To the Lighthouse: Toriaswase (Association)

on the blade of grass

drops of dew roll into one

dream within a dream

5-7-5 Haiku Journal, February 2 2026

Chen-ou Liu

The haiku begins with a concrete, sensory image: dewdrops rolling along a blade of grass (Ls 1&2). It then shifts toward an abstract realization in L3—"dream within a dream." This movement from the tangible to the metaphysical reflects the classic haiku technique of toriawase (association), in which two seemingly distinct elements resonate with and illuminate one another.

The verb phrase “roll into one” in L2 creates a gentle sense of motion and unity. It bridges the physical merging of droplets with the subtle blurring of reality suggested in L3. The literal coalescence of water becomes a metaphor for dissolving boundaries—between self and world, waking and dreaming.

Ending on “dream within a dream,” an allusion to Ryōkan’s well-known haiku below, adds further depth and poignancy. It gestures toward the ephemeral nature of existence while maintaining a tone of quiet acceptance:

This world—

a dream inside a dream.

And yet, how lovely.

Ryōkan

This dewdrop haiku also recalls James Clavell’s reflection—adapted from a Japanese death poem:

Like dew I was born.

Like dew I vanish.

And all that I have ever done

is but a dream within a dream.

In both echoes, dew functions as a classic symbol of transience. The merging drops become not only an image of physical unity, but a meditation on impermanence, illusion, and the fragile beauty of being.