Issa
A poignant haiku by Issa, with Buddhist themes of the fleeting nature of existence, written when his son passed away. In the haiku Issa accepts the fact that life means that death will follow, and that this life is not ultimately real... and yet.
This world of dew
is only a world of dew -
and yet
While we're on this theme, "Departures" (Okuribito) is one of the best movies I've watched this year (besides Slumdog Millionaire). It deals with an often taboo, morbid topic (preparing the dead for viewing before cremation/burial) with delicacy and sincerity, resulting in a beautiful, riveting and moving film. It helps that there's plenty of humor and the actors (especially the male leads) are brilliant in their nuancing. A must-see.
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