert Epstein

English Original

indigo night
in the cricket's song
no birth no death


Robert Epstein


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

靛藍之夜
在蟋蟀的歌聲中
無生無死

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

靛蓝之夜
在蟋蟀的歌声中
无生无死


Bio Sketch

Robert Epstein, a psychologist and haiku poet/anthologist, lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has edited four anthologies:  The Breath of SurrenderDreams Wander OnThe Temple Bell Stops; and Now This.  He has written two books of haiku:  A Walk Around Spring Lake; and Checkout Time is Noon, as well as a chapbook titled, What My Niece Said in His Head:  Haiku and Senryu

1 comment:

  1. A moment of enlightenment ("satori"), "no birth no death," is keenly captured in this multi-sensory haiku infused with evocative imagery, the cricket's song on an indigo night.

    And the thematic focus of this haiku reminds me of Robert's view of haiku:

    Described as “wordless” because intuition relies on a pre-reflective form of knowing, haiku appears perfectly suited to shed light on cracks in the night that reveal the unborn and deathless right in the midst of our living-and-dying. This is the essence of death awareness haiku--a poetry of truth, love, and freedom.

    -- excerpted from the summary, "Checkout Time is Noon"

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