Santōka Alarm
日本語EN

that is a butterfly's dance before death

sore wa shi no mae no chōchō no mai

1939–1940 · Matsuyama, Issō-an hermitage
Sōmokutō · The Crow (Karasu)

Notes

A butterfly flutters and dances. That, he sees, is a dance before death. The motion of something near the end of its life is light beyond all lightness, and beautiful. Only a quiet recognition remains.

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