Sunday, March 31, 2013

Butterfly Dream: Butterfly Haiku by Rebecca Drouilhet

English Original

butterfly chasing butterfly
who knows
what dreams may come?

Editor’s Choice Haiku, World Haiku Review, March 2013

Rebecca Drouilhet


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

蝴蝶相互追逐
誰知道
什麼樣的夢會到來?

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

蝴蝶相互追逐
谁知道
什麽样的梦会到来?


Bio Sketch

Rebecca Drouilhet is a fifty seven year old retired registered nurse.  She first encountered and fell in love with haiku poetry when her mother used  it as part of her curriculum.  She taught classes for the intellectually gifted. Rebecca enjoy reading and writing haiku, playing word games and spending time with her large family.

3 comments:

  1. World Haiku Review Editor's comment:

    Reminiscent of ancient Chinese poetry, this maintains karumi (lightness) without making the poem laden with un-haiku-like heavy philosophy. It has made this pessimist slightly optimistic about life. Perhaps, dreams, once there, should remain dreams. Troubles start when we want them come true.

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  2. The use of allusion and the perceptual shift add emotional weight and aesthetic depth to the poem. However, I think replacing "dreams" with "dream" could enhance the poem (it's because of making this Zhuangzian allusion more effective. For more information, see To the Lighthouse: Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/2013/02/to-lighthouse-zhuangzis-butterfly-dream.html

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  3. This made me reflect on how we always have dreams and, if we are lucky enough to have one come true another will come along and replace it - just like the butterflies!

    Lovely, Rebecca. :)

    marion

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